LESSON 2 ESSAY QUESTIONS
Required reading： Jazz Styles: History and Analysis, Chapters 6, 7, & 8
22 points each
1. What were the general differences between early jazz and swing big band jazz?
2. List some of the characteristics Billie Holiday employed to create her unique singing style. To assist you in your response listen to this recording of Billie singing her version of a song composed for her by Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, and James Sherman–“Lover Man” – recorded in 1944 and released for sale in 1945 the Decca label.
3. Compare and contrast the tenor saxophone playing styles of Lester Young and Coleman Hawkins.
To assist you with your response to this question listen to perhaps the finest recorded version of the 1929 popular torch song called “Mean To Me”. Recorded in 1937 by Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra.
“Mean To Me” – Billie Holiday with Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra featuring Lester Young on Tenor Sax
Teddy Wilson was Benny Goodman’s pianist and was truly one of the most elegant sounding jazz piano players–his light touch on the keyboard coupled with his natural sense of swing are evident in all his recordings. Teddy starts things off in this version of “Mean To Me” with an improvised 4 bar intro on piano which sets up the first statement of the melody (also called “the head”) played by Lester Young on tenor saxophone. Lester improvises through that opening 8 bar section which we can call “A”–then he continues improvising over the repeat of the opening 8 bar “A” section. So far, we have had: 4 bar intro followed by AA. Then the contasting “B” section comes in, played by the great Buck Clayton on trumpet who was in Count Basie’s Orchestra, Lester Young comes back to play the final “A” concluding the first complete statement of the entire song: AABA.
What follows is the next complete statement of the song (AABA) sung entirely by Billie Holiday. Billie was a master of lyric interpretation – her ability to change the rhythms or even the original melody notes in a song to make it “her own” is unparalleled in music history. Notice how at times she seems to be “behind the beat” or “late” with the actual arrival of a word in the song–this “behind the beat” phrasing is similar to that of Lester Young’s approach to improvisation! As you listen to this complete statement of the song, notice the Alto Saxophone player in the background playing improvised lines in-between her vocal phrases. This was the amazing Johnny Hodges – lead Alto Saxophone player in The Duke Ellington Orchestra! Notice how as Billie takes on a sassy interpretive quality at the end of the final verse and then Teddy Wilson’s swinging eigth notes followed by spinning triplets lead us into a final statement of the “B” section where he improvises on piano. That is followed by a final statement of the “A” section featuring Buck Clayton improvising on trumpet bringing the song to a close right at the end of that 8 bar section.
For another look at Lester Young, check out this amazing footage of a performance from 1958 featuring Willie “The Lion” Smith on piano smoking his cigar the entire time! The song is once again “Mean To Me” but this time it’s all Lester Young playing several full statements (several “choruses”–“one chorus” would be one time through the entire song) of the AABA. This footage is actually from television – a TV program called Art Ford’s Jazz Party that was only on the air in 1958. Lester Young’s understated approach is evident throughout–yet as each new chorus begins one notices how he builds tension with more emotion in the horn–employing a variety of riffs and changing pitches from the middle range to the higher range and at times surprising the listener with some amazing full bodied low notes as well. Watching Lester here is truly wonderful and quite profound, as his amazing playing gives the viewer/listener no indication that he only had just over five months to live.
For Coleman Hawkins, there may be no finer example of his style of playing tenor saxophone than his famous 1939 recording of the standard “Body and Soul” located in our Listening Links For Lesson 2 and here via YouTube as well.
Additionally, I have located another video from one of Art Ford’s Jazz Party television shows from 1958. Here you can watch the great Coleman Hawkins play two songs one of which is the beautiful ballad called “Prisoner of Love”.
4. What were the key ingredients of the Kansas City style?
To assist you with your response to this question, listen to and view the following performance clips of by the greatest big band of all time, Count Basie and his Orchestra! The rhythm guitarist is Freddie Green, the drummer is Sonny Payne, the trumpet soloist featured first in both clips is Thad Jones. Listing the music characteristics you notice in these clips as this will essentially answer this question without ever referring to the book.
