History of Jazz

Ella Plays Dice

By Eve Goldberg

Ella Fitzgerald was eating a piece of pie when the police burst into her dressing room, guns drawn. Nearby, Dizzy Gillespie and saxophonist Illinois Jacquet were playing a game of craps. The place was Houston, Texas. The date was October 7, 1955. The occasion was a sold-out concert at The Music Hall, one stop on tour for Jazz At The Philharmonic. Standing in the wings while Gene Krupa's band performed on stage, tour producer Norman Granz heard the ...

Monk's Trumpets

By Matt Lavelle

Thelonious Monk's recording career as a leader only lasted twenty-four years, from 1947 to 1971. When it comes to horn players, most people interested in Monk associate him with the tenor saxophone, and rightfully so as Johnny Griffin, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, and Charlie Rouse stand tall in Monk's recorded legacy. The alto saxophone was present from his first record as a leader, but no alto players were able to contribute substantially beyond strong work as sidemen. Gigi Gryce stands ...

Pittsburgh Jazz: A Brief History

By Steve Rowland

This article was first published at the Explore PA History website. At first glance, Pittsburgh might not seem the most likely place to produce great jazz musicians. Situated on the western edge of the state, “Smoketown" was a gritty industrial city, better known for being the center of the nation's steel industry, than for its popular music or culture. Like jny: Philadelphia, its industries attracted many African Americans from the south, men and women who were looking for ...

Philadelphia Jazz: A Brief History

By Jack McCarthy

This article was first published at the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia website.Jazz began to emerge as a distinct musical style around the turn of the twentieth century, a merging of two vernacular African American musical styles--ragtime and blues--with elements of popular music. New Orleans, the “cradle of jazz," was the most important city in this process, with jny: Chicago and New York playing particularly significant roles in the 1920s and 1930s. By the mid-twentieth century Philadelphia had become ...

History of Jazz Timeline: Roots of Jazz

By AAJ Staff

African and European Fusion African music featured complex cross-rhythms, slurs, melissma, falsetto, vibrato and simple melodies. Call and response form was employed. The leader would throw out a line and a chorus responded. Griots were African historians who kept complex records in their heads and related them via song. The Blues form may have derived from this West African culture. Derision songs were popular. European music featured complex melodies and ...

History of Jazz Timeline: Suggested Reading

By AAJ Staff

History of Jazz Timeline: Bibliography

By AAJ Staff

“Another View of Coleman," Downbeat 27:11 (26 May 1960):21. Arnaud, Gerald and Chesnel, Jacques. Masters of Jazz. Edinburgh: W & R Chambers Ltd 1991. Barlow, William. Looking Up at Down: The Emergence of the Blues Culture. Philadelphia: Temple University Press 1989. Bergerot, Frank and Merlin, Arnaud. The Story of Jazz Bop and Beyond. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Bergreen, Laurence. Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life. New York: Broadway Books ...