Jazz
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Here’s a historic TV broadcast of the founding fathers of bebop, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, playing together in 1952. It’s one of only two known sound films of Parker playing–and the only one of him playing live, rather than synching to a prerecorded track. The performance is from a February 24, 1952 broadcast on the pioneering DuMont Television Network. The full segment begins with a brief ceremony in which Parker and Gillespie receive awards from Down Beat magazine, but the clip above cuts straight to the music: a performance of the bebop standard “Hot House,” composed by Tad Dameron around the harmonic structure of Cole Porter’s “What Is This Thing Called Love?”
Charlie Parker Plays with Dizzy Gillespie in Only Video Capturing the “Bird” in True Live Performance
Improvisation is the main feature of Jazz that distinguishes it from other forms of music making. Improvisation is the spontaneous musical performance within a relevant musical context. It consists of novel melodic, harmonic and rhythmic musical elements . This unique feature of jazz offers the opportunity for neurobiological research or even creativity . What they did was do a functional MRI brain scan on 6 highly skilled professional jazz musicians.
The Neuroscience of Jazz
Bill Evans
William John Evans , known as Bill Evans ( / ˈ ɛ v ə n s / , August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980), was an American jazz pianist and composer who mostly worked in a trio setting. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, [ 2 ] and is considered by some to have been the most influential post- World War II jazz pianist. [ 3 ] Evans's use of impressionist harmony, inventive interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block chords , and trademark rhythmically independent, "singing" melodic lines continue to influence jazz pianists today. Unlike many other jazz musicians of his time, Evans never embraced new movements like jazz fusion or free jazz . Born in Plainfield, New Jersey , Evans was classically trained, and studied at Southeastern Louisiana University .John William Coltrane , also known as " Trane ", (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967 [ 1 ] ) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz . He organized at least fifty recording sessions as a leader during his recording career, and appeared as a sideman on many other albums, notably with trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk . As his career progressed, Coltrane and his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension.
John Coltrane
