Cool Jazz and Bebop Essay

It is normal for musical styles to evolve. Whenever a particular genre or musical style reaches an impasse, radical things are bound to happen. This was the case for Jazz music in the 1940s as it changed from being popular folk music and transformed into Bebop. Cool jazz developed in the 1950s as a revolt against the fiery Bebop style.

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The two styles share a few similarities and differences. One similarity shared by both genres is the rhythm. Both genres use the 4/4 meter. While bebop almost entirely uses this meter, cool Jazz artists have been known to explore other meters such as the 3/3, 5/4, 7/4 etc. The Dave Brubeck quartet experimented with other meters. In "Unsquare Dance" they used the 7/4 meter. In the song, the claps can be heard on the second, fourth, sixth and seventh beat.

There are various differences in the two genres. For instance, cool jazz added new instruments to the genre. Several orchestral instruments found their way into the genre. These included the French horn, flute, oboe, bassoon and the fluegelhorn. The cool jazz players also started using the tuba. It was however being used to play melodic lines instead of the bass. In the song "March of the Siamese Children" by the Australian Jazz Quartet, some of these jazz instruments can be heard. The greatest difference between the two genres is their sound. Bebop uses very fast tempos and can even be hard to dance to. On the other hand, cool jazz uses lighter and airier timbres. There are fewer loud sounds compared to bebop.

Note articulation in cool jazz is delicate and light as opposed to the explosive nature of bebop. Cool jazz musicians sometimes borrow ideas from classical music. Bebop, on the other hand, uses memorized unison melodies. There is less emphasis on complex written arrangements. One other major difference between the two genres is the rhythm section. In cool jazz, the rhythm serves as background support. The drums are usually subdued and play quietly as opposed to bebop which uses loud and aggressive drums.

I enjoyed listening to the music in the cool jazz section. I found the music easier to listen to because it was laid back. I liked how the melody and harmony complemented one another. The song "My Favorite Things" had a peaceful aspect to it which I loved. I also loved the piano in Dave Brubeck's song "Three to get Ready". It was beautifully complemented by the alto saxophone.

"Third stream" is a term that was coined by Gunther Schuller. Third Stream Music is a type of music which contains an even mix of classical and jazz. One of the most outstanding characteristic about this type of music is its use of orchestral instruments. Instruments such as the cello, French horn and flute are heavily used in this type of music. In some instances, there has been an imitation of classical musical.

Lester Young greatly influenced the cool jazz genre. I believe he influenced many other cool jazz musicians into using the saxophone like him. Many cool jazz performances are nowadays accompanied by a saxophone which I believe is his heritage. Lester was also famous for his solos. A performance would not be complete without his solo. He set standards which other cool jazz musicians strive to reach. I also believe the hipster language is his heritage.