Early Jazz or Dixieland
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What is Dixieland?
Early jazz is also known as Dixieland. Although almost all early Dixieland jazz musicians were African American, the first jazz band to record commercially in 1917 was an all-white group known as the Original Dixieland Jass Band. The term “Dixie” referred to the southern United States, especially those that belonged to the Confederate States of America (1860-65). The origins of the word are debated, but was popularized in the 1859 song, “Dixie,” by Daniel Decatur Emmett, and became the marching song of the Confederate army. “Dixieland Jazz” became heavily associated with the “Old South” and, in the 1940s, included imagery such as boater hats, confederate flags, and riverboats.
Dixieland jazz was the musical backdrop of city life during the Roaring Twenties and in the early years of the Harlem Renaissance.
Emerging in New Orleans at the turn of the century, early jazz bands typically featured the banjo and tuba. The New Orleans style employed a classic rhythm called "flat four," where all four beats in a measure were played with equal intensity, and the chords would ring for a short time.
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As jazz moved northward, Chicago musicians replaced the banjo and tuba with the guitar and string bass, later incorporating the saxophone. They further developed the style by introducing a two-beat feel, where the bass emphasizes beats one and three of each measure. This rhythmic pattern allowed the drums to play a supportive role, maintaining a consistent hi-hat rhythm that created a relaxed and open feel.
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In both regions, the front line of jazz bands typically featured the trumpet, clarinet, and trombone. Over time, New Orleans musicians began combining percussive instruments—such as the bass, snare, and cymbals—leading to the creation of the modern drum set.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
1930-1945
Swing
The swing era (1930–1945) represents one of the most popular phases of jazz, characterized by large ensembles and a greater focus on written arrangements over improvisation. During this period there was more emphasis on showmanship, with band uniforms, theme songs, logos, choreographed movements, and singers. The structure of the bands also mirrored the early New Orleans style, with distinct sections of instruments.
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The distinctive “swing” feel in jazz stems from a particular playing style, where the eighth note is played unevenly: the first half of the note is slightly longer than the second, creating a "bouncy" or "galloping" sound.
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Larger ensembles allowed for further development of jazz. Musicians could now have all horns playing the same melody line in harmony to create a rich sound (tutti),, one specific section of the band could be featured playing a melodic line in harmony (soli), and bluesy or call-and-response riffs could be added to enhance texture and groove.
Clarinetist and bandleader, Benny Goodman, was the first white musician to integrate black musicians into his band. He hired musicians like Teddy Wilson, Lionel Hampton, and Charlie Christian. He was also the first to premiere a jazz band on stage at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1938.
1945-1950
Bebop
From 1945 to around 1950, jazz shifted back to smaller ensembles, such as trios, quartets, and quintets. Musicians increasingly focused on improvisation rather than the complex arrangements associated with big band swing.
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Bop music featured faster tempos than swing, with an emphasis on instrumental technique. Drummers became more interactive, incorporating sudden, explosive beats. Bop also introduced contrafacts, where original melodies were written over standard chord progressions, and complex harmonies became more prevalent. Musicians were encouraged to be adventurous with their improvisation and focus on their technique and skill.
1960s
Free Jazz
Popular in the 1960s, free jazz was characterized by its open, improvisational style, often lacking a preset chord change. Free jazz featured non-functional harmonies and lacked a tonal center, making it atonal. Ensembles often omitted pianos or chordal instruments in favor of experimenting with other instruments. The style also embraced unusual sounds, such as squeaks, screams, and other loud, unconventional noises.
1960s and 1970s
Fusion of Jazz and Rock
Jazz fusion, emerging in the late 1960s and 1970s, combined elements of jazz with rock music, often incorporating electric instruments such as electric guitars, synthesizers, electric bass, and electric pianos. This genre placed a greater emphasis on rhythm, with straight eighth-note beats replacing the swing feel. Musicians experimented with more complex and dissonant harmonies, and saxophones became more prominent than brass instruments.
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Fusion jazz also emphasized extended improvisation and strong group interaction, combining the spontaneity of jazz with the structure and rhythms of rock.