The Fluidity of Jazz

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The Fluidity of West Coast Jazz. Gender Norms & Racial Bias in the Study of the Modern "West Coast Jazz" West Coast jazz refers to various styles of jazz music that developed around Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seenThe Fluidity of West Coast Jazz. Gender Norms & Racial Bias in the Study of the Modern "West Coast Jazz" as a sub-genre of cool jazz, which featured a less frenetic, calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music tended to be more heavily arranged, and more often composition-based. While this style was prominent for a while, it was by no means the only style of jazz played on the West Coast, which exhibited more variety than could be conveyed by a simple name. History Background Prior to World War II, the West Coast of the United States had hosted a bustling music scene, though its activity remained largely localized. Reception Tanner, Gerow, and Megill are largely dismissive of the term "West Coast jazz". As it often refers to Gerry Mulligan and his associates in California, "West Coast" merely becomes synonymous with "cool jazz", although Lester Young, Claude Thornhill, and Miles Davis were based in New York. At the same time, many musicians associated with West Coast jazz "were much more involved in a hotter approach to jazz. Communication being what it is, it is hardly likely that any style of jazz was fostered exclusively in one area." Some jazz critics, such as French critic Hugues Panassié, looked down upon West Coast jazz because most of its musicians were white. However, there was a sizable number of African American musicians who played in the style, including Curtis Counce, Chico Hamilton, Buddy Collette and Hampton Hawes. See also List of cool jazz and West Coast jazz musicians Black Hawk Chamber jazzContemporary Records GNP Crescendo Records Pacific Jazz Records The Haig Third

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