Lifelong commitment and unmeasured passion: A study of jazz percussion influences and contributions from key drummers from the Swing, Bebop, and Post-Bop eras

Cox, Drew

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/117505 Copy

Description

Title

Lifelong commitment and unmeasured passion: A study of jazz percussion influences and contributions from key drummers from the Swing, Bebop, and Post-Bop eras

Author(s)

Cox, Drew

Issue Date

2023

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Spencer, Joel

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Spencer, Joel

Committee Member(s)

• Carrillo, Carlos
• Flores, Ricardo
• Gray, Larry

Department of Study

School of Music

Discipline

Music

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

A.Mus.D. (doctoral)

Keyword(s)

• jazz
• drum set
• swing music
• bebop music
• post bop music
• cymbal pattern
• drums

Language

en

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the circumstantial and creative forces that unify nine of the most historically significant swing, bebop, and post-bop jazz drummers in history to show their influences on one another and their respective genres. Progressing in chronological order of style, I first examine the lives and musical circumstances of swing drummers Papa Jo Jones, Gene Krupa, and Chick Webb. These players made unique, substantial contributions to swing drumming, particularly influencing the drum set language of the Swing Era. I then examine the drummers that emerged as the Swing Era gave way to the Bebop Era, namely Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Roy Haynes. Certainly, bebop would not exist without swing music, and I examine the ways in which this second group of musicians was directly influenced by their Swing Era predecessors. Furthermore, the bebop drummers had a direct influence on the post-bop drummers I analyzed, Art Blakey, Philly Joe Jones, and Jimmy Cobb. These final drummers comprise three of the most reputable in post-bop jazz, and they were heavily informed by their predecessors. From Papa Jo Jones to Jimmy Cobb, this project illuminates the jazz drum set vocabulary through the lives of nine prominent musicians in three sequential jazz periods. With this chronological analysis, I uncover the circumstantial and creative forces that unify these historic jazz drum set players, including the evolution of the jazz cymbal pattern, incredible musical curiosity, and a lifelong commitment to jazz drumming.

Graduation Semester

2023-05-01T15:41:04-05:00

Type of Resource

• text
• still image

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2023 Drew Cox

Owning Collections