343
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Line 14:
Line 14: + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
no edit summary
In reaction against the perceived commercialism of Swing, and its appropriation by white musicians, a group of young, dedicated musicians sought to create a style deliberately intended to alienate the casual listener. With its complex harmonies and irregular melodies, the Bebop style was treated with suspicion by older musicians.
In reaction against the perceived commercialism of Swing, and its appropriation by white musicians, a group of young, dedicated musicians sought to create a style deliberately intended to alienate the casual listener. With its complex harmonies and irregular melodies, the Bebop style was treated with suspicion by older musicians.
==After Bebop==
During the 1950s the small group came to dominate mainstream jazz, assuming the form that survives to this day - a rhythm section of piano (playing sparse left hand), double bass and drums, with a front line generally consisting of 'horns' (ie, trumpets and/or saxophones).
Various movements emerged in the 1950s.
Hard Bop (epitomised by [[Horace Silver]] and [[Art Blakey]] brought a 'funky', bluesy feel to the music, in reaction to the complexities of Bebop.
Modal Jazz (pioneered by theorist [{George Russell]] and trumpeter [[Miles Davis]]) was also a contrast to Bebop, but sought to give the soloists ample space for expression by eliminating frequent chord changes.
==Fusion==
As rock became the dominant force in popular music in the 1960s, some jazz musicians decided to adapt to it, with varying degrees of success. Miles Davis' Bitches Brew and Herbie Hancock's Headhunters are two seminal fusion albums, although the genre itself remains controversial.
==Today==
Courses in jazz are offered at many major music schools, and the number and standard of jazz musicians now is extremely high. A far remove from its New Orleans underclass roots, jazz is a thoroughly mainstream and respected art form.