JAZZ

Characteristics:

Jazz music is characterized by the use of many different instruments. Jazz songs always have the following structure: chorus, bridge, improvisation "solos", bridge, chorus, and so on and so foward.
Jazz music can be slow, fast, long, short...there's jazz for everybody.

Instruments

The base for a jazz band is a set of drums, a keyboard, an electric guitar, and at least one wind instrument (usually the trumpet or the saxophone). Jazz big bands can include a brass section (with trumpets, tubes, etc.), a woodwind section (saxophones, clarinets, oboes, etc.), a string section (an electric guitar and bass), the keyboard and the drumset. That's a lot of people playing at the same time!

History and styles

Jazz music comes from blues and from the music made by the Afroamericans in the XIX century.
There are lots of jazz styles, but in my opinión, these are the most important:
-Swing: it is quick, catchy and the songs are usually short.
-Dixieland: this was the first style in which piano and sax were included. It tried to differ from african music.
-Bebop: this style is played by small groups. Itis polyrythmic, and it gives a lot of importance to improvisation.

Composers and songs

Here there are two famous jazz composers you should know, and two of their wonderful hits!
Louis Armstrong, considered father of jazz, created the famous song What a Wonderful World.
Link to his song:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM
Paul Desmond wasn't as known as Louis, but he wasn't bat either! Here you have a link to his song Take Five played by Dave Brubeck and his gang:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmDDOFXSgAs