This is a treasure hunt about one of the most important styles of popular music in the XXth century. Find the information you need to answer the following questions.

Warm-up activity:

First of all, think about the word JAZZ, what does it suggest you? What do you know about it? Have you ever heard ‘Jazz’? Where?

A. THE ORIGINS.

All music styles have a background, that is to say, they are born from other music styles and are set in a historical context. Where does Jazz come from? What were its music sources and its social and cultural background?

B. THE INSTRUMENTS.

What instruments can you find in a basic Jazz band formation?

You can play Jazz with all kinds of instruments; however, some are more usual than others. Which of these instruments are not usually to be found when we talk about Jazz?

C. THE MUSIC:

C.1. The Lyrics:

Let’s have a look at the lyrics now. Which of these topics are usual in Jazz?

DISCOS, SEX, DRUGS, LOVE, SOCIAL INJUSTICE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SCHOOL, HAPPINESS, POLITICS, WOMEN’S RIGHTS, LONELINESS, POLITICS, COUNTRY LIFE, CITY LIFE, RACISM.

C.2. The Songs:

Listen to this song called Strange fruit and pay attention to the lyrics. What is it about? Can you describe its structure?

Did you like it? It’s sung by one of the most popular singers in the history of Jazz: Billie Holiday. Read about her life here.

C.3. Get some information about these English words closely related to the Jazz style:

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D. THE GEOGRAPHY:

Look at this map of the USA and draw the Jazz route from its beginnings to the 1940’s. Write the names of the most important cities on the route.

Map from EnchantedLearning.com

E. THE MUSICIANS.

E.1. The following names are very popular Jazz musicians, but they have very different origins and lived in different times (some of them are still alive!). Could you fill in the chart with the correct data?

E.2. The world of Jazz was mostly a male world, but there were also some brave women who played a very important role in its history. Could you mention at least one for each period?

E.3. A lot of Jazz players used ‘beautiful’ nicknames. What are the real names behind these pseudonyms? Think about the meaning of their ‘artistic’ names. Any relationship with the Jazz spirit? Play this game if you need help.

Find more about nicknames in Jazz here.

F. Finally, here are a few questions to make you think:

F.1. When you read the lives of Jazz men and women you realise that most of them had hard lives and did not even go to school. How do you think they learnt to play music? What was their “school”?

F.2. Improvisation is a key word in Jazz. What does it tell you about the music and the musicians?

F.3. Think about all you have learnt here. What are your personal conclusions about Jazz?

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