Jazz Form and Improvisation

CHAPTER 2

Form in Jazz
Form: the way a piece is organized through time.
Jazz form is cyclic, each cycle being defined

rhythmically and harmonically. Each cycle is called a

chorus.

Choruses are a fixed length. Often choruses are 12,

16, or 32 bars, but they can be as short as 2 measures

(e.g., Heart and Soul).

Form in Jazz
Heart and Soul, in which one person plays the

chord changes (left hand) and the other improvises a

melody (right hand)

Reflects the African principle of rhythmic contrast

(polyrhythm) with two distinct layers, one fixed and one
variable, each complementing the other.

Common forms in jazz include the 12-bar blues and

the 32-bar popular song forms.

Blues Form
Made up of several 12-bar choruses grouped into

three sections: AAB

A sections are similar or identical material

B section contrasts that material

Basic harmonic form of 12-bar blues consists of three

chords: I, IV, V
A

|I|I|I|I|

| IV | IV | I | I |

|V|V|I|I|

4 bars

4 bars

4 bars

Blues Form
Poetic form: three-line asymmetric stanza (AAB)

with each line consisting of two vocal measures

(call) followed by two instrumental measures
(response), to make a twelve-measure chorus.
Ex. Reckless Blues (Bessie Smith)

Blues Form
Often chords are added and/or substituted.
Turnaround or turnback: chord progression that

leads the ear to a new part of the cycle or the

beginning of a new cycle.
West End Blues (Louis Armstrong) has both chord

substitutions and turnarounds.

Blues Form
Modern jazz blues: Nows the Time (Charlie

Parker).

Rhythmically different from the previous two examples,

harmonically more complex and dissonant, but still a 12-bar
blues.

In small-combo jazz, the composed head (main

tune) of a blues distinguishes one blues tune from

the other, since much of the harmonic progression
would be identical from one tune to the next.

Blues Form
Blues can be interrupted by introductions,

modulations (move from one key to another), and

contrasting sections, but it is still a blues regardless
of tempo, rhythmic groove, and interruptions. It is
the foundation of rhythm and blues (R&B) and of
rock and roll.

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

Based on songs of the 1930s to the 1960s; often used

in Broadway musicals or film.

These songs were often in two parts: verse and

refrain/chorus.

Verse: The introductory portion of a song transitioning from

spoken dialogue to the refrain in musical theater.
Refrain/Chorus: Repeated section of a song containing the
main melody (the part you get stuck in your head).
Jazz musicians rarely use the verse. Instead, they repeat the
32- bar chorus as a cycle over which they improvise

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

Form: 8 bars (A) repeated (A, again) ending with a

turnaround to the contrasting 8-bar B section (the

bridge) and then a return to the last 8-bar section (A
again)

AABA
8 x 4 = 32 bars

Unlike the blues, this form is not defined by a

particular harmonic progression.

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

Example, A Sailboat in the Moonlight (Billie

Holiday).

AABA form starts after a 4-bar introduction (trumpet).

Holiday varies the A sections with saxophonist Lester Youngs
accompaniment and fills.
The second chorus is divided among the soloists, and the last
chorus is cut in half due to limitations of recording technology
at that time.

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

So What (Miles Davis) is an AABA, 32-bar form. It

is one of many jazz standards.

Both A sections of this piece have the same single chord. The
chord in the bridge is one half step higher than the A section.
Try to hear the bridge

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

From 1930 to around 1950, jazz musicians used

popular songs as a vehicle for improvising.

Used as a way to get around copyright law: The words were

legally protected, the chord progressions were not.
Knowing the melody gave listeners a way to keep their place
within the tune once the cycle of choruses or refrains was
established.

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

Ive Got Rhythm by George Gershwin

Famous tune whose chord progressions were used to create

countless spin-offs
Rhythm changes refers to chord progressions used to create
new tunes with unique melodies but the same chord changes as
Ive Got Rhythm.

The Pot Boiler revisits rhythm changes with a

new melody (found on DVD)

32-Bar Pop Song Form: AABA

There are many AABA tunes

Examples to look up:

Tempus Fugue-It (Bud Powell)

Ko Ko (Charlie Parker)
Walkin and Swingin (Andy Kirk with mary Lou Willins
Dinah (Benny Goodman)

Other combinations exist such as ABAC

AABA: The apostrophe means prime (A prime) and refers to

an A section that will be varied in some way, but retains most
of the features of the original A section.

Improvisation
How exactly does a jazz ensemble manage to

compose music spontaneously and keep together?

How does improvisation work?

Improvisation
Rhythm Section: Bass

Bass has the most restricted role. It must play basic harmony
and keep time (walking bass). Consider Paul Chambers playing
bass on So What. Hes not obtrusive, but rather manages to
fulfill the demands of his instruments position within the
group in a creative way.
The bassist can also play a pedal pointthe pitches do not
move.

Improvisation
Piano

Usually piano serves as the primary harmony instrument.

This role requires one to play specified chords using
improvised voicings and can use harmonic substitutions.
When the pianist provides chords to support the soloist, it is
called comping.
Compare Hiness playing in the first and fourth choruses of
Armstrongs West End Blues.
By comping, the pianist can also take part in a variable layer
rhythmically.

Improvisation
Drums

The drummer uses right-hand ride cymbal pattern, backbeat

on high-hat, right foot plays bass drum accents (dropping
bombs), left hand is variable; can play improvised fills and
various grooves.

Improvisation
Drums

When listening to the rhythm section for its own sake, one can
focus on the individual player as well as the interaction
between pairs or among the group as a whole.

Methods of Soloing (Improv)

Melodic Paraphrase

Variation of the composed melody; often used in heads

Example: Over the Rainbow (Art Tatum)

Harmonic and Modal Improvisation

Harmonic improvisation: more common; uses notes from the

underlying chords.
Modal improvisation: uses the scale suggested by the chord, not
just chord notes; example: So What uses the Dorian mode.

In Performance
Big Bands

Starting in the 1930s and continuing until after World War II,
big bands of sixteen players became popular. They still exist
mostly on university campuses, but there are some new
professional bands as well.
Grouped by instruments in sections of trumpets, trombones,
reeds, and rhythm section.

In Performance
Big Bands

They use arrangements: composed scores for the band with

individual parts for each musician. There are places designated
for improvisation in arrangements. In this way, the big band
balances composition and improvisation.

In Performance
Small Combos

Typically consist of a few horns and a rhythm section.

Derive from small dance halls and private jam sessions. Jam
sessions are recreational playing sessions in venues that
encourage improvisational exploration.

In Performance
Small Combos

During the 1940s, the jam session went public but remains
informal.
Heads are short and emphasis is on improvisation; typically,
horns improvise first, then the rhythm section.
Drum solos can be open-ended or keep to the form of the cycle.

Review
Define form
2. What are the main two
roles of the bass in early
jazz?
3. When the pianist
provides chords to
support the soloist, it is
called ________.
4. Define turnaround
5. The contrasting eightbar section of a thirtytwo bar AABA form is
called a _______.
1.

6. The 32 bar structure of

AABA form refers to words
or melody and harmonic
progression (the music)?
7. Explain call and response
8. A modulation is a change
of ________.
9. What is trading fours?