Popular Jazz Artists and Their Music By Jim Oneil
Many people consider jazz as the one true original American music. However, just as the country is a hodge-podge of different cultures, its music a mixture of different beats and melodies. In fact, jazz is a combination of African beat and European melodic influences. The combination is so unique only to America, which is why it cannot be considered as something that came from somewhere else. Jazz was first heard in the suburban areas in the south during the late 1800's, in communities that were largely populated by Afro-Americans. Because of its origins, the early popular jazz music artists were blacks.
The genre was still in its early stages with ragtime being its earliest form. The usual instruments used to create such music were banjo and piano. Popular artists of this time included Ernest Hogan and Tim Turpin, who published the Harlem Rag. By the end of the century, jazz developed further with innovations created by Scott Joplin. As a pianist trained in classical music, he created a beautiful fusion of his specialty and ragtime. By the beginning of the 20th century, the blues emerged as a new genre, with W.C. Handy being one of its most popular artists.
Big bands typically played jazz music during the early years. However, when swing music rose to prominence in the 1930s, soloists also gained popularity. Swing music highlighted the skills of the trumpeter, making them often more famous than other musicians in the band. During this time, icons like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington became so popular that any jazz lover should know their music.
From the danceable swing music, jazz evolved further in the 1940's to 1960's with bebop. Bebop is known as the musician's music because it gave emphasis on the talents of the instrument players. Every musician in the band was provided with moments to shine, from the piano, the base, to the wind instruments in the band. Among the top trumpeters were Clifford and Dizzy Gillespie. The most popular among the pianists were Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell. Even drummers gained recognition, with Max Roach as one of the more famous ones.
The 70's saw the development of jazz fusion, a bold attempt to combine the elements of rock and roll with the classic jazz sound. These were the times when the jazz artists, such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Tony Williams became very famous. Not only did they develop a new jazz sound. They also influenced even the rock and roll artists of the time, such Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and the Grateful Dead. For those who wish to discover more about jazz music and musicians why not do some research here: jazz music online [http://www.jazznetwork.org/]