The first jazz recording is Dixieland Jazz Band One Step. It came from a group of white musicians called the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The groups tried to bring a certain feel in their music. It was quite similar to the one that came from popular jazz artists of the time.

However, over a period of time, people’s expectation from jazz changed with the development of newer forms of music. Now let’s go through the different elements of this musical genre:

1. Improvisation

Many of the musical geniuses have come up with improvisations during their career. Among them were the legends, such as Mozart and Beethoven. There have been traditions of improvisation in different countries of Asia and Africa as well. Improvisation in jazz is something special owing to its use of the blues scale. This particular scale has a universal appeal, which emotionally satisfies the listener.

2. Creative freedom

There were some revolutionary changes that came with time since the introduction of jazz. Such changes allowed drummers to improvise and interact with the ensemble freely. With greater focus on improvisation, the melodies could be made shorter and more angular.

Later, jazz went through some significant movements with the intention of bringing jazz back to the audiences. As a result, certain new sub-genres were born, such as ‘hard bop’. It had the influences of R&B. Then there was ‘soul jazz’, which had a heavy emphasis on soul, R&B, and blues.

In a way, jazz musicians are jacks of all trades when it comes to their musical abilities. This detailed knowledge of jazz musicians with regards to music offers them plenty of opportunities. They’re often hired for sessions of pop, rock, R&B, and other musical styles.

3. Syncopation

Jazz musicians always try to create variations in their phrases. They do their best not to play the same note duration repeatedly. If they do, the rhythm tends to get rather stale and the music gets boring. This is the role of syncopation. It places greater emphasis on weak and strong beats.

This is something that drummers and jazz musicians must always keep in mind. It is immensely useful in catching the listeners by surprise and this is one of jazz’s vital elements.

4. Swing

The feeling of swing is created by swinging the eighth note. Think of the rhythm of water dripping when it’s fast in a moderate way. This is a straight eighth note. An eighth note is worth half a beat by itself. For fans of different jazz types, swing is usually a subjective quality.

Despite this, it produces a feeling that provides momentum to a performance. An eighth note in swing comes in the form of triplets, which is a group of three notes. The first in the pair is slightly longer than the other two. The result of this is a rhythmic feel, which is a sequence that’s short-long in nature.

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It has all the other exciting features, such as bonus games, cool wild connections, wilds, and scatters. This medium-variance slot offers 178 paylines! You can play it on any device, as it is absolutely compatible with desktops and handheld devices.

Features

In this game, you’ll come across scatter symbols that offer free spins. The wilds appear as 4 piano keys with the word ‘wild’ spelled. This symbol gives you 300.00 for the best combination. The musician and singer on the saxophone will give you 150.00. Musicians on the guitar, the piano, and cello will give you 100.00 for 5-of-a-kind combinations.

You can get 40.00 with the playing cards of A’s and K’s. The playing cards of Q’s, J’s, and 5’s will give 30.00 for their top combinations. The symbol that has the world ‘wild’ on it will appear only on the 1st and 5th reels. It substitutes for all the symbols other than the left and right arrow symbols and the scatter. The right makes an appearance only on the 2nd reel, while the left arrow appears only on reel 4.

When they appear on their respective reels, the wilds connection feature gets triggered. You’ll then see the arrows transforming into wilds. The same happens with all the symbols along the line between the two arrows. On the reels 1,2, and 3, the free spins scatter makes its appearance. They trigger 7, 9, or 11 free spins whenever they appear. The most you can get is 11 free spins, as they can’t be re-triggered.

Playing the Jazz online slot

You can load this game and play it using any of the handheld devices besides desktops. It doesn’t matter whether your device uses the Android operating system or the iOS. While playing the game, you’ll notice that the background has blue curtains. Two buttons can be seen below the reels. They give you the chance to configure your total number of wager. The first is for the paylines.

You can choose to play on the paylines ranging from 25 to 178. The minimum number of wager is 0.35 and the maximum can go up to 350.00. You can see the total wager being displayed next to the configuration buttons of the wager. Your win appears on a black display. It also shows the number of credits left for you to play with. You also have a replay button.

Upon pressing the speaker button below it, you can disable or enable the sounds. You can get to the paytable by pressing the ‘?’ button. The autoplay and play buttons are the last two buttons that appear. You can play up to 25 autospins by pressing the ‘autoplay’ button. To manually spin the reels, you can press the ‘play’ button.

