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WHAT IS JAZZ? 9
won't fit, then our theory turns out to be too small.
The current swing favourite, at the time of writing, is rock 'n roll. This cult has wild enthusiasts all over the world—and at the same time is attacked by some purists who rule it out altogether from being a branch of jazz. Bandleader Bill Haley, one of the pioneers of rock 'n roll, is reported (New Musical Express, January 1957) as saying: "What I've tried to do is to combine rhythm and blues, country and western, popular and dixieland jazz into one form, keeping a little of the flavour of all four." So, although the parentage of rock 'n roll may be uncertain, at least a good strain of jazz went into its making.
So let's be catholic about the kinds of music we can include under the "jazz" heading. One of the great original pioneers of jazz, Creole pianist Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton, says simply: "Jazz is a style that can be applied to any type of tune."
However, in its original form, jazz is a simple and direct musical expression of basic human emotions.: It is essentially spontaneous, and therefore improvised in small groups. To trace its origins, we shall have to go back and trace the fortunes of the American negro. |
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