Become a Jazz Pac member today!
Jazz Pac

The History of Jazz
& Jazz Singing
The Swing Era
During the Swing Era, approximately 1935 to 1945, the basic repertoire and techniques of jazz singing were established.

Be-Bop
Bebop added additional harmonic complexity to Jazz and much of Jazz singing's scat style developed during this period.
Hard Bop
Hard Bop added gospel, more
basic blues, and hard swinging.


Modal
Modalism developed in the late 1950's as a reaction against the increasing harmonic complexity of Jazz and as a say to play more freely. Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" album is a good example.
Avant Garde
Avant Garde Jazz has developed in many different directions from freely improvised pieces that sound like 20th century European Classical music to polyphonic free blowing improvisation that returns to the African roots of Jazz.