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Smooth jazz drifts even further from its traditional roots. It favors pleasant melodies that are uncomplicated and has a little bit of improvisation from its practitioners. Radio stations that are dedicated to smooth jazz and present the music in an easy listening format. This sub-genre of contemporary jazz has enjoyed a rather long stint in the world of mainstream music.

So, contemporary jazz can be described as an umbrella term for a range of new music in the genre. It covers the jazz music produced and recorded in the late 20th and early 21st century. Here are some of the contemporary jazz musicians that you must know:

1. Diana Krall

Diana Krall has sold over 15 million albums globally. This includes more than 6 million albums, which were sold in the United States alone. She is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer who is famous for her contralto vocals.

The Billboard magazine placed her on the second position among the greatest jazz artists of the decade. This was during the month of December, 2009. She was among the best-selling artists of her time. Krall is also a winner of eight Juno awards and three Grammy awards. He has nine gold, seven multi-platinum, and three platinum albums to her name.

2. George Benson

A former child prodigy, George Benson rose to fame in the 1960s. He began his professional career as a jazz guitarist when he was 19 years of age. In the beginning, he played soul jazz with Jack McDuff and several other musicians. Later, he enjoyed a successful solo career while alternating between jazz, R&B, pop, and scat singing.

His album titled Breezin’ reached the number one spot on Billboard album chart in the mid-1970s. It became a certified triple-platinum album. His concerts were attended by a massive number of jazz fans. Benson still enjoys a large following and has won ten Grammy awards. He also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which stands testimony to his immense popularity.

3. Cheryl Barnes

For almost a decade, Cheryl Dyrithe Barnes shied away from making records. She is a classically-trained jazz singer and possesses an amazing depth, technique, and range. Having toured many countries for her live performances, she knows how to keep the audience hooked.

Barnes is also an actress and is famous for her role in Hair. It was based on Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, which was a Broadway play. It was directed by Milos Forman and was released in 1979. She played the role of Hud’s fiancée in the film. Her fourth album came out in the year 2014.

4. Larry Carlton

Carlton has been a part of thousands of recording sessions as a jazz guitarist. He has also participated in the recordings for movies and television albums belonging to different genres. He built his career in the 1970s and 1980s as a studio musician.

Carlton has been on over 100 gold records. He was a member of Crusaders, a band specializing in jazz fusion. He has also been a member of the smooth jazz band, Fourplay. Besides this, he has been able to maintain a long solo career as well.

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Among the instruments used is guitar, which has a great deal of contribution in jazz. An upright bass maintains the rhythm by binding the sounds together. In a much more advanced and ideal scenario, you’ll certainly need an appropriate jazz instrument. This will ensure that you achieve the exact vibe.

Here are some of the important musical instruments that are used in making jazz music:

1. Trumpet

If you delve into the history of trumpets, you’ll come to know that they were invented during 1,500 BC. During those times, the instrument was used as horns in battles. It was between the 14th and 15th centuries that they gradually transitioned into musical instruments. After Louis Armstrong took the trumpet to the stage, it became more popular than ever before.

A trumpet is an instrument made of brass and is played by using a vibrating mouthpiece. In order to change the pitch, it has three valves. The trumpet players use different techniques of puckering to create a variety of sounds.

2. Drums

Multiple pieces of percussion are collectively termed as ‘drums’ and they’re of great importance in jazz. You may need only a few of them to play jazz beats and dribbles. Yet they carry the tempo and rhythm of the whole band.

3. Saxophone

A woodwind instrument made out of brass, saxophone is among the most essential jazz instruments. It allows its player to express his or her individualism in a spontaneous manner. Altos, baritones, tenors, and sopranos are the four types of saxophones. This musical instrument can play only one note at a time. It can be used to play solos as well as melodies.

4. Guitar

Be it any genre of music, guitar is commonly used for creating some fabulous melodies. The fretting system of the instrument allows its player to create hundreds of notes. This makes it one of the most versatile among the instruments used for making music.

For achieving greater clarity, jazz musicians use either jumbo or hollow-body guitars. They usually prefer electric guitars for playing rhythm or performing solos. The plucking of six strings in this musical instrument creates melodies. The player can play them together for chords or individually for solos.

5. Piano

In jazz, the pianist accompanies the melodies with chords in a rhythmic manner, which feels bright and bouncy. Pianos offer greater versatility than guitars. They offer 88 keys, giving pianists greater opportunities for experimentation. While playing, the notes can vary between high and low. While ‘comping’ chords with one hand, a pianist may also improvise a melody with the other hand.

