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The era also saw the emergence of a number of soloists, with Coleman Hawkins notably establishing the tenor saxophone as an important jazz instrument. Jelly Roll Morton – Complete Recorded Work, 1926-1930įrom the early 1930s until the late 1940s big band swing was the most popular style of music in the USA, and many of the most important bandleaders were huge mainstream stars.īands usually containing between 11 and 20 musicians would play music that combined ensemble passages, often riff-based, with solo sections to entertain large audiences of dancers.ĭuke Ellington, considered by many to be the greatest composer in jazz, was a key bandleader, as were virtuoso clarinettist Benny Goodman, pianist Count Basie, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, the ever-popular Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Stan Kenton and Woody Herman. Louis Armstrong – Complete Hot Five & Seven Recordings Ragtime pianist and composer Jelly Roll Morton was another key innovator of 1920s jazz and you can find out more about this joyous style of music in our article dedicated to Dixieland Jazz. Trumpeter Louis Armstrong was jazz’s first major soloist, and his recordings with his Hot Five and Hot Seven are some of the most important of the 20th Century.īix Beiderbecke played in a lighter, ‘sweeter’ way than the more operatic Armstrong, with Bix’s trumpet often accompanied by the saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer.
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Many of these ‘labels’ were pushed by the media or record companies, and the musicians themselves may not have identified themselves along these lines. People didn’t suddenly stop playing swing music when bebop appeared, and some musicians will have performed and recorded a range of different types of jazz. Whereas in jazz music we’ve had all of the following styles – and more – in the space of only 100 or so years, with most types enjoying a period of dominance for only a decade or so.Īs always, things are more complex than this… 1600-1750) and the Romantic period lasted approximately 110 years (c. In comparison, within Western classical music the Baroque period lasted for around 150 years (c. The first jazz recording was made in 1917 (by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band) and in the century or so since then the music has seen some radical innovations and upheavals. Two recordings or musicians labelled as such may, at least superficially, appear to have very little in common with each other. We’re going to take you step-by-step through history, covering all these areas:īecause the term ‘jazz’ covers a very broad selection of music. Welcome to this Jazzfuel guide to some of the main types of jazz and the styles and sub-genres within this music.
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