The Evolution of Jazz Guitar
- by Richie Zellon
Part 1: The Swing Era (1930's)
Part 2a: The Bebop Era (1940's)
Part 2b: The Bebop Era (1940's)
The following series on the evolution of jazz guitar briefly describes each era in the development of this genre, however it omits the names of several important non- guitar musicians and likewise does not go into detail regarding several important contributions they made. Its main objective is to educate the reader as to the role the guitar played during each stage of the music’s history as well as introduce us to its most influential players.
Before we begin I would like to point out that the guitar first played an important role in Blues and Dixieland prior to the1930’s. However, it wasn’t until after this period in time that the guitar began developing its own sophisticated voice and was first featured in jazz improvisation at par with the piano, brass and woodwind soloists. In lieu of this fact, I have chosen to begin this series with the Swing Era.
Part 1: The Swing Era (1930’s)
Charlie Christian Freddy Green Django Reinhardt
The Swing Era’s most prominent contribution to jazz is believed to be by many, the introduction of the “big band” orchestra format. In addition to a combination of brass, woodwinds, and a rhythm section, until the 1930’s most dance orchestras also included a string section. The string instruments were dropped from the format and the new orchestras were streamlined for the new daring swing arrangements which featured not only highly orchestrated music influenced by European traditions, but also a soloist who after taking center stage, would improvise over the framework of the entire piece. It was not unusual for other soloists to join in sometimes and engage in collective improvisation, a practice already common when performing Blues and Dixieland.
Throughout the first part of the 20th century, jazz was not considered a respectable form of music among mainstream white audiences due to the fact that it was synonymous with the music of brothels and black culture. However, in 1930 George Gershwin was responsible for completing the assimilation of jazz into white American society by writing I Got Rhythm for a successful Broadway musical. One of the musicians who played in the pit orchestra of that show was a young clarinetist named Benny Goodman who went on to become one of the most influential band leaders of the swing era. Until this point most bandleaders associated with jazz, were black. Not only has Benny Goodman been credited for being one of the first white bandleaders in the world of jazz (along with Glen Miller and the Dorsey brothers) but also for introducing us to Charlie Christian, one of the first electric guitarists in the history of jazz improvisation.
Christian was born in Bonham, Texas, on July 29th, 1919, and raised in Oklahoma City. It was here that Christian learned to play guitar as a kid. As a result of his surroundings he was influenced not only by jazz and blues but also by country music. This hybrid amalgam of influences is evident when listening to several of his recordings such as “Seven Come Eleven,” with the Benny Goodman Sextet. Christian admitted to wanting to sound like a tenor saxophone and thus his fluent horn-like solos were influenced by saxophonists such as Lester Young .
While working in Oklahoma as a young musician, Christian was able to jam with several big name musicians who came through town such as Teddy Wilson and Art Tatum. It was pianist Mary Lou Williams who first gave word to record producer John Hammond about the talented young guitarist. After auditioning Christian, Hammond arranged a meeting with Benny Goodman. Being the first white bandleader to feature black musicians, in 1939 Goodman hired Charlie Christian to play in his newly formed sextet also featuring Lionel Hampton on vibraphone and Teddy Wilson on piano. Shortly thereafter, Christian’s innovative style on guitar was captured in the studio for the first time. Unfortunately, his recording career lasted less than two years, as he died of tuberculosis on March 2, 1942, in New York.
Selected Discography:
-Solo Flight
Videos:
-Solo Flight: The Genius Of Charlie Christian DVD
-Charlie Christian - The Life And Music Of The Legendary Jazz Guitarist DVD
In his autobiography, talent scout and producer John Hammond describes how he first discovered Freddy Green playing at a mob owned joint in New York City called “The Black Cat”. He states that what most impressed him was how Green with his “unusually long fingers, a steady stroke, unobtrusively held the whole rhythm section together.” It was 1937 and bandleader Count Basie was debuting with his orchestra in town when Hammond took him to the Black Cat to hear Green. Shortly after this meeting, Basie hired Green who went on to record with his big band for the first time on March 26, 1937 and thereafter remained a member for almost half a decade. This gave birth, along with Basie on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and Walter Page on bass, to the legendary “All American Rhythm Section”.
