Jazz Movement in the 1960s
Jazz Movement in the 1960sThe Avant-Garde Movement in Jazz in the 1960's
The avant-garde movement in jazz in the 1960's was a period in music that was marked by several specific traits. The United States in the 60's was going through rapid changes socially, and having some major political changes also. In this paper, I would like to follow the development of the avant-garde movement, from the very causes of the movement to avant-garde from the "Modality" and "3rd Stream" periods, all the way through to the major innovators of the period. Also included in my discussion will be the social and political changes facing the nation in the 1960's, the philosophy that the avant-garde movement was based on, and the ways that musicians tested fellow musicians on the "validity" of this "free jazz" period.
In the 1960's the country saw a sweeping change in the social system. The strong family values of the 1950's began to become very "loose". The country was taking major strides in its development. It was said that "The 1960's was a decade where old values went up in smoke and new sounds symbolized a new state of mind (Time Video)." As the country changed so rapidly, there were both high and low spots in history. For example, the country came together and watched as Neil Armstrong landed an American space craft on the moon, and his words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" still can bring chills to those who watched live as he took his first steps onto the lunar soil. However, the country also suffered several great losses, and had some hardships.
The 60's were still a time of racial injustice, toward blacks and nearly all minorities. For some reason, the white Americans were able to fly to the moon, but they still could not realize that people with a different skin color were no different from them. Several people made a move to change this in the 1960's, and a man named Martin Luther King, Jr. Came to the forefront of the civil rights movement. As blacks and minorities began to push harder and harder for their civil rights, the scene became filled with tension, and Americans watched on television as racial violence erupted in Birmingham, Alabama. In a span of just 5 days over 2,500 blacks were arrested, showing that equality was still quite a way in the future. In a great loss to all Americans, King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. During his lifetime, however, he was able to influence millions, leading a march on Washington, D.C. in August 1963, and he saw both the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 pass through congress and become laws.
The country saw another great American in the 1960's: John F. Kennedy. As the country was enjoying a...
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