6. The standing bass

This musical instrument appears like a huge violin. The player of the instrument uses it for playing notes to create a melody’s base. This wooden instrument has four strings of nylon along the fretboard. To resonate the strings in classical music, the player drags a wooden bow along the lines.

While doing this, the player needs to hold notes on the fret with his or her left hand. In jazz music, everything is quite extraordinary. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that jazz players prefer plucking the strings. They do this in order to create a pulse effect.

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During an interview, she was asked some interesting questions about her performances and career. Her responses to those questions were relevant and highlighted her abilities. The very first one was about the highlights of her performances and her most enjoyable shows. She was also asked about the artists she worked with who were fun and insightful.

On her musical collaborations and travels

Barnes was the co-host of a television magazine show known as The Other Side. It featured some talented and popular music artists along with other famous personalities from Denver. She got the chance to interview as well as sing with Merry Clayton, Della Reese, and other artists.

In the process, Barnes learned a lot from Della Reese about life in music and life in general. They’ve always stayed with Barnes as she journeyed on in the world of music. She also received some great insights from Eddie Harris on improvisation. Eddie was an immensely talented jazz musician, who was well-known for playing tenor saxophone.

Barnes also traveled across South America and the Caribbean. During these tours, she had some of her most satisfying and happy experiences while singing for the masses. The concerts were sponsored by various government organizations in the cities. Among the countries she traveled to were Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Colombia, Singapore, and the Bahamas.

During these tours, she learned that music is an incredible language that anyone in the world could understand. Through her music, she was able to touch the hearts of individuals belonging to different religions and races.

On a positive and collaborative environment in music

According to Barnes, there are certain differences in the handling of jazz and popular music. In the end, all that matters are the people and the relationships that musicians build with them. In her experience, all the technical, mechanical, logistical, and financial dealings can be accomplished by working closely with people.

These are the individuals that the musician encounters during his or her journey. It begins with writing a song and ends with getting it to someone’s smartphone or mp3 player. There are a whole bunch of people who work together to make live recordings and performances happen.

Barnes says that she has interacted with all these individuals during her career. Some are bright, and there are some who may not be that bright but have loads of energy. The key is to focus on the positives and let go of the negatives. She truly enjoys the vibe she gets when she is being genuine and straightforward.

On her favorite jazz musicians

Every individual has his or her own favorites and Barnes is no different. As a jazz musician, she reveres some exceptionally talented artists who laid the foundations of the genre. She loves the depth of Ella Fitzgerald’s artistry and admires Duke Ellington. The list of greats according to her is pretty long and includes musicians like Sarah Vaughn.

Barnes admires the way Betty Carter was able to bring a lot of innovation. The singers that came earlier had never tried this in their career. Her formula is simple – learning the foundation first and then finding your own path.

On the differences in recording and performing live

Producer Rahn Coleman had helped Barnes understand many things about performing live and recording. She gives this reference in her biography. There are certain techniques that she use to achieve a particular feeling. According to her, a live performance is much like breathing.

Every artist has his or her own way of looking at a live performance. Her goal is always to give a part of her through the song that she’s singing. She does that by baring her soul and trusting that the audience will accept her. The smile of acceptance on the faces before her is what’s really exciting.

She says that she tries to convey words through physical as well as vocal techniques. This includes sound, dance movements, and facial expressions. It allows her to reach out to the minds and hearts of her audiences.

In recording, what remains the same are the intentions even though an audience is not physically present. She says that while recording, the artist has to be courageous. He or she must throw the doors of inner self wide open and trust the listener. Once this is done, everything else is out of her hands.

This is the same as jumping off a ledge and not seeing what lies ahead. It’s like one may not see what’s coming, but makes the jump anyway.

On using a Christmas song in one of the albums

While working on an album her husband had arranged a Christmas song. It had some deep personal meaning for both of them. While rehearsing, he wanted to do different songs of Christmas. So, they searched for a generic song book that had Christmas songs and found one they liked.

They made some additions to the song as it was quite basic and boring. Their version of the song had a thrilling samba beat to it.

On the album ‘Listen to This’

Barnes and her husband chose everything in her album titled Listen to This. Both of them were the executive producers. This allowed her to record with her current style of singing. As a result, the songs came out brilliantly. The originals on the disc were all written by their friends.

Her husband wrote the title song Listen to This and Rahn Coleman wrote What’s Fair in Love. The covers were all the songs that they all had loved, arranged, and performed over the years. Henry Purcell’s When I Am Laid In Earth was also included in the album.

