How to Listen to Jazz
(set 6)

What should you listen for?

Listening to jazz music is like listening to any other type of music. The listener needs to have some background on the subject as well as know what to listen for. Jazz is no different than any other music when comes to its form (architecture): the way the music is put together. Most jazz tunes are rooted in popular music of some time period. Whether it be from the blues of southern slaves, the fast urban life of New York's Harlem or the laid back life style of southern California, there is a form to it. Most commonly, jazz music comes what jazz musicians call "head tunes" - memorized popular songs of different time periods. Jazz musicians use these head tunes as a basic framework or skeleton to weave their improvised melodies. Some times, performers use the just harmonic structure of one tune and create a whole new melodic line that is superimposed over the old head tune. Charlie Parker's Koko (Cherokee) is a good example of this. By keeping their place in the music by memorizing the chord changes (the harmonic structure or pattern) jazz musicians improvise a melody that usually retains the flavor or essence of the original tune. This was not the case however, as jazz developed into the modern era.

The basic form of most jazz tunes is an ABA with the original tune stated at the beginning and at the end with the improvisation in the middle. Listening to jazz gets a lot easier if there is a familiarity with the original head tunes from with the jazz tunes are based. When listening to jazz, keep in mind the basic tune and the art of improvisation will be more appreciated.

Music Memory

By listening to each example of jazz history on this web site, be able to indentify examples of the different jazz earas and genres on a in class test. You will need to use all your visual and auditory memory to help you in this quest. Make notes on style, instrumentation and muscial textures of all performances and relate them to each genre.

Good Luck