Browsing by Author "Elomaa, Hannu"

Twelve-bar blues progression is a commonly used basis for, not only blues, but also jazz tunes and improvisation. During swing and bebop eras, many influential jazz musicians composed their own theme based on the blues progression. Duke Ellington (1899 - 1974) recorded the tune "C Jam Blues" in 1942. It inspired many other jazz musicians to create their own version of this simple and mind-bending tune. This study examines jazz pianist Oscar Peterson's (1925 - 2007) style on his "C Jam Blues" recordings and describe how Peterson's style developed during the bebop era. My primary target of interest is the version of "C Jam Blues" that was released in 1962 on the Oscar Peterson Trio's success album Night Train, and my secondary interest is Oscar Peterson Quartet's "C Jam Blues" that was recorded in 1945. My hypothesis is that on the 1962 recording Oscar Peterson combined elements that he had inherited from blues, swing and bebop. In addition, I presume that compared to his 1945 version of the tune, he had abandoned certain elements that had became obsolete due to the bebop revolution. The study is divided into two main sections. First I define the context of these recordings by reviewing the history of jazz, starting from early blues and ragtime. I emphasize the perspective of the development of the jazz piano. In the second part, I analyze the C Jam Blues recordings. I have made a transcription of the 1962 recording (Peterson's solo line) and analyzed it in detail using the concepts of music theory. The previous recording of 1945 is analyzed auditively with less detail. My conclusion is that by the year 1962, Oscar Peterson had adapted new elements, for instance bebop-styled comping with left hand, into his style in 12-bar blues. His melodic lines were still based on scales that are typical to blues and swing, but some of his elements represented modern jazz. Compared to the Peterson's earlier version of "C Jam Blues", several elements had disappeared.