The reason was that Barnes loved the song when she sang it in college. She had always believed that musical genres can be combined. She asked Rahn Coleman to help her include the song in a more contemporary manner. The result he came up with was truly excellent.

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Today, you’ll come across a range of styles and sub-genres of the genre. There are a variety of sounds that come under the term ‘jazz’. You might also find it difficult to understand the meaning of this term. When we compare jazz to the other genres, it may give rise to a lot of debate. This would mainly be about its parameters and definition.

There are some who take a more relaxed view of what jazz actually means. They might go on to suggest that it’s associated more with a state of mind. There are others who would disagree and say that words and sounds do matter in jazz. Apparently, there are no easy answers in this regard.

Origins of jazz

The origins of this genre of music can be traced back to 19th century’s second half. This is when jazz was born in the city of New Orleans. Being a port city, it had individuals coming in from various corners of the world. These people were also socializing and sharing their music with others. It was a wonderful time, as music from different parts of the world could be heard on the city’s streets.

New Orleans was also one of the few places in America where slaves could keep drums. West Africa had rich musical traditions besides being the birthplace of a vast majority of slaves. With the abolition of slavery and the end of the American Civil War, many former slaves found employment.

Most of them were employed as musicians, which exposed these individuals to other forms of music. This is how jazz was born. It originated in an environment of freedom, which gave it plenty of scope for experimentation and expression.

Development and popularity

One can find the influences of the musical traditions of West Africa and Europe in early jazz. It also included slave songs, church hymns, the Cuban-style rhythm, and field chants. However, this musical genre didn’t make it big until the late 19th century.

Towards the end of the 19th century, a precursor to jazz called ‘ragtime’ started gaining popularity. It also caught the ear of the white Americans. The most famous among the artists of ragtime was Scott Joplin. Before his death in the early 20th century, he had composed 44 original songs in the genre.

Around this time, other artists also began improvising on the sound. The age of jazz began in the 1920s, when the music became immensely popular. It entered the mainstream and turned some of the black musicians into overnight successes. Among them were Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie.

The jazz age culminated in a historic event, which took place in the year 1938. This was the Benny Goodman concert, which was hosted at Carnegie Hall. It brought together musicians from various ethnicities and all of them performed jazz in this historic hall.

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However, jazz didn’t stop here. It further gave rise to rock-fusion and the contemporary electronic music. Over the years, there have been various attempts to explain the defining features of jazz. For some of the prominent contemporary jazz musicians, jazz is a cohesive music style owing to its unique qualities. Regardless of how it is defined, jazz has certainly led to the development of many sub-genres.

It is important to note that these sub-genres have evolved over many years. Each of them possesses their own distinct features. Of course, the legendary jazz artists of the past have been instrumental in developing these sub-genres. Then there were certain artists who had been into multiple genres of jazz. Here, we’ll delve into the three sub-genres of jazz that were once extremely popular:

1. Dixieland or Chicago Style

Dixieland has had its share of controversy and it was mainly associated with its name. Some people see it as a derogatory term, which was used in the pre-Civil War era. Nevertheless, it’s still in use and describes the music that came up in New Orleans.

The evolution of the earliest forms of jazz took place in the late 19th and the early 20th centuries. Their roots were in a style with the name ‘ragtime’ or ‘playing hot’. These forms of jazz come under classical jazz, also known as ‘hot jazz’. You’ll even find the term ‘dixieland’ in one of the earliest jazz recordings.

2. Swing or Big Band

Music in the 1930s had a greater emphasis on showmanship. The bands that belonged to this era had their own theme songs, uniforms, and logos. Swing or Big Band is a musical genre that has a greater importance for written composition instead of improvisation. You’ll also find large ensembles in this form of music.

The bands have sections just like an orchestra, but they don’t have any roots in orchestras. Instead, they took their inspiration from the divisions that were seen in the front lines of dixieland. The music had a steady 4/4 time to produce a smoother feel of swing.

3. Bebop or Bop

There was an increase in the use of complex harmonies with Bebop. They either substituted or altered the standard chord progressions. There was a new line of melody overlaying a familiar harmonic structure of chord progressions that were borrowed. The Bebop or Bop genre comprises small ensembles unlike swing and big band.

These ensembles are usually in the form of the trio, quartet, and quintet. Here the emphasis is largely on technique and virtuosity. The drummer is an interactive member of the group here. He or she is not someone who just backs up the band with a rhythm. Now, the drummer even provides the basic rhythm of the piece and complements the soloists.

