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Yesterday I go to the largest music store(Sole dealer of Yamaha and Steinway) in the City. In the exam shelf, I found ABRSM grade 1-5 of Jazz piano. I bought a Jazz scale book and Oscar Peterson's Jazz Exercises, Munutes, Etudes & Pieces for Piano.

There are a big book for Jazz teacher and students about teaching and learning, and other grade books. I think go through these materials can pass the Jazz exam and become a qualified Jazz pianist!!!!

I think this another exam use Jazz pieces instead of Mozart, but not sure if I am correct.

My query here is --- Jazz become a Classic Standard. In the music history, there is Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic, Twenty Century, Jazz.

It's debatable whether or not it's become "classic" as it's still growing and evolving even to this day. Jazz definitely is art music though!

Many of the major universities across the US also have programs of accredited study for jazz too. So, it's definitely considered worthy of advanced study

Nixon: Thank you.

Two words: George. Gershwin.

As Steve hinted, I do not believe most of us think of Jazz in that same lineage. Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Classic Period, Romantic Period, Impressionistic, Twentieth Century (Neo-Classical, Twelve-Tone, Avant-Garde) are all "serious" western music.

Jazz has its own, perhaps more humble, heridity: Gospel, Blues, Dixieland, Ragtime, Big Band (Swing), Progressive, Bebop, Modern (jazz), Fusion, with heavy Afro-Cuban influences all along the way.

Both Serious genre and Jazz are on their own, very distinct paths of evolution. Gershwin, Ellington, Bernstein, and others (from time to time) have attempted to bridge the two camps. Their efforts remain the "exceptions" rather than the rules.
Ed

Very interesting topic.

I'm not a jazz aficionado but I don't think jazz is about 'key'.

"Classical" music is generally accepted as tonal music that covers the baroque, classical, and Romantic periods up to the twentieth century and atonal music. The more narrow definition of classical that includes Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven but not Bach or Chopin, is, as in fine art, to do with proportion.

Jazz may be classic but not classical in that respect.

Jazz is now included in the ABRSM exams because many people complained that modern music was not being sufficiently recognised on the curriculum. Jazz - along with other branches of modern music - has now been acknowledged by the Board.

I do think that jazz is art music, and that some notated jazz music is qualitatively indistinguishable from a lot of music that we call "classical."

A couple of questions nag me, though.

First, so much jazz is so dependent on improvisation that you end up having a performance of the moment that is unique and wonderful, but not reproducible by other musicians (or even the same musician). To me, the ability to reproduce a piece from a written score has something to do with whether I consider the piece a classic.

Second, these dividing lines -- baroque, classical, romantic, etc. -- are ultimately arbitrary. In the end, I don't think they're as important as answering the question, do I consider this SERIOUS music? Good jazz is without question as serious as good baroque music, and God knows there is music written in every style and from every era that hardly qualifies as serious.

Finally, for "jazz" that is serious and that is notated and reproducible, I have no qualms putting it in the same category as music from recognized composers throughout the Western canon, whether one calls that "classical" or something else.

That last point goes beyond jazz, too. Take Scott Joplin. His compositions are notated, and in my opinion, of very high intrinsic quality. I'm prejudiced, but if my lifeboat had only one other seat, I'd take Joplin along and let Rachmaninoff go down with the ship.

>>To me, the ability to reproduce a piece from a written score has something to do with whether I consider the piece a classic.
Many transcriptions of jazz performances can be purchased. Many young players play Art Tatum or Peterson transctiptions, the "Listz" of jazz piano :-)
Many stride records can also be found on paper, from Jelly Roll to Fats Waller, and even Willie 'the lion' Smith, though few can play the latter

>>That last point goes beyond jazz, too. Take Scott Joplin. His compositions are notated, and in my opinion, of very high intrinsic quality. I'm prejudiced, but if my lifeboat had only one other seat, I'd take Joplin along and let Rachmaninoff go down with the ship.
Joplin isn't jazz though. I'm not sure which classical music category he would go under, but not jazz.

Are you close to DC?

Yes, I live near Fairfax. I posted in the "gatherings" forum that I'm willing to host a piano party. Think we could get any takers?

And you're right, of course, that Joplin's music isn't jazz -- that's why I began my reference by saying that the analytical approach I use goes beyond jazz to other types of music viewed as "popular." Some of it is high-quality, some isn't.

Further to my previous post (after having re-read the OP) the ABRSM does indeed have Jazz Grades 1-5.


Absolutely.


Not really. They have fairly clearly defined dividing lines, however arbitrary the labels might be.

Tonal music begins around the time that equal temperament was becoming established and music gained the ability to change key. The baroque period is marked by the one 'affekt' running through the piece, in largely unbroken streams of quavers or semiquaver (8ths/16ths across the pond), with relatively simple forms (e.g. binary).
Classical (high classical - Haydn, Mozart) has a wider rhythmic diversity, the drama of contrast between keys in the one piece (the sonata principle) and Romantic has yet wider rhythmic diversity, greater colouration (yet more keys), and more diverse forms. It doesn't take much to look at piece of (unfamiliar) music in the tonal period (right up to atonal music (no keys)) and date it to within a few years.


That might be worth a new thread.
I take the music of The Beatles very seriously as art music. But it's not classical.

>>Yes, I live near Fairfax. I posted in the "gatherings" forum that I'm willing to host a piano party. Think we could get any takers?
I have to check that forum!! Sorry I totally missed it. I think you might have takers, though I don't know how many "locals" we have on these forums.

Dang, I was raised in Reston but live in California. Sadly, the drive to the party would just be too much for me.