Chamber jazz

Last updated

Chamber jazz is a genre of jazz involving small, acoustic-based ensembles where group interplay is important. [1] It is influenced aesthetically by the small ensembles of chamber music in musical neoclassicism and is often influenced by classical forms of Western [2] music as well as non-Western music or culture. [3] That stated, in many cases the influence is traditional Celtic music, Central European folk music, or Latin American music instead.

Contents

American bassist John Kirby (1908-1952) is arguably the first chamber jazz musician with a sextet he led in the 1930s and '40s. [4] However, many other early exponents originated in Europe so significant neoclassical composers of Europe, like Igor Stravinsky, are important. The German ECM Records also played a role in it beginning in the late 1960s. [5] It is also noted for using instruments not normally associated with jazz. For example, chamber jazz will make use of the oboe, mandolin, cymbalum, or the tabla.

The non-Western influences or instrumentation make chamber jazz at times listed as a kind of world music. At other times the fusion of neoclassical with jazz is deemed to be New Age and several albums of chamber jazz were released by Windham Hill Records. [6] Windham Hill itself was co-founded by a musician linked to chamber jazz and was initially known for folk or world music.

The term is also used, on occasion, to simply mean the fusion of chamber music with jazz. In this case, it means something similar to third stream but without the orchestral aspect third stream leans toward. Jazz is not traditionally considered chamber music. According to the definition of "chamber music", which is defined by Chamber Music America (CMA), chamber music is "works for small ensembles of 2–10 members, playing one to a part and generally performing without a conductor." Although the term "chamber jazz" might not be accepted by all, there are still musicians who play jazz in the tradition of chamber music. There are also chamber music groups that play chamber music in a style that can be considered "jazz".

Musician Ahmad Jamal performed "Chamber Music of the New Jazz", which can be a representative music piece of chamber jazz. During recent years, chamber jazz is performed more and accepted by a larger audience.

Notable musicians linked to chamber jazz music

The following have sources describing them as musicians who have performed chamber jazz. In some cases it is unclear if they agree with that description. Further many or most of these musicians are primarily known for other genres of jazz or other genres of music.

Related Research Articles

Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues, ragtime, European harmony and African rhythmic rituals. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. Jazz is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musical ensemble</span> Instrumental and/or vocal music group

A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental and/or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, such as the jazz quartet or the orchestra. Other music ensembles consist solely of singers, such as choirs and doo-wop groups. In both popular music and classical music, there are ensembles in which both instrumentalists and singers perform, such as the rock band or the Baroque chamber group for basso continuo and one or more singers. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles. Some ensembles blend the sounds of a variety of instrument families, such as the orchestra, which uses a string section, brass instruments, woodwinds, and percussion instruments, or the concert band, which uses brass, woodwinds, and percussion. In jazz ensembles or combos, the instruments typically include wind instruments, one or two chordal "comping" instruments, a bass instrument, and a drummer or percussionist. Jazz ensembles may be solely instrumental, or they may consist of a group of instruments accompanying one or more singers. In rock and pop ensembles, usually called rock bands or pop bands, there are usually guitars and keyboards, one or more singers, and a rhythm section made up of a bass guitar and drum kit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jazz band</span> Musical ensemble that plays jazz music

A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a horn section.

Jazz fusion is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acid jazz</span> Music genre

Acid jazz is a music genre that combines elements of funk, soul, and hip hop, as well as jazz and disco. Acid jazz originated in clubs in London during the 1980s with the rare groove movement and spread to the United States, Western Europe, Latin America and Japan. Acts included The Brand New Heavies, Incognito, James Taylor Quartet, Us3, and Jamiroquai from the UK, and Guru, Buckshot LeFonque and Digable Planets from the U.S. The rise of electronic club music in the middle to late 1990s led to a decline in interest, and in the twenty-first century, acid jazz became indistinct as a genre. Many acts that might have been defined as acid jazz are seen as jazz-funk, or nu jazz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cool jazz</span> Sub-genre of jazz associated with the U.S. West Coast

Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music inspired by bebop and big band that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and a lighter tone than that used in the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements and incorporates elements of classical music. Broadly, the genre refers to a number of post-war jazz styles employing a more subdued approach than that of contemporaneous jazz idioms. As Paul Tanner, Maurice Gerow, and David Megill suggest, "the tonal sonorities of these conservative players could be compared to pastel colors, while the solos of [Dizzy] Gillespie and his followers could be compared to fiery red colors."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kronos Quartet</span> American string quartet

The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical music. More than 1,000 works have been written for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhal Richard Abrams</span> American jazz musician and educator (1930–2017)

Muhal Richard Abrams was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the United States, Canada and Europe with his orchestra, sextet, quartet, duo, and as a solo pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chico Hamilton</span> American jazz drummer and bandleader

Foreststorn "Chico" Hamilton was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He came to prominence as sideman for Lester Young, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, and Lena Horne. Hamilton became a bandleader, first with a quintet featuring the cello as a lead instrument, an unusual choice for a jazz band in the 1950s, and subsequently leading bands that performed cool jazz, post bop, and jazz fusion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian jazz</span> Music genre or scene

Jazz music has a long history in Australia. Over the years jazz has held a high-profile at local clubs, festivals and other music venues and a vast number of recordings have been produced by Australian jazz musicians, many of whom have gone on to gain a high profile in the international jazz arena.

