Jazz your Lifes

Posts Tagged ‘part’

Jazz Improvisation Transports the Human Brain to a Different Realtiy
New research by John Hopkins University and National Institute of Health scientists found that the brains of improvising jazz musicians operate in a fundamentally different way than those of musicians playing a memorized, composed melody. .
The study was under the direction of Charles Limb, a hearing specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital and teacher at the University, lecturer on the neuroscience of music and music perception at Peabody Conservatory of Music, is also a jazz saxophonist.
Jazz and the Brain Research Methods
Designing effective equipment for watching the brain at work is difficult. Limb and Allen Braun, who co-authored the paper published in the journal PLoS One, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look into their subject brains. The device emits a strong magnetic field, which creates images based on the movement of blood through the brain. Interpreting the images is based on the idea that blood flows in larger amounts to active areas of the brain.
A Jazz Instrument that would Work inside a Scanner
The researchers created a keyboard with no magnetic parts that could be linked to a computer outside the scanner. It plays like a piano, but when someone presses a key, it actually sends a signal to a computer, which then sends a sound sample from a real piano into a set of headphones worn by the musician in the scanner. Read the rest of this entry »

Jazz is an American style of music. It began in America’s Deep South and has spread throughout the country. Jazz festivals and concerts are now part of American culture and pop culture. In the film High Society, the Newport (Rhode Island) Jazz festival was part of the story. The Newport Jazz Festival began in 1954. In the years since the Newport Jazz Festival began, Jazz has worked its way across the country from Newport, Rhode Island to Newport Beach, California.
The 2010 Newport Beach Summer Jazz Series
“With an ensemble of top musicians in the genre for the 2010 series, this year’s outstanding group of performers showcase a range of jazz sonance from traditional to contemporary and smooth jazz, to R&B and big band,” said Event Producer and Promoter Jim “Fitz” Fitzgerald of Wendy Jayne Productions, Inc. “Our vision this year – as the new event management company – is to enhance the popular series with expanded talent, increase outreach to the public, heighten community involvement and sponsorships, and give an overall polished identity to grow the series for years to come,” explained Fitzgerald in a press release to publicize the event. Read the rest of this entry »

Create a Relaxed Atmosphere With Soft Song Styles
In today’s fast-paced world, easy listening music can be a source of relaxation. After a long, stressful day, a ballad or a soft jazzy song may help you unwind. The music of easy listening artists can also be used to create a romantic backdrop. Here are some ideas of performers, past and present, whose musical style will entertain, soothe and inspire.
The Crooner
Many male performers of the 1930s, 40s and 50s are often described as crooners. These artists were known for their rich tones and the ability to weave a spell with a romantic ballad or classic melody. Many crooners performed songs influenced by jazz, big band and swing music. Although crooning may not be one of the most popular styles of singing these days, there are some present-day artists who are doing their part to carry on the tradition.
Some famous crooners include:
• Frank Sinatra. The smooth sound of an Ol’ Blue Eyes tune is the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening. Sinatra first gained success in the 1940s during the swing era. He is known for ballads such as Strangers in the Night and standards such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin. Read the rest of this entry »

“It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” Duke Ellington wrote that song as an homage to jazz. Singer and bandleader Cab Calloway popularized the uptempo tune. And though critics and historians have since expended thousands of words attempting to define jazz, Cab said most of it in just 11 words. After all the searching there are still a handful of elements musicians and experts commonly accept as defining characteristics of jazz.
THREE KEY ELEMENTS
Although listeners may not agree on which music and musicians qualify as jazz, as a basic level, one should be able to identify jazz by a few distinguishing traits.
Swing and syncopation
the rhythmic momentum that makes you want to dance or snap your fingers to a good jazz tune is called swing. Part of what makes jazz swing is the use of syncopation.
When jazz really swings, the beat bombards you, even if the players emphasize the beat by playing right with it some moments, or just before or after it at other times. This technique of placing accents or emphasis in surprising places, is called syncopation.
To get a better understanding of what is being explained, think of classical music. Classical music is primarily written music – musicians rely on sheet music which shows them phrasing, where the beats fall, and what notes to play. Jazz on the other hand, is felt. Sure, lots of jazz standards (songs that are known and played by many musicians) are available as sheet music, but usually only in at outline form showing the basic changes (chord structure) of the song and a simple melody. The swing feel and syncopation can’t be captured in musical notation, only in live jazz, where players either have rhythmic stuff, or they don’t. Read the rest of this entry »