Baroque music and Cool Jazz come from different cultural backgrounds and were popular 300 years apart however they share numerous significant musical links. The Baroque musical culture from the 1650 to 1720 period has its roots in the western art music of Western Europe and displays the musical developments through the Middle Ages and renaissance periods in music. Cool Jazz however is from a completely contrasting culture. Jazz music has its roots in the fusion of African music with the popular early 20th century music of the U.S.A. Cool jazz is a sub-genre of jazz predominantly from 1950 onwards characterized by its soft sounds and gentle tempos compared to preceding styles such as bebop.[1] In this investigation through the use of Johann Bach's "Brandenburg Concerto no. 5" and Miles Davis' "So What" the following musical links between the styles will be explored:
· The basis and texture of Cool Jazz and Baroque compositions
· The role of improvisation and soloists
· The musical form utilised in compositions from each style
Clearly these composers come from different cultural backgrounds simply from their appearance however their compositions share many musical links |
[1] Kamien, R. Music: An Appreciation, 2008, McGraw Hill, New York, p. 254