West Coast Jazz
| West Coast jazz | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1940s |
| Local scenes | |
| Other topics | |
| Cool jazz | |
West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged, and more often composition-based. While this style was prominent for a while, it was by no means the only style of jazz played on the West Coast, which exhibited more variety than could be conveyed by a simple name.
Prior to World War II, the West Coast of the United States had hosted a bustling music scene, though its activity remained largely localized.
In 1917, Jelly Roll Morton moved to California, and remained in Los Angeles until 1922, when he left for Chicago.Kid Ory formed a band in Los Angeles after moving to California in 1919.
In 1944, Norman Granz began staging Jazz at the Philharmonic shows at Philharmonic Auditorium in Los Angeles. In 1946, Ross Russell established Dial Records in Hollywood, with the purpose of recording Charlie Parker during his sojourn in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, a thriving jazz scene had appeared along Los Angeles's Central Avenue, featuring musicians such as Dexter Gordon, Wardell Gray, Teddy Edwards, Charles Mingus, and Buddy Collette. Central Avenue's activity rivaled that of the earlier Kansas City jazz scene, but at the time it was little-known outside of Los Angeles.
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