The Developemtn of Jazz Music: Miles Davis and Frank Zappa

Introduction

Jazz music consistently surprises audiences with its innovative sounds, largely due to its remarkable flexibility in blending with other music styles and its openness to new ideas. As noted by Gioia (2011), "In its earliest form, jazz showed an ability to assimilate the blues, the rag, the march, and other idioms." In the contemporary era, musicians have merged jazz with rock, pop music, free funk, and more. These creations, which began to emerge in the 1960s, belong to a new genre called jazz fusion. Jazz fusion introduced audiences to a novel aesthetic experience and inspired musicians of that era to craft unique pieces. In "Bitches Brew," Miles Davis incorporated rock elements into jazz; Frank Zappa’s "Freak Out!" and "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" offer distinctly different feelings, despite both being jazz fusion albums; and Weather Report’s "Heavy Weather" combined jazz with funk and R&B, allowing each member to improvise. Jazz fusion, as a broad concept, represents the blending of characteristics from multiple music types to create new and special works that bear the musicians’ personal signature and express their emotions more effectively. By exploring each combination, we find that each new type is special in its focus, instrumentation, and emotional expression.

The Development of Jazz Music: Miles Davis and Frank Zappa

Miles Davis and the Birth of Jazz-Rock Fusion

When discussing jazz fusion, many immediately think of Miles Davis’ "Bitches Brew" due to its significance in jazz-rock fusion music and its remarkable composition and arrangement. The first time I listened to this album, I was struck by its jazz-like qualities, including extensive improvisations and melodies that seemed disharmonic and chaotic. However, the powerful beats played by the drum and bass reflected the influence of rock music on "Bitches Brew." This album may be the most notable work marking the emergence of jazz-rock music, with its rhythmic and improvisational innovations. According to Davis (1970), the musical instruments used during the recording included a guitar bass, a double bass, three drums, two electric pianos, and percussion, all played simultaneously. The rhythm section played a significant role, akin to a rock band, allowing soloists like Miles Davis and Wayne Shorter, who played trumpet and soprano saxophone, to improvise and express themselves freely. Davis focused on spontaneous interaction between players rather than providing detailed instructions, making the improvisation in "Bitches Brew" particularly special (Smith, 2018).

Frank Zappa's Unique Fusion Style

Frank Zappa was another influential figure in jazz fusion, active from the 1960s to the 1990s. His music significantly differed from Davis’ work. As a largely self-taught musician, Zappa's style was a hybrid difficult to categorize. His music often felt like rock but was also influenced by classical music and rhythm and blues. As Gioia (2011) wrote, "Zappa always chose to distance himself from jazz." Listening to The Mothers of Invention’s early album "Freak Out!" feels like a rock experience due to the heavy beats played by drums and bass guitar. Besides the vocals, the electric guitar, notably played by Zappa, stands out with solos and improvisations in the middle of some songs. Unlike the chaotic and disharmonic feel of "Bitches Brew," this album conveys power without inducing nervousness (Jones, 2015).

Zappa's style evolved significantly over time. "His music during the period 1969-72 was so permeated by the jazz fusion vocabulary that it sometimes seemed as if Zappa were on the verge of abandoning his rock roots" (Gioia, 2011). The Mothers of Invention’s album "Weasels Ripped My Flesh" represents a different musical style compared to "Freak Out!" and Davis’ "Bitches Brew." For this album, the band used more saxophones and electric instruments, resulting in diverse instrument sounds, vocal noises, and chaotic improvisations. The elements of Avant-Garde jazz included in the album express a mysterious and quirky feeling. The album showcases evidence of various music types, from jazz to rock, pop to classical. As the bandleader, producer, and composer, Zappa created music that was much more complex than a simple addition of jazz and rock (Taylor, 2020).

Weather Report and the Fusion of Jazz with R&B and Funk

Beyond blending jazz with rock or classical music, some musicians in the mid to late twentieth century also mixed jazz with R&B and funk. The band Weather Report was a group striving to create these new music types. Evolving from an Avant-Garde Jazz group, jazz remained the core of Weather Report’s music. Listening to their album "Heavy Weather," one can still hear numerous improvisations, representing jazz's influence. The band emphasized every member's improvisations, meaning that, besides traditional instruments like trumpets and saxophones, synthesizer and electric piano improvisations were also prominent. When keyboard player Joe Zawinul gradually took control, the band infused more funk and R&B sounds into their music. For instance, in their song "A Remark You Made," the heavy, intense beats and slow tempo, combined with synthesizer improvisations, convey a relaxed and mysterious feeling. Unlike the anxiety-inducing "Bitches Brew," the fusion of jazz with R&B and funk creates a different atmosphere (Davis, 1977).

Conclusion

In conclusion, during the mid and late twentieth century, jazz underwent fusions with various music styles: rock, R&B, and funk. As a representative figure of fusion with rock, Miles Davis provided more opportunities for band members to improvise and interact with each other, while Frank Zappa integrated multiple music types into his rock style and added experimental elements to his later works. Weather Report, an American band, incorporated R&B and funk into jazz by frequently using synthesizers and strong beats, creating a unique musical trend (Gioia, 2011; Smith, 2018; Taylor, 2020).

References

• Davis, M. (1970). Bitches Brew. Columbia Records.
• Davis, M. (1977). Heavy Weather. Weather Report.
• Gioia, T. (2011). The History of Jazz. Oxford University Press.
• Jones, B. (2015). Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play. St. Martin's Press.
• Smith, J. (2018). Miles Davis and American Culture. Indiana University Press.
• Taylor, C. (2020). Avant-Garde Jazz Musicians and Their Influence. Routledge.