Irina Pavlović
Rhythm as the essence of jazz culture
“Everything in the universe has a rhythm, everything dances.” 1)
Maya Angelou
Somehow, intuitively, people consider rhythm to be the source of life.
“The rhythm of the drums that echo through the centuries”, playing
a very important spiritual role, especially for the many African cul-
tures and civilizations. “They were ever present at birth, initiation,
marriage, death, etc., as well as appearing at times of recreation...”
“Africa is the king of rhythms” 2) and “...the continent of drums
and percussion. African peoples reached the pinnacle of achievement
in that sphere.” 3) In jazz music and culture, rhythm is truly the driv-
ing force, and one of the most essential aspects that arise from the
African cultural heritage.
Rhythm is a feeling, and we cannot notate a feeling. Students of
this music must absorb it through listening, and this is the only way
towards true understanding, because only through listening we can
absorb the rhythm, feeling, spirit, emotion, expression, all aspects
that actually define music as an art form.
“Whenever African people have settled, they have created a new
music which is based on African rhythms. There is a great West Afri-
can influence in Brazil, also very much in Cuba and in Puerto Rico.
Gospel music, spirituals – they’re all African.” 4) Exploring and learn-
ing the history of African-American people, their roots and influen-
ces, is of great importance for the preservation of their music trad-
itions that have not just survived slavery but became a real cultural
phenomenon.
Along with the development of jazz, rhythm was developing
rapidly, becoming more complex. After the swing era, which was
the era of dance music, rhythm became complicated for the listeners
and difficult to understanding. “Some jazz music is for dancing and
some is strictly for listening.” 5) Early jazz music has always been relat-
ed to dance. Dance is not just aesthetic, but also an important social
element of African-American culture. Dance and music are deeply
intertwined, and that connection between rhythm and dance is very
strong, yet what inspires people to dance is actually the rhythm.
“They’re not particular whether you’re playing a flat 5th or a ruptured
129 th as long as they can dance.” 6) In other words, it is not import-
ant which tone or melody you play, the rhythmic aspect is essential.
The spectrum of rhythms in jazz began to develop rapidly in the 40s,
under the influence of various Latin rhythms. For instance, rhythm
and dance are highly developed in Latin America, hence the Carib-
bean and Latin influences are very important elements of jazz cul-
ture. “Rhythmically speaking”, there is a great connection between jazz
and the enormous field we call Latin music: “...It is very important to
know about the history. People need to know where the rhythms came
from, our heritage. They need to know that the slaves were brought
from Africa, that the slaves were not just brought to New Orleans but
to the Caribbean and Brazil and to Peru, and that’s why all the connec-
tions exist, rhythmically speaking.” 7)
The sense of rhythm (polyrhythmic, syncopation), creativity, and
improvisation are definitely highly developed in the music of Afri-
can-Americans, whose contribution is invaluable. We should not
forget that beside rhythm, the expression and social aspects also play
key roles in every Afro-American music as well “...Music and dance
had key roles in ‘uncontaminated’ African society...” 8) . No matter if
we talk about jazz, blues, gospel or Latin music, this cultural treasure
that arise from the African cultural heritage, define and make this
music culture truly authentic and “soulful”, and can easily become
someone’s fascination.
One really old saying from the great philosopher, Plato, explains
a lot on the matter: “Music and rhythm find their way into the secret
places of the soul.” 9)
_________________________
1) Maya Angelou, www.goodreads.com
2) -Sonny Rollins
3) Walter Rodney, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”, 1973, p.53
4) Weston, Randy, “Notes and Tones”, Taylor, Arthur ,1993
5) Horace Silver, “The Art of Small Jazz Combo Playing”, p. 10, 1995
6) Dizzy Gillespie, http://www.azquotes.com/quote/527960
7) Ignacio Berroa, https://tedpanken.wordpress.com/tag/ignacio-berroa/
8) Walter Rodney, “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”, 1973, p.53
9) Plato, http://www.azquotes.com/
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