The melody, or “head,” begins at 00:00 and ends at 01:08. What is the form? Use letters and counter numbers to designate the sections. Hint: this piece does not have a traditional form. Listen for changes in melody and feel to mark the beginning and end of the sections. Note: Some sections of this piece are not clearly marked because Jarrett improvises much of this piece. However, he does present a melodic section followed by a solo section. Describe how Jarrett phrases the melody. Describe how he uses chords to support the melody. Does is sound written? Is it harmonized? After the melody Jarrett begins his solo at 01:09. Does he solo on the form of the melodic section? How is the melody played at the end of the piece? Is it played the same way at the end as it is in the beginning? What style or styles would you characterize this piece: bop, hard bop, cool, modal or free? Explain in detail using what you’ve learned from the Lessons about these particular styles.The melody, or “head,” begins at 00:00 and ends at 01:08. What is the form? Use letters and counter numbers to designate the sections. Hint: this piece does not have a traditional form. Listen for changes in melody and feel to mark the beginning and end of the sections. Note: Some sections of this piece are not clearly marked because Jarrett improvises much of this piece. However, he does present a melodic section followed by a solo section. Describe how Jarrett phrases the melody. Describe how he uses chords to support the melody. Does is sound written? Is it harmonized? After the melody Jarrett begins his solo at 01:09. Does he solo on the form of the melodic section? How is the melody played at the end of the piece? Is it played the same way at the end as it is in the beginning? What style or styles would you characterize this piece: bop, hard bop, cool, modal or free? Explain in detail using what you’ve learned from the Lessons about these particular styles.The melody, or “head,” begins at 00:00 and ends at 01:08. What is the form? Use letters and counter numbers to designate the sections. Hint: this piece does not have a traditional form. Listen for changes in melody and feel to mark the beginning and end of the sections. Note: Some sections of this piece are not clearly marked because Jarrett improvises much of this piece. However, he does present a melodic section followed by a solo section. Describe how Jarrett phrases the melody. Describe how he uses chords to support the melody. Does is sound written? Is it harmonized? After the melody Jarrett begins his solo at 01:09. Does he solo on the form of the melodic section? How is the melody played at the end of the piece? Is it played the same way at the end as it is in the beginning? What style or styles would you characterize this piece: bop, hard bop, cool, modal or free? Explain in detail using what you’ve learned from the Lessons about these particular styles.
Bop: Simply stated, bop harmonies and melodies were more complex than any jazz style that had preceded it.
Bop tempos were faster than any jazz had ever been. This was not dance music, and it was never really intended to be popular. It was jazz for the artists themselves and for the true jazz lovers.Simply stated, bop harmonies and melodies were more complex than any jazz style that had preceded it.
Hard bop:
Tempo: Tempos are not as fast. While hard bop tempos tend to be hard-driving, they rarely reach the sheer velocity of bop tempos.
Swing: Hard bop swings more than bop does. Hard bop also exhibits a “laid-back” rhythmic approach with an emphasis on beats 2 and 4 (the backbeats).
Solo improvisation: Improvised lines are less complex than bop lines (how could they not be?), but they still incorporate passages of rapid-fire delivery.
Timbre: Tone colors tend to be fuller, richer, in some cases darker, than those of bop.
Piano: Generally, piano comping possesses more variety in chord voicings and rhythms; however, in “funky jazz,” piano comping is sometimes replaced with simplified, repetitive piano grooves.
Drums: Hard bop drummers become more active—and interactive.
Blues: Hard bop, especially “funky jazz” and “soul jazz,” utilizes Gospel/blues elements.Tempo: Tempos are not as fast. While hard bop tempos tend to be hard-driving, they rarely reach the sheer velocity of bop tempos.
Cool: More to the point, though, bop could not be ignored, and elements of its language would necessarily be part of any new modern jazz style. Such was the case with the emergence of “cool jazz.” Cool jazz—along with the related development of West Coast jazz—was not so much a repudiation of bop as it was an effort to couch its language in more polite terms, to infuse it with greater lyricism, to smooth its rough edges and soften its harsher elements.
Modal: For example, the mode from D to D (D-E-F-G-A-B-C-D) is referred to as dorian. The dorian mode sounds “minor-ish” because only the sixth note of the scale is different from the minor scale (the sixth note is one-half step higher in dorian). The dorian mode beginning on D is referred to as “D dorian.”
Free: Free Jazz is difficult listening by most standards. It has a much denser texture than Coleman’s quartet work, and it’s a lot noisier. The piece also runs continuously for nearly 40 minutes, which was another innovation at its time. Like much contemporary art music, a listener would do well to approach the work on its terms, not on the basis of any prior expectations. But attentive listening is rewarded by the emergence of a rich polyphony—with faint connections to the New Orleans style—that takes shape through the spontaneous interactions of eight outstanding musicians. We also hear snatches of Coleman’s melodies, such as “Congeniality” that contribute at least minimally to the structure of this piece.Free Jazz is difficult listening by most standards. It has a much denser texture than Coleman’s quartet work, and it’s a lot noisier.
