Jazz & Blues

Diminished intervals—particularly the tritone—are the cornerstone of altered dominant chords in jazz improvisation. This article explains how diminished intervals shape the sound and function of altered dominants, how they are notated and performed, their historical origins, and their enduring role in modern jazz vocabulary.

A blue note is a deliberately flattened or microtonally inflected pitch, most commonly the third, fifth, or seventh degree of the major scale, that gives blues and jazz their characteristic expressive tension. It is a cornerstone of the blues scale, where its ambiguous intonation bridges major and minor tonalities. Understanding the blue note is essential for grasping the emotional depth and improvisational vocabulary of blues, jazz, and rock music.

From J.J. Johnson’s bebop lines to Fred Wesley’s funk grooves, jazz trombone solos have defined eras and challenged performers. This encyclopedia entry explores the notation, performance techniques, historical context, and key figures behind iconic solos, offering practical guidance for players seeking to master them.

The double bass is the rhythmic and harmonic backbone of jazz, providing a walking pulse, outlining chord progressions, and occasionally stepping into the spotlight for melodic solos. From early New Orleans brass bands to modern avant-garde, the bass bridges the rhythm section and the band’s harmony, shaping the music’s swing and blues-inflected feel.

The major third is a fundamental interval in jazz improvisation, defining major tonality, outlining chord changes, and serving as a key target for melodic resolution. Its role has evolved from early blues-inflected playing to bebop and modal jazz, shaping the sound of iconic solos.

Tritone substitution is a reharmonization technique in jazz where a dominant seventh chord is replaced by another dominant seventh chord a tritone away, creating chromatic bass movement and rich harmonic color. This device is a cornerstone of jazz voice leading, appearing in standards, bebop, and modern jazz, and it expands the harmonic palette while preserving the original chord’s function.

The 1970s produced some of the most innovative and influential jazz fusion albums, blending jazz’s improvisational complexity with rock, funk, and world music. This chronological guide explores landmark recordings from Miles Davis’s electric period to the Weather Report’s ethereal soundscapes, tracing how fusion evolved and shaped modern music.

A rhythmic motif in jazz improvisation is a short, distinctive rhythmic pattern that recurs and serves as a building block for melodic invention. Identifying and analyzing these motifs involves recognizing repeated rhythmic cells, understanding their placement within the phrase structure, and examining how they are developed, varied, and transformed across an improvisation. This article provides a systematic approach to uncovering these rhythmic fingerprints, enhancing both listening and performance skills.

Contrapuntal improvisation in jazz refers to the spontaneous creation of two or more independent melodic lines that interweave harmoniously, a practice rooted in New Orleans collective improvisation and carried forward by pioneers such as Louis Armstrong and Lennie Tristano. This article explores the underlying techniques, key historical developments, landmark recordings, and the enduring influence of this sophisticated art form.

Jazz cadence techniques involving extended dominants and altered chords are essential harmonic devices that create tension, color, and forward motion. These techniques extend traditional dominant chords with sevenths, ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths, and alter them with flats or sharps to produce unique resolutions. Mastering these approaches is crucial for jazz improvisation, composition, and arranging, offering a rich palette of expressive possibilities.