JAZZ NOTES

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THE INSTRUMENTS OF JAZZ

Many of the earliest jazz groups derived their instrumentation from the 

European brass band model that included trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, and tuba. Some of the bands in the earliest groups of New Orleans, used violin, guitar, bass, and occasionally, cornet or clarinet. These instruments and the style they played were basically European.

The Black fraternal bands that were plentiful in turn-of-the century New Orleans used  European brass band instrumentation, as they played marches and the pop tunes of the day for parades, picnics, funerals and dances.

As time went on most jazz groups began to include a drummer, who played a set of assorted instruments and provided almost continuous timekeeping sounds, as well as generating musical excitement.

Jazz has been played by solo pianists; by pianists in duo with cornet, with clarinet, with string bass; by piano with the accompaniment of string bass and drums; by quasi-brass bands of from five to eight pieces; by quartets and quintets of horns plus rhythm; by "big bands" of twelve to eighteen pieces, and by entire orchestras.

The instruments of jazz, as you can see are varied. A typical group of jazz musicians may have more or less of these as is necessary for their performance. Their main objective is to entertain. The music they play is presented in settings as varied as the instruments they use: concert halls, ballrooms, restaurants, night clubs, and coffee houses, just to name a few.

Jazz is played in hundreds of schools, universities and conservatories and has evolved into a fine and delicate art. It requires the musicians to create the parts they play with their instruments as they are playing them. This makes for excitement because the players are creating something unique in our very presence, and taking us along with them , involving us in the action of making up fresh sounds with their instruments.