The development of jazz in Chicago

The period of the original Chicago jazz style was completed in 1928 with the start of the Great Depression in the U.S. It was one of dramatic moments in the history of jazz. At the same time quite a bit lot of great jazz artists, who played in New Orleans tradition, left without a job.

Classical form of Chicago jazz big bands earns it’s popularity in 1920's. And this form is still valid until the end of 1940. The Chicago jazz music became a source of swinging dance craze. Leaders of famous jazz bands Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, arrange and record many their compositions that are heard everywhere in the dancing halls. The popularity of big bands since the Second World War has decreased significantly.

Even bebop popularity began to weaken with the development of cool Chicago’s jazz. Beginning  from 1940's and early 1950 years, jazz musicians began to develop less violent and more smooth approach to improvisation, modeled on a light, dry playing tenor saxophonist Lester Young. Trumpeter Miles Davis, who was one of the first bebop performers, became the biggest innovator in this genre. Approximately in the same time the musicians of Chicago began to develop harder, heavy variations of old formula of bebop, getting the name hard-bop. Thus such changes can not influence on Chicago’s jazz.  Chicago’s jazz compositions of that period have elements of blues and rhythmic drive. Collective improvisation, which existed in the early jazz in the primitive form, long time was out of use and began re-emerge only in the late 40's and into free-jazz 60's.

In 1950's - 1960's jazz has elements of blues and rhythmic drive. Also we can not mention the effect of soul, close relative of hardbop, which was represented by small bands. These bands arose up in the middle of 1950th and continued to come forward in 1970. Soul based on blues differ African-American spirituality. In the end of 1960's start confluence of jazz with pop music and rock in Chicago. This new direction of jazz was named jazz-rock. One of the most popular bands of this period is “Eleventh House”. Jazz of this period was filled by electronics sounds, rock rhythms and extended tracks.

In mid-1970- 1980`s appeared new variation of exciting before original Chicago’s jazz. To all existing music directions addicted fusion, it alternative music differed by easy listening. In the end of 1980`s jazz musicians lead fusion jazz to perfection.