Jazz Glossary

A Glossary of Jazz Terms

(4/25/04)

alto: short for contralto, the alto is the highest pitch range of the male singing voice and the lowest pitch range of the female singing voice, or an instrument that sounds within this range; also called a countertenor (see also bass, baritone, tenor, soprano)

ballad: in jazz, a romantic or sentimental song played at a slow tempo

baritone: the pitch range of the male singing voice between bass and tenor, or an instrument that sounds within this range (see also bass, tenor, alto, soprano)

bass: the lowest pitch range of the male singing voice, or an instrument that sounds within this range (see also baritone, tenor, alto, soprano)

Bebop: a sub-genre of jazz also known as bop (see the entry for Bebop under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

big band, Big Band: 1) a jazz band with at least 10 musicians and sometimes as large as an orchestra; 2) a sub-genre of jazz also known as Swing (see the entry for Swing under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

block chords: a style of piano playing, also called locked hands, in which the left and right hands play the exact same notes

blow: slang for playing a horn instrument; a jazz performance is sometimes called a blowing session

blues, the Blues: 1) a minor scale consisting of five notes plus one or two blue notes, 2) a song based on the blues scale, 3) a style or genre of music created in the Mississippi Delta in the 1920s and 1930s and characterized by its use of songs in the blues scale, related to but not the same as Jazz, although Jazz artists frequently play blues songs

blue note, Blue Note: 1) the note in a blues scale that is dissonant with the other notes and thus produces a kind of tension when it is played (for those with some musical training, it is the flattened third or flattened fifth); 2) a well-loved Jazz label known especially for its Hard Bop recordings (see the entry for Hard Bop under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

boogie-woogie: a style of blues piano playing with a rollicking melody played over a repeated bass part

Bop: a sub-genre of jazz also known as bebop (see the entry for Bebop under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

break: a cadenza between two sections of a song, often leading into a solo

bridge: a section in a piece of music that links two other sections (see also verse, chorus, and coda)

cadenza: a brief but elaborate flourish by an unaccompanied instrument, often at the end of a song (see also break)

call and response: a melodic technique in which a solo instrument plays a melody, or the first part of the melody, and one or more other instruments answers by playing the melody it back, or by playing back its completing part

changes: the sequence of chords which form the underlying structure of a song

chops: slang term for a musicians proficiency on his instrument

chord: a group of three or more notes played simultaneously (see also changes)

chorus: a section of piece of music repeated at intervals throughout the song (see also verse, bridge, and coda)

chromatic: A scale containing all 12 notes used in Western music; because chromatic scales have a great deal of dissonance, many people find music based on chromatic scales to be unpleasant (see also scale)

coda: the final section of a piece of music;also known as the outro (see also verse, chorus, and bridge)

consonance: a combination of notes that sound pleasant when played together (see also dissonance)

Cool Jazz: a sub-genre of jazz music, also known as West Coast Jazz (see the entry for Cool Jazz under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

dissonance: a combination of notes that sound harsh when played together. Artful insertion of dissonances is one way to build tension musically and is frequently used in jazz music. (See also consonance.)

Dixie, Dixieland: a sub-genre of jazz also known as New Orleans Jazz (see the entry for Dixieland under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

Free Jazz: a sub-genre of jazz (see the entry for Free Jazz under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

Fusion: a sub-genre of jazz (see the entry for Fusion under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

glissando (pl. glissandi): to play the notes of a chord in a quick sweep rather than simultaneously, giving a harp-like effect

Hard Bop: a sub-genre of jazz (see the entry for Hard Bop under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

harmony: 1) the sound of two or more notes played simultaneously; 2) the progression of chords in a song

improvisation: the creation of music on the spot (see also solo)

jam, jam session: an informal musical session, often featuring extended solo improvisations in which each musician tries to top the others in the virtuosity of his playing

Jazz, jazz: 1) a type of music created in New Orleans in the late 1910s early 1920s and characterized by improvised solos over a strong, usually 4/4 rhythm; 2) depending on the dictionary, jazz was originally a slang term for nonsense (all that jazz), to liven up (jazz up the place), or sexual intercourse. In any case, the word that was at first applied derogatorily to a new type of noisy and rebellious music is now accepted as a standard term for a highly respected musical form.

Latin: 1) a jazz song based on song forms played in the Caribbean or South America; 2) a sub-genre of jazz (see the entry for Latin under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

leader, band leader: In jazz, the band leader is equivalent to the conductor of an orchestra. The leader chooses the songs to play, signals changes in musical dynamics, signals the various musicians to take their solos, and is the conduit of communication with the crowd in a live setting. (See also sideman)

legato: a method of playing the melody smoothly, with no break between the notes (opposite of staccato)

major scale: for those without technical musical training, suffice it to say that a major scale is a certain set of notes that generally produce a happy feeling in listeners; Julie Andrewss do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do is a major scale (see also scale and minor scale)

measure: a group of beats (see also time/time signature)

melody: a sequence of single notes played to form a meaningful pattern; jazz songs generally have one melody that serves as the songs theme

minor scale: for those without technical musical training, suffice it to say that a minor scale is a certain set of notes that generally produce a sad feeling in listeners (see also scale and major scale)

mode, Modal: 1) a scale that is not major or minor (see major and minor scale); 2) a sub-genre of Jazz music (see the entry for Modal under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

Neo-bop: a sub-genre of jazz also known as Young Lions (see the entry for neo-bop under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

