Jazz Terminology

Why This Matters

Jazz terminology isn't just vocabulary—it's the language that unlocks your understanding of how this uniquely American art form works. When you're tested on jazz history, you're being evaluated on whether you can connect musical techniques to stylistic movements and explain how innovations in rhythm, harmony, and improvisation shaped the genre's evolution from New Orleans to the avant-garde. Understanding these terms helps you trace jazz's journey from its African roots through swing, bebop, and beyond.

Don't just memorize definitions—know what each term reveals about jazz's core principles. Can you explain why syncopation matters to swing feel? How modal jazz freed improvisers from chord changes? The exam will ask you to connect techniques to eras, artists to innovations, and musical concepts to their cultural significance. Master the "why" behind each term, and you'll be ready for any question they throw at you.

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Rhythmic Foundations

The heartbeat of jazz lies in its distinctive approach to rhythm—emphasizing off-beats, creating forward momentum, and establishing an irresistible pulse that distinguishes it from European classical traditions.

Swing

• Rhythmic feel with off-beat emphasis—creates the characteristic "bounce" that defines classic jazz and big band music
• Triplet subdivision gives swing its forward momentum, where eighth notes are played unevenly rather than straight
• Essential for dance-era jazz—the swing feel made 1930s-40s big band music irresistible for social dancing

Syncopation

• Accents on unexpected beats create tension and surprise within the rhythmic framework
• Off-beat emphasis distinguishes jazz from march-style music, placing stress between the main pulses
• Enhances groove and drive—syncopation keeps listeners engaged by defying rhythmic expectations

Groove

• The collective rhythmic feel created by the interplay of all instruments working together
• Audience engagement factor—a strong groove makes listeners want to move and connects them emotionally to the performance
• Emerges from interaction, not notation—groove can't be written down, only felt and created in the moment

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The Art of Spontaneous Creation

Improvisation is jazz's defining characteristic—the ability to compose in real-time, responding to the moment while navigating harmonic and rhythmic structures.

Improvisation

• Spontaneous musical creation during live performance—the heart of what makes jazz unique
• Individual expression within a group context, allowing musicians to showcase personal voice and creativity
• Built on harmonic frameworks—improvisers typically work within chord progressions or modal structures, not random note choices

Scat Singing

• Wordless vocal improvisation using nonsense syllables like "doo-ba-dee-bop"
• Voice as instrument—allows singers to participate in improvisation alongside horn players and pianists
• Pioneered by Louis Armstrong, later perfected by Ella Fitzgerald, who elevated it to virtuosic heights

Trading Fours

• Alternating four-bar improvisations between musicians in a call-and-response format
• Showcases individual skills while creating exciting musical dialogue and friendly competition
• Common in jam sessions—tests a musician's ability to think quickly and respond to what came before

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Structural Elements

Jazz performances follow organizational principles that provide frameworks for improvisation while maintaining coherence—understanding these structures helps you analyze how jazz pieces are built.

Head

• Main melody played at beginning and end of a jazz performance, framing the improvisations
• Framework for solos—musicians improvise over the same chord changes as the head
• Often simple and memorable—think of tunes like "Take the A Train" or "So What" that audiences recognize instantly

Chorus

• One complete cycle through the form—a 32-bar AABA tune played once equals one chorus
• Structure for trading solos—each musician typically takes one or more choruses to improvise
• Maintains coherence by returning to the same harmonic progression repeatedly

Vamp

• Repeated chord progression or phrase used for transitions or extended sections
• Creates space for improvisation without the pressure of moving through complex changes
• Flexible duration—can be extended or shortened based on the performance moment

Riff

• Short, catchy repeated phrase that creates identity and momentum in a composition
• Foundation for arrangements—big bands often built entire pieces around memorable riffs
• Can be traded between sections—saxes play a riff, then brass answers, creating texture and energy

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Harmonic and Melodic Concepts

Jazz's emotional power comes partly from its distinctive approach to pitch—bending notes for expression, using modes for color, and building harmonic support for soloists.

Blue Notes

• Flattened third, fifth, and seventh scale degrees that create jazz's characteristic "bluesy" sound
• Expressive pitch bending—notes played slightly flat or bent between pitches for emotional effect
• African American musical heritage—blue notes connect jazz to blues and spirituals, reflecting cultural roots

Comping

• Chordal accompaniment provided by piano or guitar to support soloists harmonically
• Rhythmic interaction—good comping responds to the soloist with syncopated chord punches and dynamic sensitivity
• Harmonic context—tells the soloist (and audience) where they are in the chord progression

Walking Bass

• Steady quarter-note bass lines that outline chord changes while creating forward motion
• Harmonic and rhythmic foundation—connects the chords while driving the swing feel
• Standard in swing and bebop—the walking bass became essential to the classic jazz rhythm section sound

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Performance Practices

These terms describe how jazz musicians interact, support each other, and structure their collective sound—essential for understanding jazz as a collaborative art form.

Rhythm Section

• Piano, bass, and drums form the foundational trio that supports soloists and establishes groove
• Harmonic and rhythmic backbone—provides the chord changes, pulse, and feel that hold the performance together
• Interactive role—rhythm section players listen and respond to soloists, not just keep time mechanically

Call and Response

• Musical conversation where one phrase prompts an answering phrase from another voice
• African musical roots—this practice connects jazz directly to West African and African American musical traditions
• Appears everywhere in jazz—from gospel-influenced vocals to horn section arrangements to trading fours

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Stylistic Movements

Jazz evolved through distinct eras, each with characteristic approaches to harmony, rhythm, and improvisation. These style terms appear frequently on exams—know what distinguishes each movement.

Bebop

• Complex, virtuosic style emerging in the 1940s as a reaction against commercial swing
• Fast tempos and intricate melodies—designed for listening, not dancing, with advanced harmonic vocabulary
• Key figures: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk—bebop established jazz as an art music

Cool Jazz

• Relaxed, understated style emerging in the late 1940s as a contrast to bebop's intensity
• Softer dynamics and smoother tone—emphasized restraint, lyricism, and sophisticated arrangements
• Associated with Miles Davis's "Birth of the Cool" and West Coast artists like Dave Brubeck and Chet Baker

Modal Jazz

• Uses scales (modes) rather than rapid chord changes as the basis for improvisation
• Greater improvisational freedom—soloists can explore a single mode at length without navigating complex progressions
• Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" (1959) is the landmark recording, featuring extended modal explorations

Free Jazz

• Avant-garde approach abandoning fixed structures—no predetermined chord changes, tempos, or forms
• Collective improvisation where all musicians create spontaneously without traditional roles
• Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane pushed jazz boundaries, influencing experimental music broadly

Fusion

• Blends jazz with rock, funk, and electronic music—emerged in late 1960s-70s
• Electric instruments and studio technology—synthesizers, electric bass, and rock drumming entered jazz
• Weather Report, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew" defined the movement

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Quick Reference Table

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Self-Check Questions

1. Which two terms describe repeated musical elements, and how do they differ in scope and function within a jazz performance?

2. Compare and contrast bebop and cool jazz: What were musicians in each movement reacting against, and how did their approaches to tempo, dynamics, and complexity differ?

3. If an FRQ asks you to explain how African musical traditions influenced jazz, which three terms would provide your strongest evidence?

4. What structural element do head, chorus, and vamp all relate to, and how does each function differently during a jazz performance?

5. A question asks you to trace jazz's evolution toward greater improvisational freedom—place bebop, modal jazz, and free jazz in order and explain what each movement freed improvisers from.