30th April 2020H Smith

World Jazz Day

If you are not sure about what Jazz is, here are a few of the most famous songs that you have probably heard but didn’t realise were Jazz. What do you think?

  1. Louise Armstrong – Wonderful World – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8so-xyKyJ-A
  2. Nina Simone – My baby just cares for me – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYSbUOoq4Vg
  3. Cab Calloway – Minnie the Moocher – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mq4UT4VnbE
  4. Dave Brubeck – Take Five – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHdU5sHigYQ
  5. The Glenn Miller Orchestra – In the Mood – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vOUYry_5Nw

Jazz is a music form that is very daring in the way it uses musical themes like melody, dynamics, rhythm, timbre, texture and structure.

Here are a few ideas to help you explore Jazz:

  1. How would you describe these songs?
  2. How would you dance or move to them?
  3. There is a particular singing style to many jazz songs… How would you sing along?…
  4. Watch the clip for In the Mood by the Glen Miller Orchestra:
    1. What do you think about the way the people are dancing?
    2. The song has a very catchy ‘swinging’ feel to it this is based within the pulse and the rhythm. Can you identify these and tap them out?
    3. In the middle of the song, a lot of the instruments stop playing and the sound goes quieter which musical theme(s) can we identify here?
    4. How many different instruments can you identify? – Which of these instruments can you hear across the other pieces of music?

Go to https://jazzday.com/ and do some research into Jazz:

  1. Look at the all the events on the home page. They are being held all over the world. Can you find the different countries and cities on a map?
  2. Each year, a different global city is selected to host International Jazz Day. Cape Town, South Africais the 2020 Global Host City. Research the country and the city and prepare a presentation for the Jazz event which explains more about where it is being held. What is South Africa famous for? Where is it? Who are its famous historical figures?

 

  1. Design a CD album cover inspired by some of the music above. If this was YOUR CD, how would it look?