New Orleans Jazz: a sub-genre of jazz also known as Dixie or Dixieland (see the entry for Dixieland under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

octet: a jazz group with eight members

outro: see entry for coda

outside: a solo with notes that are dissonant with the underlying harmony or changes and/or do not match the rhythm of the song

pedal point: A method of playing in which a song or section of a song is not built on chord changes, but on a single, repeated bass note. Pedal point tends to have a hypnotic effect and is often used in Modal jazz

pentatonic: a scale with only five notes, rather than the usual seven; a pentatonic scale can be either major or minor

quartet: a jazz group with four members

quintet: a jazz group with five members

riff: a short musical phrase

rondo: an upbeat song with a thematic passage that occurs at the beginning and is then repeated after every other section

scale: A certain set of notes of varying pitches. In the Western world, music has developed with 12 notes, and scales are made up of various combinations of those 12 notes. (See also blues, chromatic, major, minor, and pentatonic)

scat: a method of singing using nonsense words to try to sound like a musical instrument, made famous by Ella Fitzgerald

septet: a jazz group with seven members

sextet: a jazz group with six members

sideman: a musician in a band other than the leader (see also leader)

solo: a passage of music that highlights one instrument, although the instrument can be accompanied by others (and in jazz usually is); jazz solos are usually improvised

soprano: the highest pitch range of the female singing voice, or an instrument that sounds within this range (see also bass, baritone, tenor, alto)

staccato: a method of playing the melody with short, clipped notes (opposite of legato)

standard: a song that has been played by so many different jazz artists that it has become part of the basic jazz repertoire

swing, Swing: 1) the rhythmic element of a jazz song that makes listeners want to dance; 2) a sub-genre of Jazz music (see the entry for Swing under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

syncopation: stressing the wrong beat or a beat at the wrong time, used to produce a feeling of satisfaction in the listener when the regular rhythm pattern resumes

tempo: the speed at which a song is played

tenor: the pitch range of the male singing voice between baritone and alto, or an instrument that sounds within this range (see also bass, baritone, alto, soprano)

time/time signature: the number of beats in a measure, with one beat being played more strongly than the others; marches or New Orleans jazz are in 2/4 (one-two, one-two), waltzes are in ¾ (one-two-three, one-two-three), most jazz and rock music is in 4/4 (one-two-three-four, one-two-three-four)

trill: the rapid and repeated alternation of two notes, in the style of many birdsongs

vamp: repeated accompaniment for a solo

verse: particularly in vocal jazz, a stanza of a song, with a verse typically followed by a chorus (see also chorus, bridge, and coda)

walk/walking bass: a style of bass playing in which a note is played on every beat in ever-ascending and descending patterns

waltz: a song in ¾ time (see time/time signature)

West Coast Jazz: a sub-genre of jazz also known as Cool Jazz (see the entry for Cool Jazz under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

Young Lions: a sub-genre of jazz also known as neo-bop (see the entry for neo-bop under Schools of Jazz at the end of this glossary)

Schools or Eras of Jazz

(4/25/05)

Rather than being listed in alphabetical order, the various eras or schools of jazz below are listed by the chronological date in which they were first pioneered, so as to show the evolution of jazz music over time.

Dixie, Dixieland, New Orleans: a type of jazz originating in New Orleans in the late 1910s and early 1920s with strong 2/4 or 4/4 rhythms (see time signature) and several horns, each playing a common melody but with individual variations; famous Dixie musicians include trumpeter Louis Armstrong and clarinetist Sidney Bechet

swing, big band: a type of jazz originating in the late 1920s with a smoother rhythm than Dixieland, played by a large band of at least 10 musicians (and sometimes the size of an orchestra) with a leader and sidemen who played improvised solos; famous big band leaders include Duke Ellington and Count Basie

bebop or bop: a type of jazz originating in the early 1940s by more intellectual jazz musicians in reaction to what they saw as the mindless dance rhythms of swing, played by smaller bands, often quartets or quintets, and featuring sophisticated harmonic structures and extended improvised solos; famous bebop musicians include saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie

cool jazz, West Coast jazz: a type of jazz originating in the late 1940s in reaction to bebop, emphasizing a restrained, laid-back soloing style and played particularly by bands in California; famous cool jazz musicians include trumpeters Miles Davis and Chet Baker, and pianist Dave Brubeck

hard bop: a type of jazz originating in the mid-1950s by black jazz musicians in reaction to what they saw as the take over of jazz by white, West Coast cool jazz musicians, featuring a harder, more intense soloing style and a heavy blues influence; famous hard bop musicians include trumpeter Miles Davis, saxophonist John Coltrane, and drummer Art Blakey

modal: a type of jazz originating in the late 1950s featuring songs based on playing in a certain mode rather than on chord changes; famous modal musicians include trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Herbie Hancock

free jazz: a type of jazz originating in the early 1960s featuring songs played with freer rhythms and solos that broke traditional rules of melody, often played chromatically; famous free jazz musicians include saxophonists Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane and cornettist Don Cherry

fusion: a style of jazz originating in the late 1960s in which the musicians incorporated the electrified instruments and more aggressive sounds of rock music (hence the name: a fusion of jazz and rock); famous fusion musicians and bands include Miles Davis, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Weather Report

neo-bop, Young Lions: a style of jazz originating in the early 1980s in reaction to free jazz and fusion by a group of young jazz musicians (the so-called Young Lions) who wanted to return to the style of playing of what they saw as the classic jazz period of hard bop; famous Young Lions include trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and saxophonist Branford Marsalis

Latin: a type of jazz featuring instruments and song styles from the Caribbean and South America, especially Brazil; Latin cannot really be placed in one time period as it has been played along with other types of jazz since the 1940s; famous Latin jazz musicians include drummer Tito Puente, saxophonist Stan Getz, and pianist Chucho Valdés