West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied relatively more on composition and arrangement than on the individually improvised playing of other jazz styles. Although this style dominated, it was not the only form of jazz heard on the American West Coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Smith (musician)</span> American jazz double-bassist

Carson Raymond Smith was an American jazz double-bassist. Carson is the older brother of jazz musician and composer Putter Smith.

Paul Horn was an American flautist, saxophonist, composer and producer. He became a pioneer of world and new age music with his 1969 album Inside. He received five Grammy nominations between 1965 and 1999, including three nominations in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Childs</span> American jazz pianist, arranger and conductor (born 1957)

William Edward Childs is an American composer, jazz pianist, arranger and conductor from Los Angeles, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight-ahead jazz</span> Genre of jazz

Straight-ahead jazz is a genre of jazz that developed in the 1960s, with roots in the prior two decades. It omits the rock music and free jazz influences that began to appear in jazz during this period, instead preferring acoustic instruments, conventional piano comping, walking bass patterns, and swing- and bop-based drum rhythms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Valentin</span> American Latin jazz flautist

David Peter Valentin was an American Latin jazz flautist of Puerto Rican descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organ trio</span> Form of jazz ensemble

An organ trio is a form of jazz ensemble consisting of three musicians; a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and either a jazz guitarist or a saxophone player. In some cases the saxophonist will join a trio which consists of an organist, guitarist, and drummer, making it a quartet. Organ trios were a popular type of jazz ensemble for club and bar settings in the 1950s and 1960s, performing a blues-based style of jazz that incorporated elements of R&B. The organ trio format was characterized by long improvised solos and an exploration of different musical "moods".

Third stream is a music genre that is a fusion of jazz and classical music. The term was coined in 1957 by composer Gunther Schuller in a lecture at Brandeis University. There are many ways to define third-stream music. It could refer to a group of jazz musicians playing solely, or a jazz soloist performing with a symphony orchestra, as long as the musicians are able to interpret and play jazz music. Improvisation is generally seen as a vital component of third stream. In third-stream music, composers incorporated elements of classical music, such as the use of jazz instruments and classical music forms, into their jazz compositions. The fusion of jazz and classical music is also viewed as "born out of a reciprocal interest: the interest of the classical community in the developments in jazz music and the interest of the jazz community in the advances of classical music." The innovative idea of fusing jazz and classical music pushed the boundaries of traditional classical music and introduced a new genre that blends the two styles into a unique hybrid form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windham Hill Records</span> New-age music record label

Windham Hill Records was an independent record label that specialized in instrumental acoustic music. It was founded by guitarist William Ackerman and Anne Robinson in 1976 and was popular in the 1980s and 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Katz (cellist)</span> American musician, composer, and anthropology professor

Frederick Katz was an American cellist and composer. He was among the earliest jazz musicians to establish the cello as a viable improvising solo instrument. Katz has been described in CODA magazine as "the first real jazz cellist."

References

  1. Catalano, Nick (11 December 2010). "Chamber Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  2. Marc Myers (2013). Why Jazz Happened. University of California Press. p. 51. ISBN   978-0-520-26878-4.
  3. JazzTimes, Inc. (September 1999). "JazzTimes". Jazz Times. JazzTimes, Inc.: 51–. ISSN   0272-572X.
  4. 1 2 William P. Gottlieb (1995). The Golden Age of Jazz. Pomegranate Artbooks, ISBN 9780876543559
  5. Richard Lawn (2013). Experiencing Jazz. Routledge. p. 344. ISBN   978-0-415-69960-0.
  6. California Business. California Business News, inc. 1984. p. 103.
  7. William C. Banfield (16 October 2011). Representing Black Music Culture: Then, Now, and When Again? . Scarecrow Press. p.  81. ISBN   978-0-8108-7786-3.
  8. "Jazz Times". Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
  9. Eddie Daniel website
  10. 1 2 3 NPR's "5 Great Works Of Modern Chamber Jazz" by Matt Ulery
  11. "Jazz Times". Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2014-09-24.
  12. Will Friedwald (2 November 2010). A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. p. 359. ISBN   978-0-307-37989-4.
  13. "Chico Hamilton, jazz drummer who performed with Charles Mingus, Chet Baker and others, dead at 92". NY Daily News. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  14. Yanow, Scott. "Chico Hamilton: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  15. Orlando Sentinel
  16. Ted Gioia (27 September 2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Oxford University Press. pp. 27–. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
  17. Hartford Courant
  18. UT San Diego
  19. Los Angeles Times