Jazz Styles Analysis \"Blues After

Jazz Styles Analysis

"Blues after Dark"

Dizzie Gillespie's "Blues after Dark" is a striking example of the concert takes place in Belgium in 1958. It was set in a dark venue, where the true highlight is on the musicians, with no distractions in terms of other stimulus present on stage. This is obviously a later performance from Dizzie Gillespie, as it is much different than the more up beat and complicated melodies found in some of his earlier Bebop classics. Instead, this song represents a much Cooler sound.

The whole darkness of the set ads to the strikingly slow and mysterious beat. There seems to be a great sense of intimacy, as solos tend to blend seamlessly into one another. Each of the artists decisions are carefully made with the entire company in mind. The main featured artist here is Dizzie Gillespie on the trumpet, but he is joined with Sonny Sitt on the tenor saxophone, Lou Levy on the piano, Ray Brown on the bass, and Gus Johnson on the drums. The horns open the song, set by a slow, light piano rhythm. The rhythm section here provides the low tones that walk the song forward, as the horns seem to scatter around in terms of harmony, rising and falling with sections. Gus Johnson lightly brushes the drums to provide a mid-tone rattle, while Lou Levy and Ray Brown generate a low tone melody that counters the sharpness of the horns. The bass provides a beat at a low tempo to help provide substance to the piano's depth against the horn section. The piano itself has a relatively slow tempo, which is offset by the rising and falling of the harmony dominated by the horns.

Essentially, the horns play high pitch notes, and are an example of syncopation, where a weak beat, as set by the piano, is overcome by a much stronger harmony, in this case the horns. The horn section pushes out a pulsating beat that rises melodically up and down. Sonny Sitt on the tenor saxophone provides the low pitches of the horn section's harmony. This is then contrasted with the higher pitch of Dizzie Gillespie's trumpet. Together, they generate a very melodic harmony that represents a number of different pitches that blend together. Even their solos are countering each other, so close compared to the deepness of the rhythm section, but so very different at the same time. Dizzie's trumpet helps carry the melodic role of the song, as typical for trumpets since their inception since their military birth. Dizzie Gillespie's solo is especially notable. He picks up the speed of the tempo dramatically and generates a much more optimistic and light beat compared to the general slow and mischievous rhythm set in its standard. The fast paced change in the beat Dizzie focused on was impressive, yet it did not sound off compared to the low laying melody of the rest of the company. It is a remaining glimpse of his more complex and fast paced Bebop melody set against a much cooler rhythm section. First solo is Dizzie Gilespie, followed by Sonny Sitt on the saxophone. Then, the rhythm section finishes out the solos in a much cooler fashion. Eventually, the two horns return with the same harmony that opened the song.

"On the Sunny Side of the Street"

Again, there is Dizzie Gilespie on the trumpet, Sonny Sitt on the tenor sax, Ray Brown on the bass, Lou Levy on the piano, and Gus Johnson on the drums. The concert is again taking place in Belguim in 1958, right after the 1957 release of Sonny Side Up. The same dark and intimate venue that is seen in "Blues After Dark" returns, yet it does not match the tempo of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" nearly as much. This is probably because the song is a Louis Armstrong song, and thus does place a large weight on the individual performances.

The musicians have different roles, this time around. There is still an interesting example of call and response occurring between the trumpet and tenor saxophone. Sonny first places the call, loud and deeper than Dizzie Gillespie's answer on the trumpet. The two exchange several solo sections, carrying on the concept of the calling back and forth between the two instruments. The tone of Dizzie Gillespie and Sonny Sit's solos is notably more optimistic and cheerful. Dizzie Gillespie once again introduces some elements of Bebop into the context of his solos to enrich the more set harmony of the rest of the song. The end of the song actually features Dizzie Gillespie and OSnny Sitt singing along, really capturing the duet style of the song that was first introduced by the horn section.

While this is occurring, the piano plays a much faster rhythm, and is allowed to interject between the horn sections, rather than remain a silent back drop as seen in "Blues After Dark." The piano strikes sharp chords, even during the two horn solos. This sets a faster paced rhythm and lightens up the overall harmony of the song. However, the drums and bass once again take a more supportive role, allow the piano to be the center piece of the rhythm section.

"Lover Man"

"Lover Man" is a much shorter piece played at the same concert in 1958 in Belgium. Once again, there is Dizzie Gillespie on the trumpet, Sonny Sitt on the tenor sax, Ray Brown on the bass, Lou Levy on the piano, and Gus Johnson on the drums. The angle of this taped performance is set differently than the other two, and there is more light being cast on stage. This helps deliver a more up beat melody and provide an interesting contrast, with the piano at the center of the camera during most of the performance.

This is definitely in more Bebop style. It features faster and more complex harmonies throughout the piece. The solos of the horn section provide an interesting array of twists and turns that keeps the harmony upbeat and challenging. At one point, Sonny Sitt is left to himself at the end of the song, blurting out a complex array of notes in true Bebop fashion. Here, Ray Brown plays a walking bass, slowly moving the rhythmic section up and down to accompany the complex nature of the horn section's melodies.

"Blues Walk"

The company seems to have just finished a quick break, as Sonny Sitt grabs for his saxophone off the floor. It is the same intimate setting that night on 1958 in Belgium. Again Dizzie Gillespie and Sonny Sitt make up the horn section, with Ray Brown, Lou Levy, and Gus Johnson being the rhythm section. It takes a while to get into the piece, but when they start it explodes in true Bebop fashion.