Intro to Jazz Ensemble

This class will focus on playing of the Jazz Music from the 1920’s up to and including the Jazz Music of the early 1960’s. The class will stress dynamics, articulation, playing in time, sight reading , small ensemble theory, harmony, and improvisation in the Jazz and blues idioms.

We will start with the music of Louis Armstrong and the New Orleans or “Dixieland” sound, then move into the “Swing” sound of the 1930’s featuring the music of Duke Ellington and the great small ensemble led by clarinetist Benny Goodman.

From there the sound of the 1940’s which is “Be-Bop”, and the music of saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker, trumpet player and composer Dizzy Gillespie and the pianist and composer Thelonious Monk.

We will then move into the “Cool” or “West Coast” sound of the 1950’s with the music of Trumpet great Miles Davis & saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. The last phase of the class will concentrate on the “Modal Jazz” sound or “Post Bop” sound, with the music of the saxophonist John Coltrane.

Not only is this an ensemble that will travel through time musically , along the way the history of each artist will be detailed along with their music and the impact it had on the music world, and society.

Jazz Music or American Classical Music is music that is native to the USA. It was born in the cities of New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City and New York, and this journey will expose any player to it’s depth and importance and how jazz influenced everything from Rock and Roll to R&B and Hip Hop.