Jazz History Milestones: Artists, Eras, and Innovations

Key Moments and Figures in Jazz History

Miles Davis's 1992 Album & Hip-Hop Collaborations

False. Miles Davis did not record an album released in 1992 featuring Kurtis Blow and the Fat Boys.

Key Cities for Hard Bop Jazz Musicians

Many influential hard bop era players emerged from these three cities: New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago.

Art Blakey: Jazz Messengers Leader & Mentor

For forty years, the legendary drummer Art Blakey led the band known as the Jazz Messengers. This group served as a revolving conservatory, launching the careers of many eminent young soloists.

Horace Silver: Hard Bop Pianist & Composer

An important hard bop pianist, composer, and bandleader was Horace Silver.

Fisk Jubilee Singers: Post-Civil War Impact

After the Civil War, Black musicians first attracted widespread international attention through the triumphant tour of The Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Storyville: New Orleans Jazz Birthplace

The New Orleans red-light district that provided a cultural environment congenial to the first jazz bands was called Storyville.

Ma Rainey: Bridging Country & Classic Blues

In the 1920s, the crucial link between country blues and classic blues was Ma Rainey.

First Jazz Recording: Original Dixieland Jazz Band

The first jazz record was made by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1917.

Sidney Bechet's Embrace of the Soprano Saxophone

During a tour of England in the early 1920s, Sidney Bechet fell in love with and permanently adopted the soprano saxophone.

Lil Hardin: Louis Armstrong's Influential Wife

In 1924, Louis Armstrong married Lil Hardin, who played an important role in his future career.

Mamie Smith's "Crazy Blues": First Blues Record

The first blues recording, "Crazy Blues," was recorded in 1920 on Okeh Records by Mamie Smith.

Clarinet's Dominance in Early Jazz Ensembles

The clarinet was far more common than the saxophone in early jazz groups.

New Orleans Creoles of Color: Ancestry & Heritage

Creoles of Color in New Orleans were people of a mix of African and French/Spanish ancestry.

Harlem Renaissance: Cultural vs. Political Movement

False. The Harlem Renaissance was primarily a cultural and artistic movement, though it had significant social and political implications, rather than solely aiming to secure equal rights for Black people.

Duke Ellington: The Greatest Jazz Composer

Duke Ellington has come to be known as the greatest composer in jazz history.

Understanding Syncopation in Music

The accentuation of rhythms that ordinarily go unaccented in Western music is called syncopation.

Booker T. Washington's Activist Stance

An early Black leader who took an activist stance, foreshadowing that of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was Booker T. Washington.

McCoy Tyner: John Coltrane Quartet Pianist

The pianist in John Coltrane’s classic quartet was McCoy Tyner.

Albert Ayler's Influence on Coltrane's Avant-Garde

In his embrace of the radical avant-garde late in life, John Coltrane drew inspiration from young tenor saxophonists like Albert Ayler.

Bossa Nova: Brazilian Rhythms & Cool Jazz

Bossa nova was a blend of cool jazz harmonies with the rhythms of the Latin American country, Brazil.

Jazz Fusion: Blending Rock, Funk, and Jazz

The blend of rock or funk with jazz is called fusion.

Wynton Marsalis: Leader of the Young Lions

The undisputed leader of the Young Lions was a trumpet player named Wynton Marsalis.

Herbie Hancock's Headhunters: Jazz-Funk Pioneers

The fusion band Headhunters, led by Herbie Hancock, was one of the first to successfully wed jazz improvisation and funk.

Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew": Fusion Movement Launch

The 1969 album by Miles Davis that officially and dramatically launched the fusion movement was Bitches Brew.

Antonio Carlos Jobim: Bossa Nova's Influential Songwriter

Antonio Carlos Jobim was a songwriter who had a powerful influence on the emergence of Bossa nova.