Jazz History Unit 4

By the end of the 1920’s, jazz was developing in two complementary directions:

• 1. emphasis on the soloist and the ensemble

• 1. emphasis on the conductor and the ensemble

• 1. emphasis on the union and the musicians

• 1. emphasis on the music and the composer

• 1. emphasis on the payroll and the amount of tickets sold

In order to accommodate more sophisticated music and more musicians in an ensemble,

• 1. it was necessary to find larger dance halls

• 1. it was necessary to use written arrangements

• 1. it was necessary to hire three musicians per part

• 1. it was necessary to employ polyphonic collective improvisation

• 1. it was necessary to stop all improvisation

During the transition from Dixieland to Swing, jazz witnessed

• 1. an increase in collective improvisation

• 1. a decrease in arranged tunes

• 1. an elimination of improvisation

• 1. an elimination of the rhythm section

• 1. an increase in written arrangements

The Swing Era was characterized by

• 1. a decrease in the size of the ensemble

• 1. an increase in the number of piano players being used

• 1. a decrease in popularity of jazz

• 1. an increase in the size of the ensemble

• 1. an increase in the use of parade bands

The Swing Era brought with it a new breed of jazz musicians. Many were

• 1. rich and famous

• 1. unable to read music

• 1. had never played other styles of music

• 1. unable to improvise

• 1. formally educated (e.g., conservatory trained)

The musicians of the Swing Era represented a cross-fertilization between

• 1. those who could improvise and those who could not

• 1. those who owned their own recording companies and those who did not

• 1. music readers and improvisers

• 1. teachers and performers

• 1. Europeans and Americans

Jazz’s predominant geographical movement was from New Orleans to Chicago to

• 1. Nashville

• 1. New York

• 1. Los Angeles

• 1. Boston

• 1. Miami

The city that became the center of the music world during the Swing Era was

• 1. New York

• 1. New Orleans

• 1. Kansas City

• 1. Chicago

• 1. Boston

The Swing Era was from

• 1. 1920-1930

• 1. 1925-1935

• 1. 1935-1945

• 1. 1940-1950

• 1. 1945-1955

With the advent of the big band came

• 1. written instead of improvised solos

• 1. more collective improvisation

• 1. longer tunes with simpler harmonies than those of the Dixieland era (i.e., simpler chords)

• 1. greater harmonic sophistication than that of the Dixieland era (i.e., more complex chords)

• 1. the musicians’ taking more liberties with the music