Jazz in Long Form
All About Jazz is home to a diverse and wide variety of authors who write about jazz from multifaceted and numerous different perspectives. From recording and concert reviews that help promote jazz musicians and jazz venues across the world, to in-depth articles that cover the richness of jazz in all its historical, sociological, theoretical, and cultural contexts, AAJ has provided a worldwide online promotional and educational resource for jazz musicians and jazz enthusiasts for nearly 30 years. To broaden our offerings even further, AAJ is pleased to announce an opportunity for authors who would like a more robust and formal reviewing process. We invite authors who are writing about jazz history, sociology, theory, and jazz culture, to consider submitting their articles to our new channel "Jazz in Long Form,” where articles are peer-reviewed by our editors in a double-blind process.
Strange Bedfellows: Jazz and Pop and Heinrich Schenker?
by Kurt Ellenberger
I. A Brief Introduction to Schenkerian Analysis Heinrich Schenker (1868-1935) was an Austrian musician, composer, and most notably, music theorist whose ideas about analyzing and explaining music were groundbreaking and successful. Along with other theories, like Allen Forte's “Set Theory" and Arnold Schoenberg's “Serialism" (two mathematically oriented theories of analysis (Set Theory) and music composition (Serialism), Schenker's theories were very popular in academia. These theories were well-suited for higher education--they are complex, abstract, and have their own terminologies. In Schenker's ...
read moreJazz Beyond Borders: Embracing Online Performances
by Ellen Johnson
The COVID-19 pandemic forced musicians and venues to adapt, giving rise to innovative alternatives for their survival. One of the most transformative solutions was the advent of live streaming concerts and club dates, allowing people to enjoy jazz performances from the comfort of their homes. As the pandemic's limitations persisted, this concept gained traction, offering audiences numerous advantages. While there's no substitute for the magic of live music, the option to experience these concerts and club dates online, thanks to ...
read moreBusting Myths in Jazz History: Focus on the Music
by Rob Foster
In the tradition of providing the basis of a liberal arts education, it is common for institutions of higher education in the United States to offer some type of music appreciation course in the undergraduate curriculum. In some instances, this may be an elective towards fulfilling a required number of credits within a larger category, such as the humanities or fine arts. There may be various options available within the general scope of music appreciation, such as a general music ...
read moreThe Vocal Music of Charles Mingus, Part 2
by Ellen Johnson
Part 1 | Part 2 Early Years: 1945 to 1953 Charles Mingus demonstrated his prowess as a songwriter even in the early stages of his career. Surprisingly, he started writing songs as early as 1945, a fact that often goes unnoticed. This collection of early vocal compositions includes titles such as “The Texas Hop" (1945), “Baby, Take a Chance with Me" (1945), “Ain't Jivin' Blues" (1946), “Weird Nightmare" (1946), “Pacific Coast Blues" (1948), “Boppin' in Boston" (1949), “I've ...
read moreThe Vocal Music of Charles Mingus
by Ellen Johnson
Part 1 | Part 2 Part ICharles Mingus is not typically the first name that comes to mind when discussing jazz vocal repertoire, but perhaps it should be. Since the 1940s, Mingus wrote songs in collaboration with other musicians and even penned his own lyrics. His oeuvre encompasses popular songs of the era as well as intricate vocal compositions that rival those of his self-proclaimed mentor, Duke Ellington. Despite their artistic merit, only a few of these pieces ...
read moreJam Session: How Armenian Jazz Improvised Its Way Onto The World Stage
by Michael Sarian
Note: Originally published in the December 2021 issue of AGBU Magazine. At the turn of the 20th century, world events began to mark a major shift in the cultural and socio-political landscape that would reverberate across the globe for the next hundred years. During this period, as the drum beat of existential threats to the Armenians of the Ottoman Empire was growing louder, a new musical sound was gaining strength in the United States.
read moreFrom Chart to Reality: The Editorial Role of the Pianist in a Big Band
by Kurt Ellenberger
Note: This article was first published in the Jazz Education Journal in 2005, and was revised for All About Jazz. Preamble This article was written to address an issue that needed clarification, and indeed still needs clarification almost 20 years later, regarding the vagaries inherent in many of the published big band piano charts in use at hundreds of colleges and high schools. The professional jazz pianist will treat the written part with a great deal of freedom, ...
read moreStriving for Music: Joe Henderson and Phil Woods' Struggles Performing with Emphysema
by Bertrand Herer
Introduction Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a highly prevalent respiratory condition, an important cause of lost life years and its importance is still growing. By 2030, COPD is expected to be the fourth leading cause of mortality, morbidity, and disability worldwide. It is usually caused by significant exposure to noxious particles or gases, including inhaled tobacco smoke.1 Despite a large number of quantitative studies, there are comparatively few qualitative studies that have explored the perspectives of patients ...
read moreIntroducing Jazz History And Literature, Reconceived
by Phillip A. Haynes
When I was invited to offer jazz coursework in 2007, as Bucknell University's first Kushell Jazz Artist-in-Residence, my Chair asked what single subject I thought was most important to teach. I responded, “an integrated jazz history & literature sequence, including a semester of classic jazz and one of modern jazz." To which he replied, “Fine, just as long as you can craft it so that both music majors and non-majors can take your courses successfully, without prerequisites, and yet all ...
read more
Giveaway
Days remaining: 6
