The age-old history of jazz and its continuation

A century of jazz called Francis Scott Fitzgerald the twenties of the last century. The great writer, admiring this music and the atmosphere produced by it, still perceived it as a kind of fashionable trend, which soon will give way to something new, and eventually will be forgotten. Fortunately, this did not happen, and the history of jazz continued.

The flourishing of this music was promoted by the development of the recording industry. Acetate plates with the songs of popular performers began to disperse on the planet in millions of copies.

Like many outstanding achievements of culture, jazz - music, which has won the hearts of listeners on all continents, arose as a kind of synthesis. His rhythm came from Africa with slaves, and the melody was originally European.

At the disposal of the first performers of this unusual in harmony style there was not a very wide choice of instruments: harmonica, guitar, banjo. In such conditions, voice became an important expressive means. Songs of cotton pickers in the South of the USA spread over vast fields. The themes of the compositions, many of which have survived to our times, were unpretentious, and the main one was the praise of the Lord, expressed in hymns-spirituals.

Having caught the commercial potential of this exclusively American cultural phenomenon, they became interested in concertmasters and publishers of recordings. Along with black performers, white men began to appear. Based on blues and gospel songs, they began to compose pop pieces, and instruments, mainly wind instruments, gave a rich sound. Changed and the rhythms - they became more aggressive, popularity by the thirties, they won syncopic pulsations, squeezing the tactile cycles of Dixieland. The history of jazz in the 30s-40s is associated with the names of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Ella Fitzgerald and other outstanding musicians.

It was time for big bands, that is, large orchestras that included dozens of participants. Harmonious work required synchronization and management. As a rule, the leader of the orchestra himself played leading parts. The arrangements were carefully prescribed, but at some points the virtuosos of improvisation entered the cause. The ability to solo was what jazz artists differed from other musicians. Big bands performed swing.

In the fifties, a new youth music arose-rock'n'roll, which inherited many signs of jazz-rhythm, the desire to improvise, blues harmony and a high degree of expressiveness. In fact, it was the same blues, but somewhat accelerated, with emphasis on the second and fourth parts of the bar. It seemed that the history of jazz came to an end, but it was not there.

Style evolved, showing a rare viability. Dave Brubeck, Count Basie, BB King and many other performers, including Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald, continued to enjoy success and immense popularity.

A particularly important phenomenon in contemporary musical culture was the compositions of a genius - George Gershwin, who composed a number of musical works for a symphony orchestra. His "American in Paris", "Blue Rhapsody" and, of course, the opera "Porgy and Bess" became classics.

The history of jazz was continued by the remarkable composer Leonard Bernstein.

In the sixties, the style was enriched by new trends, characterized by a high degree of improvisation. However, these "hot" varieties were not so new, Charlie Parker still in the forties worked in this manner.

In our time, jazz can no longer be regarded as an exclusively American phenomenon, it has become international.

His story continues. Due to the variety of forms, every music lover can choose his current, which he will like.