Born in Charleston, South Carolina on the 31st of March 1911, Freddy Green pioneered the way a guitar should function both rhythmically and harmonically within the big band. During one of his interviews he stated that “you should never hear the guitar by itself. It should be part of the drums so it sounds like the drummer is playing chords—like the snare is in A or the hi-hat in D minor." Green favored and unamplified guitar and rarely soloed. He was a minimalist when selecting his chord voicings which often consisted of the 3 most essential notes that comprise each chord (root, 3rd and 7th). The unsounded strings were muted by his left hand. This technique resulted in a percussive effect that not only locked in tightly with the drums but also helped avoid any interference with the rich collective harmony being played by the overall band.
Freddie Green passed away on March 1, 1987 at the age of seventy-five.
Selected Discography as leader:
-King of the Rhythm Section
-Natural Rhythm (w/Al Cohn)
-Rhythm Willie (w/ Herb Ellis)
-Mr Rhythm
Selected Discography with Count Basie:
-April in Paris
-The Complete Clef/Verve Count Basie Fifties Studio Recordings
-Chairman of the Board
-Count Basie and His Kansas City Seven
-Count Basie - Volume One - Featuring Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
-Sinatra at the Sands-Count Basie & Frank Sinatra
Freddie Green clips on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3a1-ay2tnE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYiDlOP4q1A
Django Reinhardt and Gypsy Swing
Selected Discography,Video & Solo Transcriptions
During the 1930’s in Europe another important movement known as “Gypsy Swing “surfaced among jazz aficionados. It was inspired by Belgium born guitarist, Jean “Django” Reinhardt. Also known as “manouche jazz”, its orchestration consisted of guitar (usually 2), violin, accordion, clarinet and upright bass. The percussive nature of the drums was replaced by a rhythm guitar technique known as “la pompe”. Another peculiar characteristic of this style is the use of mainly 2 and 3 finger chord structures instead of standard barre chords on guitar. This is to emulate the unique style Django Reinhardt developed in order to play chords as a result of a hand injury. At the age of 18, Reinhard’s caravan caught on fire and two of his left hands fingers were badly burned. Although he was able to relearn how to execute his single string solos at blazing tempos with only 2 fingers, his remaining digits were reserved for a limited physical role in the formation of chords. As a result Django's chords consisted of only the essential notes. What a coincidence that around this same period in time, thousands of miles away, guitarist Freddie Green developed a very similar harmonic concept except for different reasons!
In 1934, Reinhardt and Parisian violinist Stéphane Grappelli formed the "Quintette du Hot Club de France". The guitars used by Django and the Hot Club of France, the Selmer Maccaferri, are the first commercially available guitars with a cutaway. This was the first time a steel reinforced neck was employed. Many luthiers consider them to be among the finest guitars ever made.
Django Reinhardt died on May 16, 1953 in Fountainbleu, France of a brain hemorrhage. Contemporary Gypsy jazz is kept alive today thanks to many guitarists such as Bireli Lagrene, Boulou and Elios Ferre, Babik Reinhardt, Angelo DeBarre, Jimmy Rosenberg, and John Jorgensen among others.
Selected Discography:
1945 Paris 1945
1947 Ellingtonia - with the Rex Stewart Band - Dial 215
1949 Djangology
1951 Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club Quintet
1951 At Club St. Germain
1953 Django Reinhardt et Ses Rythmes
1954 The Great Artistry of Django Reinhardt
1955 Django's Guitar
1959 Django Reinhardt and His Rhythm
1980 Routes to Django Reinhardt
1996 Imagine
2001 All Star Sessions
2001 Jazz in Paris: Swing 39
2002 Djangology (remastered) (recorded in 1948, discovered, remastered and released by Bluebird
Records)
2003 Jazz in Paris: Nuages
2003 Jazz in Paris: Nuits de Saint-Germain des-Prés
2004 Le Génie Vagabond
2008 Django on the Radio (radio broadcasts, 1945 - 1953)
*Many of these are available under newly released compilations
Videos:
Django Reinhardt:King of Jazz Guitar (DVD)
Swing Guitar: The Genius of Django Reinhardt (DVD)
Django Reinhardt Solo Transcriptions:
(right click on title and select "...save target as")
Blues Minor (PDF)
Blues Minor (midi file)
Django Reinhardt clips on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSjGLxropCQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wufCkIla_ic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msPTNFlyPwA
Click here to go to Part 2a: The Be-Bop Era (1940's)