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Then it had to go through years of improvisation and polishing for new forms to develop out of it. You’ll come across many interesting facts about jazz when you begin studying about it. Here, we’ve tried to include some of them:

1. The invention of jazz

Before jazz music became a thing in America, blues was popular in many places of the country, especially Louisiana. This genre used the trumpet sound generously. During the late 19th century, the more fast-paced dance tunes of the Black population gained popularity.

Musicians began mixing up both these sounds by using brass instruments. As a result, jazz as a musical genre emerged. The inventor of jazz is believed to be Charles ‘Buddy’ Bolden. He was an African-American band leader and was called by Donald Marquis as the ‘first man of jazz’.

2. Uniqueness of jazz

Jazz expressed the culture of the African-American community living in the United States. These expressions came out not only through words but also through the tunes. It was a genre that was born in the United States and created by the African-Americans. It was more of a medium to express their struggles as slaves. Jazz also gave them an outlet to express the hardships they had to face for gaining social status.

Through jazz, the Black population of America managed to retain their music as well as African roots. Despite being subject to racism, the Black population lived in the same society as White people. This was one of the unique things about this genre of music.

3. Inspiration behind jazz

There was a time when the White people painted their faces black and took to the stage in New Orleans. They then sang and danced to the new music that was gradually becoming popular. Soon, jazz became a mix of classical music and the folk songs from the African slave culture.

Today, this musical genre combines elements from other genres, such as rock, funk, and pop. They say that jazz wasn’t written initially, but passed on to generations of music lovers. They then used what was inherited by them for creating something new.

4. Places where jazz music is still popular

The United States of America is undoubtedly the country that has the maximum number of jazz listeners. There are some clubs where you can find the greatest number of jazz music fans. When someone listens to this genre of music, France is what comes to the mind. The people of France have always been influenced by jazz to a great extent. There was a Jazz Age in France in the early 20th century.

This influence still exists in the country. France has the best jazz clubs in Europe. Another place where jazz is extremely popular is South Africa. Of course, it doesn’t have the same number of fans as in France or America. Nevertheless, the capital city of Cape Town is famous for hosting the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. It is one of the most renowned jazz festivals in the world.

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This movie came out in 1979 and is a musical anti-war comedy. It is based on Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, which is a Broadway musical from the year 1968. The film is set against the backdrop of the hippie counterculture from the era of Vietnam War.

It was directed by Milos Forman. Michael Weller worked on the adaptation of the Broadway musical. Forman got a Cesar Award nomination for his work in this movie. Members of the cast included John Savage, Beverly D’Angelo, Cheryl Barnes, Treat Williams, Annie Golden, and several others.

Twyla Tharp had choreographed the dance sequences in the film. They were performed by Tharp’s dancers. Hair got a nomination for two Golden Globes. They were ‘New star of the Year in a Motion Picture’ and ‘Best Motion Picture’.

The role of Cheryl Barnes in the movie

Barnes portrayed the character of LaFayette ‘Hud’ Johnson’s fiancee in the film. She also played the role of the mother to Hud’s little son. Before this, Barnes had to go through a decade of being a nameless voice. She was also given a lot of promises in theater productions of New York.

After all these struggles, this was the film that gave her the chance to sing a song. The film version of Hair got an encouraging response from the audiences as well as critics. Her act in the movie drew comparisons to the famous singer and songwriter, Aretha Franklin.

Differences between the film and the Broadway stage play

Claude is the member of a group of hippies in the musical. The ‘tribe’ share an apartment in the New York City. He lives a bohemian lifestyle, enjoys ‘free love’ and rebels against the draft and his parents. Despite all of this, he eventually goes to Vietnam. The film adaptation showcased Claude as an innocent draftee from Oklahoma.

He has newly arrived in the New York City to be a part of the military. He gets into a friendship with a group of hippies during his time in the city. While awaiting his deployment to the Army’s training camp, he gets a glimpse of the group’s psychedelic lifestyle. The group of hippies also drive to Nevada to visit him when he is in the training camp.

The plot and soundtrack of the film version greatly differed from that of the stage play. James Rado and Gerome Ragni, who wrote the original musical with composer Galt MacDermott were quite unhappy about it. According to them, the film adaptation failed to capture the essence of the Broadway musical.

In the movie, the hippies were some sort of aberration having no connection to the peace movement. Rado and Ragni were of the opinion that any resemblance between the film and the stage play eluded them. The only similarities they could find were in the names of characters and some of the songs.

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