University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Swinging with Kid Ory, Big Green, Fred Robinson, and Jack Teagarden: an overview of early jazz trombone

Tijerina, Peter Thaddeus

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Tijerina_Peter_ Scholarly Essay.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125313

Description

Title
Swinging with Kid Ory, Big Green, Fred Robinson, and Jack Teagarden: an overview of early jazz trombone
Author(s)
Tijerina, Peter Thaddeus
Issue Date
2025
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Pugh, James
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Pugh, James
Committee Member(s)
  • McNeill, Charles
  • Lund, Erik
  • Scully, Bernhard
Department of Study
School of Music
Discipline
Music
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
A.Mus.D. (doctoral)
Date of Ingest
2025-01-15T13:07:13-06:00
Keyword(s)
  • Trombone
  • Jazz
  • Early jazz
  • Dixieland
  • 1920s
  • Tailgate
  • Swing
  • Jazz history
Language
eng
Abstract
The purpose of this research is to provide a cohesive overview of various techniques used by early jazz trombonists, intended for trombonists interested in playing and improvising in the early jazz style. For this research, the terms early jazz, traditional jazz, hot jazz, New Orleans jazz, and Dixieland, will be used synonymously with reference to the style of music developed and popularized in New Orleans between 1890 and 1930, characterized by distinct front-line and rhythm section instruments. Furthermore, the term pre-jazz will refer to the genres that blend African and European musical traditions, which preceded and directly influenced early jazz, including sanctified church music, New Orleans brass band and parade music, minstrelsy, blues, and ragtime. Given that modern jazz performance and improvisational practices are typically modeled after musical practices, recordings, and texts from the swing era (in the 1930s) and thereafter, the current convention among many jazz musicians and educators presumes that these sources are the foremost authorities in learning and playing jazz, particularly with regard to the trombone. Commonly overlooked, however, is the invaluable knowledge embedded in early jazz performative practices, which are fermented with traditional African and European musical and cultural elements. These elements fused, diverged, and evolved on North American soil—primarily in the American South—dating back to the arrival of the first African slaves and continued to evolve through the pre-jazz era. For trombonists learning how to play jazz, or simply wanting to further their development on the instrument, the common practices used in jazz’s earliest years can be readily applied to their current regimen for enhanced musical enrichment. The research methodology for this project involves extracting key components from selected early jazz trombone solos to create an overview of playing early jazz trombone. The significance of this research lies in its utility as an accessible model for investigating the musical origins of a pervasive musical genre—jazz. Furthermore, incorporating these fundamental musical elements into contemporary jazz music has the capacity to reinforce and preserve jazz’s ties to its roots while also influencing the trajectory of its continual development.
Type of Resource
text
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2025 Peter Thaddeus Tijerina

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