The Evolution of Jazz; 28; Transition into Modern Jazz, Part Two

Now the configurations you know. Oh many many names and units of prominence in jazz in the 30s

the main purpose has been to give you within a reasonable amount of time an idea of the main directions of jazz in that period. Well the Allington and basi and other large negro bands contributed more creatively to jazz the public reacted most warmly to the Benny Goodman band and it was a good band with a number of first rate if not outstandingly brilliant soloists. Once again here's an illustration of how the jazz language changed. General Martin's New Orleans composition King Porter stomp played by him at the piano. The same proposition arranged for the goodman band by Fletcher Henderson an arrangement

for the tour it originally used for his own group but it altered through the years. This is a 1938 broadcast of the goodman band with the dome was old tenor Harry James trumpet and Goodman on clarinet in the King borders Don. I am I am I am

I am. I am I am. I am. I AM I AM I AM I

AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM. Goodman to summarize his life very briefly was born in Chicago in 1990 began studying clarinet at the age of six. His first instrument was bought from a mail order house. Its

arrival turned three other members of the family into musicians. After a while back he became a member in the band of a local synagogue. Ted Lowe as sporting as crumpled topper it was one of the great vaudeville favorites of that day and in due time young Goodwin appeared in the neighborhood vaudeville house giving an imitation of that master of mind listening to this performance punctuated his childish games and gave him a certain distinction among his playmates. But when Benny was 12 his father was killed by a truck and the clarinet playing became a matter of professional urgency a question of necessity. At 16 he went to work with the famous Ben Pollock band where he played alongside Jack Teagarden Glenn Miller Jimmy McPartland and others. In 1934 he organized his own band. They Budinger at Billy Rose's Music Hall. By 1936 the band's records commercial radio broadcasts and personal appearances had catapulted it into the number one spot in the nation. He became a good classical clarinetist and has performed in concerts and on records with some of the leading chamber groups and symphony orchestras. But his

main contribution to music has been through jazz. To pick out one member of his band at the height of its popularity and give a brief graphical description of him. Will also help to indicate the various ways in which jazz traveled since the turn of the century and the ways that it influenced various musicians gestates he was born in 1004 in Cape Girardeau Missouri the Mississippi River town one hundred fifty miles below St. Louis. His career began at the age of 10 when he bang the drum in a military band and he received a rich education in the jazz of the Mississippi River section where he and the rest of the agony for a group he joined while in Central High School faithfully followed the negro musicians on the excursion boats and were rewarded with performances by Louis Armstrong and Johnny and baby dogs among others while still in his teens Jess became a pro.. He was engaged by the steamer majestic to replace a pianist who had had the misfortune to fall overboard. The zenith

of success on the river however was to play on the five Decker luxuriously furnished capital. And the young pianist finally made it as a member of a tony kind of nonaligned sambal. And the other 19 20 states he left the Mississippi for Chicago a city which in Prohibition days offered few night spots for musical expression rather than countless dives on the south side of the Midway gardens. It was at the latter club that he played with Muggsy Spanier Bud Freeman Dave tough town his associations with these musicians like Spyder back in the famed fresh Tessmacher were an important part of Stacy's background in the field of jazz in 1935 while working for Maurice Stein jazz was contacted by Benny Goodman and was part of his group until 1939 it was the ubiquitous John Hammond who has made many unkind contributions to jazz a sort of a talent scout who heard Stacey play in a small Chicago night and persuaded Goodman to hire him. And by 1938 he and Goodman has one of those unfortunate Hollywood

movies about jazz might might put it. There is yet to be a good one but he and Goodman were playing in Carnegie Hall and here is one of Jess Stacey solos on the night of the 1938 Carnegie Hall concert with Goodman chuckling encouragement in the background. For. And I'm emphasize again that all through the 30s and clubs as well as recording

studio small bands as in this 1939 recording with Frankie Newton on trumpet clarinet Pete Brown was stomping on the sax player. John Kirby on bass because he called drums James P. Johnson on piano and Al Casey who was then working with Fats Waller on a guitar called romping. Prominent in both a large and small band fields there were several musicians whom

Barry Ulanov designates wisely I think as figures of transition transition between the jazz language of the 30s and early 40s and modern jazz. Or BOP as it was for us to call them developed BOP that was already in the process of formation in the late 30s and particularly around 1940 and 41. Your names as the four most prominent of these transition figures meant almost helped influence the younger jazz men who themselves had been influenced by Louis Armstrong King Oliver as he Smith and Wynton Henderson band members backs and all the others before them. These men Lester Young. Roy Eldridge Jimmy Blanton and Charlie Christian and there were others of course also but these four were so outstanding on their instruments and in their need to examine the potentialities of jazz before as they could but they deserve individual mention. Lester Young you have already heard in large and small they say units now have more to say about him. In the initial lecture on modern jazz on Bach and then again in the lecture on

