Pre-War Jazz: 8 Things You Won’t Learn in Jazz School

Jazz from before WW2 is experiencing a resurgence with a growing audience base. Because jazz education programs at the high school and collegiate level rarely have early jazz specialists on staff and rarely bring in those of us who are experts to work with students, many good players often find themselves entering the freelance world without the skills they need to sub in vintage swing or traditional jazz groups. For the completely selfish reason of helping to develop a deeper sub-list for my own band, and the more altruistic one of helping to elevate our scene’s music, here are eight things that will help young players get hip to vintage playing. 1. Vintage Jazz is Art Music Previous generations of musicians have often considered early jazz not to be “serious music.” When your professors think of traditional jazz, it’s likely that a lot of them associate it with things like Shakey’s Pizza, octogenarians in powder blue tuxedos, the worst of the 90s neo-swing movement, or weekend warriors in polo shirts playing out of tune versions of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The mainstream jazz community has, for years, unfairly defined vintage jazz by its worst actors. Don’t fall into that fallacy. 90% of music in any genre is crap. 90% of Bird imitators suck too. Though classic jazz is associated with dancing, drinking, and generally having a good time, that doesn’