King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band

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Recommended: Similarities between jazz music and blues

Although Dippermouth Blues by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band was called blues in its title, it might be closer to jazz since it contained elements from ragtime and brass band music in addition to blues.

Like blues, it had harmonic progression and was strophic with a bridge undoubtedly added by the composers. The entire tune was the same sequence of chords, consisting of 12 bars or measures played repeatedly. There were no vocals (except for a shout near the end of the piece), so I could not tell if there were defining characteristics such as a three-line stanza with the first line repeated, improvisation, call and response, bent pitches, or a personal story told by the melody. If a version of Dippermouth Blues with vocals existed, it was not played by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band. …show more content…

However, the instrument “ragging” changed throughout the piece. That seemed unusual, as ragtime was normally played on a solo piano. Certain works have been modified to be play by big bands, though, and those may have included multiple instruments syncopating.

Like brass band music, there was an emphasis on brass instruments and percussion. A trombone, cornet, and drums can be easily distinguished in this piece. However, a piano, clarinet, and bass also play in this work. These instruments that are not traditionally included in brass band music, but they do produce key sounds in jazz music.

In summary, Dippermouth Blues by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band is a jazz piece presenting key features, such as harmonic progression, strophic form, syncopation, and emphasis on brass instruments and percussion, from all of jazz’s predecessors: blues, ragtime, and brass band

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