a further development called cool jazz. Roy Barry Ulanov writes in a profession that writes off performers almost as quickly as baseball retires its pitcher is Roy Aldridge has been around a long time. He was born a 911 and has been playing professionally for close to a quarter of a century. He's been heard with kid bands around his native Pittsburgh with a carnival show with Horace Henderson the chocolate dandies speed web Cecil's God almost Snowdon Charlie Johnson McKinney's cotton pickers Teddy Hale Fletcher Henderson Jeanne Cooper on his show on his own bands and other musicians many most other Jazmine I've had this vocational experience of working through many many different kinds of orchestras large and small. I recently spent some time in Paris and through and played through out friends from a peppery little musician who played everything up tempo as fast as

possible. He developed into a trumpeter who could and can do almost anything anybody else can do in his horn in a number of things that you would think of attempting. From the first knows that one can remember hearing Roy blow. There has been his distinctive sound he describes it best himself. I tell you what I love about the trumpet I love to hear a note cracking a real snap it's like a whip when it happens it hits hide and it's really clean round and cracked. Roy is very much aware of the quality of the trumpet which is it's it's own. When I first came to New York he says I had to play everything fast and double fast I couldn't stand still. I like a lot of youngsters today on my ballot had to be double time I was fresh I was full of ideas augmented chords nines the cats used to listen to me well I'd say he's nice but he don't say nothing. Consequently I didn't work. There were other things he did. I was playing fine saxophone on the trumpet Roy remembers trying to hold notes longer than they should be held. Trying to get a sound which I couldn't and shouldn't get. When I discovered that the trumpet has a sound all its own and a way of playing all its own. Then I began to play. It's not strange that Roy reached for saxophone lines when he picked up his trumpet the two

men who have been his favorites ever since he began playing music with Benny Conner the alto saxophonist who also plays almost all other instruments. And Coleman Hawkins. They really inspired me. Roy wrote. I listen to them and be stunned. I don't know the right names for anything at first but I knew what knocked me out. They do advise and then play what I called a turnaround fade and turn around changes man that's right play the praises these master saxophone as creative modulations and imaginative alteration of chords and melodies. When we took Plato's bio parent I went up to the Lafayette theater to try to discover what he was doing. I sat through one show and nothing happened I figured this couldn't be it. I sat through another. Then we started to build chorus after chorus he came to a real climax an organized climax right clean clear. Man I stood up with the rest of them I could see why people were digging in to dig by the way means to understand. To appreciate what was it about knowing there was feeling it's always feeling when it's right it's also a building giving your solo shape going somewhere. The feeling right looks for doesn't occur more than 4 or

5 times a year on his own playing insists when it's there nothing matters rain speed sound they just comments from somewhere it comes. He describes an intuitive process in which everything is everywhere and spills over into his music finding structure and meaning. After what I set up in my room and try to figure it out I know I haven't cleaned my horn but the sound was gone. I know my lip isn't in that good shape but I made an altissimo see is big and fat as the C two octaves lower just doesn't thank you after what is usually sick which may have a psychological import of the rest. One night recently in Chicago they pushed me up against a bunch of young bodies. Well maybe I was lucky I was growing it was one of those nights. I got home the next day I had pneumonia. Roy likes much that he has heard of modern jazz he says. Naturally I dig Charlie Parker and I certainly like the long lines when I come off to Barry used to play like that sometimes two choruses at a stretch he had a way of breathing and rhythm so he could carry himself all the way without interruption. Roy is interested in the possibility of free improvisation.

Cried Hyde and I made a record like that once. We designed it in front of there to be no regular chords would announce no keys dicta no progressions. Only once I fell into a Meineke the rest was free just blowing. And man it felt good. But with most of his records I just don't seem to make it. I'm not sure I ever made a good record but many certainly come close. And one of the few of his own that Roy likes is this one. Hecklers hop in. I am

I am. I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM I AM.

Another recording of real merit is this 1936 mix band record drums just Goodman and clarinet was a member of the Cab Calloway band until his death which also adds attacks when Jasmine is Cody Cohen drums Milton Jones trumpet by Jasmine both since as was mentioned just before says that one of the reasons for the

chorus is is that like the present way of breathing in rhythm so he could carry himself all the way without interruption to played with a fluid swing an almost continuous flow of almost always inventive. Recording of swing is here. Adam. Next week an investigation of other transitional figures Jimmy

Blanton and Charlie Christian and the beginning of a discussion on one of the important phenomena in the evolution of jazz history. Perhaps the most widely publicized and least understood of all aspects of race in jazz. You have been listening to the evolution of jazz recorded series prepared and produced by Nat Hentoff under the auspices of Northeastern University and presented by the Lowell Institute cooperative broadcasting Council. The evolution of jazz was recorded in the Boston studios of WGBH Af-Am. This is the national educational radio network.