1940's

1940's
The first style of music formed in the 1940's was called Bebop which many of us today are most familiar of due to listening to the radio. It's main founders were alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Before this, Jazz improvisions followed the melodic line and beat. Bebop soloists engaged in chordal improvation, often avoiding the melody. THe improvisions were as long and free as possible. Bebop differed from Swing because Bebop divorced itself as a dancing music and established itself more as an art and became the basis for the the different styles later on.
The other style during the 40's is called Vocalese. Vocalese was formed by jazz critic Leonard Feather and composed lyrics into the Jazz music. Vocalese slowly grew in popularity and reached its highest point between 1957 and 1962. Vocalese was preformed by small orchestra and rarely ventured into other styles of Jazz. Famous preformers of this style are Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks.