The sound of jazz

Jazz maybe performed by a single musician, by a small group of musicians called a combo, or by a big band of 10 or more pieces. A combo is divided into two sections: a solo front line of melody instruments and a back line of accompanying instruments called a rhythm section. The typical front line consists of one to five brass andreed instruments. The rhythm section usually consists of piano, bass, drums, and sometimes an acous­tic or electric guitar. The front-line instruments perform most of the solos. These instruments may also play to­gether as ensembles. A big band consists of reed, brass, and rhythm sections.

The rhythm section in a combo or big band maintains the steady beat and decorates the rhythm with synco­pated patterns. It also provides the formal structure to support solo improvisations. The drums keep the beat steady and add interesting rhythm patterns and synco­patians. The piano—or sometimes a guitar—plays the chords or harmonies of the composition in a rhythmic manner. The bass outlines the harmonies by sounding the roots, or bottom pitches, of the chords, on the strong beats of each measure. Any of the rhythm instru­ments, especially the piano, may also solo during a per­formance.

The brass. The principal brass instruments of jazz are the trumpet, the cornet, and the slide trombone. But the French horn, the valve trombone, the baritone horn, the flugelhorn, and even electronic trumpets have been used in jazz performances.

The cornet and trumpet are melody instruments of identical range. But the cornet is usually considered more mellow and the trumpet more brassy. Most jazz performers today use the trumpet. The slide trombone blends with the trumpet. The typical brass section of a big band consists of four or five trumpets and three trombones.

Jazz trumpeters and trombonists frequently use ob­jects called mutes to alter or vary the sound of their in­strument. The player plugs the mute into the bell (flared end) of the instrument or holds it close to the opening of the bell.

The reeds. The clarinet and saxophone are the prin­cipal reed instruments of jazz. The flute, though techni­cally a woodwind, is often classified as a reed in jazz. It is used especially as a solo instrument

Both the clarinet and saxophone families range from soprano to bass. Only the soprano clarinet has been uni­versally used in jazz. In early jazz, it was an equal mem­ber of the front line with the trumpet or cornet and the trombone. The clarinet eventually gave way to the saxo­phone, which is capable of much greater volume. Four members of the saxophone family—the soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones—are regularly em­ployed in jazz. A typical reed section in a big band is made up of one or two alto saxophones, two tenors, and a baritone. Musicians often ‘double’ by playing two or more reed instruments, such as an alto saxophone and a tenor saxophone, during a performance.

Drums of various types were familiar to black Ameri­cans dating back to the days of slavery. These early per­cussion instruments played a vital role in the develop­ment of jazz.

As jazz grew, the drum set evolved until one drum­mer could play more than one percussion instrument at the same time. The invention of a foot-operated bass-drum pedal and pedal-operated cymbals freed the drummer’s hands to play other percussion instruments, such as snare drums, tom-toms, cowbells, and wood blocks. Another important invention was a wire brush that the drummer used in place of a drumstick or mallet to produce a more delicate sound on drums and cym­bals. Today, a jazz drummer may use electronic percus­sion instruments that can create an almost infinite vari­ety of sounds and reproduce them accurately at virtually any volume.

The piano. Since the earliest days of jazz, the piano has served both as a solo instrument and as an ensem­ble instrument that performs as part of the rhythm sec­tion. Today, other keyboard instruments, including elec­tronic organs, electric pianos, and synthesizers con­trolled by a keyboard, may substitute for pianos.

The guitar, like the piano, is capable of playing both chords and melodies. In the early days of jazz, these two instruments, along with the banjo, were often substi­tuted for one another. Later, however, the guitar and banjo were most often used in the rhythm section in ad­dition to the piano. The banjo eventually disappeared from almost all later forms of jazz. Jazz musicians have used the acoustic guitar in ensembles and as a solo in­strument since jazz’s earliest days. The electric guitar emerged in jazz in the late 1930’s to add sustained tones, greater volume, and a new assortment of sounds and ef­fects to jazz.

The bass plays the roots of the harmonies. The musi­cian normally plucks a string bass. The rhythm section may substitute a brass bass, such as a tuba or Sousa­phone. When an electronic organ is used, the organist can play the bass part with foot pedals on the instru­ment. Electric bass guitars have been incorporated into some jazz ensembles, primarily those that play a “fusion” of jazz and rock music.

Other instruments. Nearly every Western musical instrument and many non-Western instruments have been used in jazz at one time or another. The vibra­phone, an instrument similar to the xylophone, and the violin deserve special mention. The vibraphone has been especially popular in combos. The violin has had only a few notable soloists in jazz, possibly because its volume could not match the power of the trumpet or trombone in ensemble. But throughout jazz history there have been some violinists who have skillfully adapted this basically classical music instrument to jazz. Modern amplification and sound manipulation devices have given the violin new and exciting possibilities as a jazz instrument.