EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
History of Rock, 1970-Present
John Covach, University of Rochester
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C O U R S E L E C T U R E Jazz Rock in the 70s Notes taken on February 9, 2015 by Edward Tanguay |
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Jazz Rock is a funny kind of stylistic orphan in the history of popular music
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Jazz Rock Fusion
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Miles Davis
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John Mclaughlin
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Return to Forever
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most rock historians would say that it is not rock
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most jazz historians would say it is not jazz
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by the virtue of bringing together rock and jazz music, it falls into a kind of no-man's land between the two so that it is claimed by neither
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jazz influences
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letting it flow on stage
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provided a model for the technical mastery needed for ambitious rock music
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when one thought of virtuosos, one thought of:
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1. classical music
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2. jazz music
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John Coltrane
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Charlie Parker
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jazz, "America's classical music"
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a self-conscious attempt to cast themselves as being equal to the classical position
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looking at jazz from the rock point of view
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both classical and jazz were sources of virtuosity and exquisite musicianship
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jazz requires advanced improvisatory skills
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jazz is almost exclusively about this
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many pop and rock musicians of the 70s were from a jazz background
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The Coasters, 1955-1972
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producing team of Leiber and Stoller
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the studio musician
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someone who could read all kinds of music and play it error free on the first take
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celebrated as the very top of what it is to be a musical professional and instrumentalist
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you can play in any style
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jazz rock fed into this idea of the studio musician
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Jazz-Rock Fusion
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Miles Davis
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1970: Bitches Brew
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what a long Cream jam would sound like if he got jazz musicians to do it
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brought in John McLaughlin
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not so much atonal or experimental but the modal jazz that became a standard
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Mahavishnu Orchestra
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John McLaughlin
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interesting blend of East meets West tradition
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goes back to Norwegian Wood with George Harrison on the sitar
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embraced Indian philosophy and lifestyle
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begun during the era of psychedelia
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1971: The Inner Mounting Flame
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no singing whatsoever
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Herbie Hancock
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picks up the Jazz Rock Funk connection
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1973 Head Hunters
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established the archetypal approach to the blending of funk together with jazz and rock
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Return to Forever
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Weather Report
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Frank Zappa
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Jazz Funk is probably the place to mention Frank Zappa
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he was so stylistically diverse it was hard to find a place to categorize him
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his music was technically demanding
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used highly skilled studio players as band members
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has a penchant for cynical satire that at times challenges good taste
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vocals are often cartoonish
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references to vulgar aspects but not done in a way that is vulgar
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e.g. the song "Dinah-Moe-Humm"
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a way of defeating people taking it too seriously, to have lyrics that are satirical and fun-loving
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the music itself was often extremely serious
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produced classical music pieces, conducted by Pierre Boulez
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1973: Over-Nite Sensation
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Traffic
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Stevie Winwood
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1971 The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
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Jazz and Bluesy soul
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Steely Dan
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jazz influenced by kept a pop take
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performed without a band per se and just used top New York and Los Angeles session musicians
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1973 Reelin' in the Years
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1977 Aja
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their albums such as Aja were well recorded
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an example of what stereo is as opposed to the mono wall of sound
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horn-based groups
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Blood, Sweat & Tears
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formed by Al Kooper
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produced Lynyrd Skynyrd
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1968 Child is Father to the Man
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that version of the group broke up
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group led by David Clayton Thomas
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1969 Spinning Wheel
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big band, R&B kind of group
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more ambition in terms of the horns
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Chicago
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1969 Chicago Transit Authority
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Does Anybody Really know what Time it Is?
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Beginnings
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good example of ambitious horn composition together with a Beatlesque approach to popular song-writing that makes it all look look effortless
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a fantastic group and very representative with what was happening with jazz rock from the pop, horn-based genre