LESSON #15

Chicago Styles,

Part 2

This lesson supports the following GOALS:

[Goal #1] Students will gain an appreciation of traditional jazz and the continuing value of this music.

[Goal #2] Students will become acquainted with the variety of styles within the traditional jazz genre, and with some of its major figures.

[Goal #4] Students will play traditional jazz.

This lesson supports the following OBJECTIVES:

1.1    Students will become acquainted with what well-played traditional jazz sounds like.

2.21   Students will become acquainted with what the later Chicago Style of traditional jazz sounds like.

2.23   Students will become acquainted with the distinguishing characteristics of the later Chicago Style.

2.24   Students will become acquainted with some of the pioneers of the Chicago Styles.

4.10   Students will rehearse a tune in the later Chicago Style.

 

RATIONALE: The students have gained an appreciation of the later Chicago Style, and will now enjoy creating this sound.

NATIONAL STANDARDS SUPPORTED: See Appendix C.

KIT COMPONENTS:

■ Audio: Track 14, “There’ll Be Some Changes Made” by Eddie Condon’s All Stars

■ Music: “Hindustan” (lead sheet)

 

Eddie Condon Group

ACTIVITY (app. 35 minutes):

1. Play online audio track 14 again, “There’ll Be Some Changes Made” by Eddie Condon’s All Stars, 1954 (app. 10 minutes).

2. Discuss with the students their impressions of the audio track (app. 5 minutes).  How many of the stylistic elements of Chicago Style were they able to hear?  (See table at the end of Lesson #13.)

3. Rehearse “Hindustan” again (app. 20 minutes), but this time challenge the students to perform it in Chicago Style.  The performance should begin with an ensemble chorus (optional piano intro), and everyone should take a solo, including the rhythm section players.  The drummer may use the full drumset including cymbals.  Have the performance end with two ensemble choruses, the first building into the second.  The ensemble should end on “beat three”, followed by a four-bar drum tag, followed by an ensemble jam on the last four bars, ending again on beat three.  Common ending phrases found in this style (played by the trumpet/cornet) include those notated below.

Instrumentation considerations:

     • For the (later) Chicago style, use guitar rather than banjo.

     • String bass is normally used rather than tuba.

     • A saxophone may be added.

 

EVALUATION:  Were the students able to create a Chicago Style sound with their instruments?

 

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:  Encourage the students to explore some of the additional Chicago Style recordings cited in the Style Guide.  Challenge them to pick a solo or ensemble passage by their instrument from one of these recordings (or from Track 13 or 14 from the online audio tracks), transcribe it, and learn to play it.  This is a great way to begin to internalize the “language” of the style.

 

Chicago Style Ending Phrases

(trumpet/cornet):