Play & learn jazz

12.05. – 19.05.2024

Blues

“The blues is the foundation of all music. It is the root.” (John Lee Hooker).

With this bold, self-confident statement, the famous blues guitarist and singer John Lee Hooker wasn’t entirely wrong, at least when it comes to popular music after 1900. Jazz, Rock 'n' Roll and Soul have their roots in the blues, and even in the currently popular Hip-Hop, the connection is still evident.

Emerging among the Black US population around the turn of the 19th to 20th century, it contains elements of African, European, and Caribbean music.

Famous Blues Legends:

Blues – Sheet Music

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Spirituals & Gospel

Spirituals are Christian songs that emerged in the 17th century in the USA, created by slaves who had been forcibly taken from Africa. Having encountered Christianity, they expressed their suffering, but also their hope, musically. Most well-known spirituals like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” or “Go down, Moses” depict scenes from the Old Testament.

In contrast, Gospels are more about the New Testament and express love and faith in God. Gospels are an evolution, incorporating Jazz and Blues elements. While Spirituals are considered folkloric group creations, Gospels are often composed. Additionally, the Gospel Choir is often accompanied by a band.

A key link between these genres were the "Field Hollers" or "Worksongs," the work songs of African American slaves.

Spirituals & Gospels – Sheet Music

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Ragtime

Ragtime is a highly rhythmic piano style, and as such, a precursor to jazz. It emerged in the USA at the end of the 19th century and had its heyday in the first two decades of the 20th century.

Ragtime consists of a regular bass line, while the melody – often syncopated – provides the rhythm. One of the most famous works of Ragtime is Scott Joplin's “Maple Leaf Rag”. It was published in 1899 and became a sales hit for its time.

In the 1920s, Ragtime was replaced by jazz and then by swing, but experienced a revival in the 1970s. The 1973 film “The Sting” with Robert Redford, set to a soundtrack of Ragtime music, contributed significantly to this revival.

Ragtime – Sheet Music

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Dixieland is the "smoother" interpretation or imitation of the original black New Orleans jazz by white musicians in the 1910s. From 1930 onwards, there was no longer a clear distinction between the forms of "Traditional Jazz" (which also includes the slightly later and simplified Chicago jazz). Even Louis Armstrong played Dixieland.

A typical Dixieland ensemble consists of trumpet, clarinet, and trombone as the melody group, with the trumpet taking the lead position. The rhythm section is made up of a drum kit, piano, tuba (or sousaphone), double bass, and guitar (or banjo). Musically, collective improvisation is particularly characteristic.

Dixieland – Sheet Music

"Livery Stable Blues" for 5 Brass Players

Best of Dixieland for 4 Brass Players

15 Traditional Dixieland Classics

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"It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that swing." (Duke Ellington)

Swing, arguably the most popular form of jazz, developed in the 1920s from Dixieland and Chicago jazz.

Big Bands played Swing, whose danceability contributed to its rapid spread. The most famous musicians who entertained people with their Big Bands were the clarinettist Benny Goodman, the trombonist Glenn Miller, and the pianist Duke Ellington. Many songs from the musicals of Cole Porter became true classics, or evergreens.

Swing – Sheet Music

Gypsy Jazz

Gypsy Jazz, also known as Jazz Manouche, is a form of Swing and became popular in France in the late 1920s through the guitarist Django Reinhardt. It is also called "String Jazz" because it is predominantly played with string instruments.

Gypsy Jazz – Sheet Music

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18 Swing Standards for Piano

Swing Starters for 1–3 Saxophones

The Swing and Jazz Choirbook

Cole Porter – The Definitive Songbook

Gypsy Jazz Lickbook for Guitar

Gypsy Jazz Violin

Since the 1950s, Modern Jazz has been used as a collective term for all jazz styles after the Swing era, starting with Bebop.

Modern Jazz – Sheet Music

Bebop

Bebop developed in the mid-1940s from Swing. Unlike Swing, it was no longer aimed at danceability. This made the tempo faster, the harmonies more complex, and allowed for greater rhythmic freedom for drums and bass. The saxophonist Charlie Parker is considered one of the creators of Bebop.

Famous Bebop Artists:

Bebop – Sheet Music

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Fusion / Jazz Rock

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, musicians increasingly experimented with genres and crossed the boundaries of various styles to create something new. This led to the development of the Fusion style, a blend of jazz, rock music, and funk.

While the success of rock music is defined by catchy, emotionally appealing riffs and chord progressions, jazz thrives on complex harmonies. Spiced up with the energy of funk, Fusion forms a sophisticated yet catchy music style, which also laid the foundation for progressive rock.

Famous Fusion Artists:

Fusion / Jazz Rock – Sheet Music

Smooth Jazz

Smooth Jazz is a commercially oriented crossover jazz that developed in the mid-70s. The style mixes jazz with pop or R&B and can be seen as a response to the bolder jazz fusion. It avoids the improvisational "risk-taking" of jazz fusion and emphasises melodic form.

Smooth Jazz – Sheet Music

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The Best of Charlie Parker for Saxophone

A Thelonious Monk Study Album

Funkdawgs Don't Bite

Jazz Fusion for Melody Instrument & Rhythm Section

Smooth Jazz Piano

Smooth Jazz Classics for Melody Instrument & Rhythm Section

Playing & Learning Jazz

Information & Tips

Jazz Sheet Music – New Releases & Recommendations

Major Jazz Festivals

52nd International Dixieland Festival

53rd Moers Festival

Elbjazz 2024

Jazzopen 2024

47th Leipzig Jazz Days

Jazzfest Berlin 2024

Portrait

Influences & Precursors

Blues

Famous Blues Legends:

Spirituals & Gospel

Ragtime

Dixieland

Swing

Gypsy Jazz

Modern Jazz

Bebop

Famous Bebop Artists:

Fusion / Jazz Rock

Famous Fusion Artists:

Smooth Jazz