The Bebop and Cool Jazz Eras of the 40’s and 50’s Essay

Jazz music of the 1940’s and 1950’s was defined by a history of change since its beginning at the dawn of the 20th century. Almost every decade brought a new flavor to the movement, and by the 1940’s jazz had developed into a mature, complex form of music, with many nuances and avenues for continued change. It is important to trace the early movements in jazz to better understand the innovations of the Bebop and Cool jazz eras of the 40’s and 50’s. The first appearance of jazz was at the turn of the century in New Orleans and is called â€Å"Dixieland Jazz,† or â€Å"Classic Jazz.† It developed out of music for street parades in the black community. It also had deeper roots in a style of music called â€Å"Blues,† which was used to express the†¦show more content†¦This more stable style invited dance, and the swing era is also associated with a dance craze, carried out in dance halls and clubs. Duke Ellington got his start in the swing era, as one of the earliest musicians to create the big band effect (Verve). World War II changed the jazz world again and influenced the development of Bebop. As the war took away many of the musicians that made up the big band groups of the swing era, a new style emerged that again used smaller groups and younger musicians. Some musicians who got their start in this way include Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz and Red Rodney (Verve). The Bebop era marked an important change the style of jazz music. Due to the smaller size of the bands, there was more room for improvisation, and the music began to take on more complicated dimensions than it had seen thus far. During the swing era, jazz had been associated with dancing, and was played in dance halls and cabarets. In the Bebop era, it began to move away from this function and began to develop more complicated tempos and melodies (Verve). Jazz was still growing in the 1950’s and began to incorporate the innovations of the Bebop era with the more melodic elements of the earlier eras. The result was a period called the Cool period. The jazz of the Cool period favored a more even beat and softened the sounds of the instrumentsShow MoreRelatedControversial Movements In Music Essay1494 Words   |  6 Pagessupporter of traditional jazz whose impression is that music should stay traditional. On the other hand, Herbie Hancock believes the opposite. For music to grow or become anything, the artist must experiment and try new things. Herbie Hancocks theories allow for the movement of jazz music from the traditional to a more progressive new form. He believes what makes history is what music reflects on. Music has made an impact on all levels in history. The early days of jazz provided many styles whichRead More Dizzy Gelespie (John Birks Gillespie) Essay2954 Words   |  12 Pagesleft of jazz are small portions of the music that people take and sample with in a new song. Jazz and its historical figures have mistreated and forgotten by todays society. One of the figure most forgotten is John Birks Gillespie, known to the jazz world as quot;Dizzyquot; Gillespie. quot;Dizzyquot; Gillespie was a trumpet player, composer, bandleader and politician of mostly the early 40s to mid 50s. This was a time period in Jazz called Bebop, Bop or sometimes known as Rebop. Bebop got its