Speak the Lingo: A Jazz Glossary
by Mina Keohane
All musicians seem to have their own vocabulary. Jazz musicians are no different. Below is a list of some the common terms used regularly by those in the jazz world, and I don't mean like "folding at the gig," or "diggin' those hep cats. This is just a mini-glossary of some of the lingo for those who'd like to know a little more.
AABA - The most common tune form in Jazz, usually 32 bars. There's an 8-bar "A" section which is repeated, followed by a contrasting 8-bar "B" section (known as a bridge,) with another statement of the 8-bar "A" section to complete the form.
The song "Over the Rainbow" is an AABA tune.
Ballad - A slow tune, usually a standard.
Bari - Baritone Saxophone
Be-bop - A style of jazz that was developed in the early 40's. Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie were the main pioneers of this style of music. It is defined by fast tempos and more complex harmonies from what had come before. Bop musicians often took standard tunes and wrote their own complicated melodies over the top of the chord changes.
The first style of jazz that demanded virtuosity from the players was be-bop.
Blues - In jazz, the blues is a 12 or 16 bar form usually utilizing variations on the chord changes I-IV-V7-I.
One of the most popular blues played at jam sessions is "Straight, No Chaser" by Thelonius Monk.
Bridge -The "B" section of an AABA form tune.
"Someday I'll wish upon a star." is the bridge section to "Over the Rainbow."
Blow - To improvise a solo.
Changes - The chord progression of any jazz tune.
Chart -Any written-out music used for jazz musicians. This could range from a single lead sheet to a tune all the way to a full arrangement of a big band.
Chops - Referring to a musicians technical ability
Chorus - 1) One time through the form of a tune 2) Referring to the length of an individual solo, for example: if somebody plays five choruses then they play through the form of the tune 5 times in a row.
Double-time - Going twice as fast as the original tempo
Double-time feel - Implying going twice as fast as the original tempo, so the feel is twice as fast, but the beat stays the same.
Extensions - Upper structures of a chord beyond the seventh. (A chord is root, 3 rd , 5th, 7th-extensions would be 9ths, 11ths, 13ths)
Free - Improvising without regard to form, tempo, or harmony
Free Jazz - a style of jazz that came out of the early 60's and was made popular by Ornette Coleman. Elements of free jazz include interaction between players without being confined by implicit harmony, tempo or form.
Fusion - A style of jazz that stemmed from the mid to late 60's made popular by groups such as Weather Report, Return to Forever, and Miles Davis. Fusion involved the fusing of various styles such as rock and jazz.
Front line - The horn players of a jazz combo (those not in the rhythm section)
Half-time - Taking the tempo half the speed of the original tempo
Half-time feel - Implying that you are taking the tempo half the speed of the original tempo
Hard-Bop - A style of music coming out of the 50's, it was a reaction to the more subdued "cool" style of jazz that preceded it. The tempos weren't as fast as be-bop, but the approach was aggressive just like be-bop. It incorporated a lot of blues, gospel and funky elements.
Head -The melody of a tune
Horn - Any wind instrument
Improvisation -Spontaneous composition, usually over the form and harmony of a previously composed tune. (Or just making stuff up)
Interlude - A section not part of the tune itself, but often played to break up the repetitiveness of the tune's form. Sometimes used in between different soloists.
Intro - The introduction of a tune
Lay Out - To not play.
Legit - A term used by jazz musicians for a classical or sometimes commercial gig.
Line - A musical sentence. Typically composed over a series of chords, but rather than being a song-type melody, it's more like the same vocabulary one would use while improvising, almost like a composed improvisation used as a melody.
Mainstream Jazz - Jazz that, while demanding great skill of the musicians, stays within the established performance practices. It does not push the envelope.
Modal - Music utilizing the various modes. Made popular with Mile Davis' "Kind of Blue" With modal music one plays less within chord changes and more within the scales of the mode.
Monster - A really heavy player (as in talent, not weight)
Pocket (In the pocket) -Having perfect tempo, keeping the beat perfectly.
Progression - A series of chord changes within a tune or piece.
Quote - As one would quote another person's words; musicians will quote other well-known melodies usually within solos, but sometimes within compositions.
Riff - a short, simple, rhythmic fragment that, when repeated (often behind a soloist) adds another element of energy to the excitement of a jazz performance.
Rhythm Changes - Chord changes that accompany "I Got Rhythm" (a standard composed by George Gershwin) and is so commonly used in other tunes that they are now known as "rhythm changes".
Rhythm Section - Drums, bass, piano, or guitar: instruments used for the rhythm/groove
Shed - (or woodshed) To practice diligently
Shout Chorus - Most likely in big band arrangements, but not uncommon in small group settings (especially during the Hard-bop era.) The shout chorus is a simple, yet rhythmically charged ensemble section, which appears after the solos and just before the restatement of the melody near the conclusion of the piece.
Standards - Tunes so commonly played that they have become a part of normal jazz repertoire/vocabulary. Often show-tunes from the 1930's-1950's.
Straight Ahead- A phrase used to describe a jazz style based on swing eighth-notes and usually standard forms and performance practices. Not dissimilar to mainstream jazz.
Swing - 1) a style of music that emerged in the 30's and 40's often associated with the big bands. 2) A rhythmic phrasing that is the most commonly heard in jazz unless it's specifically a straight-8 th note style and is based off of a legato-syncopated eighth-note rhythm.
Top - The beginning of the tune.
Trading (trading 4's, 8's, etc.) - Soloists divide the form into smaller units (8 measures, 4 measures, 2 measures) and trade over the over-all form of the tune. Often the soloists trade with the drummer towards the end of the solo section and right before the final re-statement of the melody.
Turn around - A chord sequence that leads back to the beginning of a tune.
Vamp - Often a 2 or 4 bar phrase that's repeated for an indeterminate amount of time.
Walk/Walking Bass Line - Swing style with bass playing 4 beats to a measure; repeated notes are avoided
