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JAZZ PERSPECTIVES Jazz Forms -
Post Modernism
Diversity is the word most often used to describe the state
of jazz in the '80's. Old forms coexisted with new, and experimentation brought
many styles together in countless combinations. Joachim Berendt quotes Lester
Bowie in The Jazz Book [p. 49] as saying, "We are trying to take
what has gone before, mill it around in our minds, add some of us to it and
then: This is our vision of what has happened." Free jazz, free funk,
classicism, neoclassicism, no wave, fusion, world music, and even the beginnings
of acid jazz filled the musical landscape. Two artists point out the range of
this diversity in the '80's: Miles Davis and Wynton Marsalis.
In the beginning of the decade, Miles began gathering
fusion musicians and exploring new ways of making music. The recording of Tutu
in 1986 broke new ground by bringing together eclectic elements and musicians.
The recording process began without any music being written beforehand, allowing
for the spontaneity usually associated with free jazz. Advanced technology
permeated every facet of the work, from the layering of music tracks to
programming synthesizers for new sounds. Marcus Miller, a musician well versed
in pop music as well as jazz, was involved in every phase of the project, and
hearing the trumpet sound of a jazz icon, Miles Davis, in the midst of it all
produced a unique snapshot of the healthy state of modern jazz.
Wynton Marsalis, 35 years younger than Miles, receives much
of the credit for neoclassicism in jazz. Wynton's music would probably not be
mistaken for jazz of an earlier day, but the principles forming the music are
clearly founded on the structural elements of swing and bebop. A good example of
this is his tune Hesitation, released in 1981. The form and harmonic
structure is clearly Rhythm Changes, a common bebop progression, but the melody
is angular and rhythmic in a thoroughly modern way.
These two jazz trumpeters represent the immense
possibilities of modern jazz. The older of the two men pushed forward into the
future at each phase of his career, while the younger looked back to the past to
draw his inspiration. Jazz continues this dual perspective to this day, and
shows a music vital, healthy and growing; one which will be a part of our world
for the foreseeable future. [top]
- article by Frank Singer ©2002
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JAZZ PERSPECTIVES
CONTENTS
Jazz
Origins
I - Beginnings
II - Jazz and Technology
III - Radio and the Industrial Beat
The
Swing Era
I - Precursors
II - The Decade of Swing
III - The
BeBop Strain
A
First Look Back
New Orleans
Revival
Jazz
Forms
The Blues
The 32 bar Song Form
The Latin Influence
Cool
Hard Bop
Evolution 1 - A New Dialogue
Evolution 2 - Into The Seventies
Evolution Of The Jam Session
Post Modernism
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