Back beat - A consistent accent on beats 2 and 4 of a measure.

Back line - The rhythm section of a jazz ensemble.

Backgrounds - Patterns or supporting music played by sections of the band behind the soloist(s).

Ballad - A slow, lyrical song.

Basic style - The unique characteristic sound and style of the big band made popular by the Count Basic Band and the writer/arranger Sammy Nestico.

Bebop (bop) - A style of jazz developed by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Usually identified by fast tempos, disjunct/synchopated/dissonant melodies and harmonic complexity. Solos are based on changes rather than melody.

Belt Voice - When a voice is coordinating in a true "belt" the vocal cords are attempting to take the chest voice coordination up as high as it can go without allowing it to switch the head voice. Not recommended for use in vocal jazz.

Big band - A traditional jazz ensemble usually consisting of five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones, piano, guitar, bass and drums.

Blue notes - Notes using variable intonation; "bending" the pitch expressively through microtones.

Blues - A musical form, usually 12 bars in length with three phrases. Describes the 12-bar harmonic progressions that form the basis for blues (I, IV, I, I, IV, I, I, V, IV, I, I) improvisation; the most common is 12 bars long. The other characteristic is the 'blue note', a lowering of the 3rd, 7th and (to a lesser extent) 5th scale degrees.

Blues head - Short theme of four bars repeated three times over a 12-bar blues as the melody. Often unchanged each time but not always (e.g., C Jam Blues, Blues in the Closet).

Blues scale - A scale built with (from major) the 1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7, 8 degrees of the scale.

Bombs - Accents played by drummers that do not coincide with those played by the soloist or ensemble; often associated with bebop style.

Boogie woogie - A blues piano style in which the left hand plays a rhythmic ostinato (i.e., repeated pattern) of eights beats to the bar.

Bossa nova - A brazilian style of dance music (Latin).

Break - A section of the piece (usually two bars) where the ensemble stops and the soloist plays, usually leading into the first chorus of a solo.

Bridge - The middle part of an AABA form (i.e., the "B" part). It usually serves as a contrast and typically ends with a half cadence. Its function is to connect or "bridge" between the "A" sections.

Changes - Refers to chord changes; jazz slang for harmonic progression.

Chart - A lead sheet that contains arranging elements such as an intro, endings and/or rhythmic kicks.

Chops - Technical facility on an instrument. A player with great "chops" has great technical ability on the instrument. Also refers to endurance when playing the instrument.

Chord extensions - Notes above the basic triad or seventh chord (9, 11, 13).

Chord progression - Succession of harmonic content in time (e.g., tonic-dominant, 12-bar blues, ii-V7-I).

Chord symbols - A shorthand system to notate chords using combinations of letters and numbers (e.g., C7, Dmin9, Emin7, b5).

Chorus - One time through the song form.(The term "chorus" sometimes is used differently in jazz that it is pop music)

Circle of fourths - An arrangement of keys moving clockwise by fourths (C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db/C#, Gb/F#, B, E, A, D, G).

Clam - A misplaced or misplayed note.

Clave - 1)Two wooden sticks struck together as rhythmic accompaniment in Latin music. 2)A time-line pattern used in Latin music. Its rhythm can be presented verbally as dah-dit-dah | dah-dah| or in reverse form, |dah-dah|dah\dit\dah. Literally it means "key".

Combo - A small performing ensemble, usually a rhythm section and one or two horns.

Comping - (from composing) - To accompany a soloist or group on an instrument (typically piano or guitar), where the rhythms and voicings generally are made up (composed) on the spot by the performer in response to the music and other performers.

Cool jazz - A style of jazz with relaxed tempos and lots of open space in the melodies. A reaction to the intesity of bebop.

CuBop - Another name for Afro-Cuban jazz.

Dance band - A big band or swing band.

Distortion - An electronic effect used usually by electric guitar and bass players.

Dixieland - An early instrumental style of jazz.

Doo-wah - The sound made a brass player moves a hat, plunger, or cup over the bell of the instrument. Usually marked as "+" for the covered sound (doo) and "O" for the open sound (wah)

Double - To play more than one instrument (e.g., tenor saxophonists often double on the soprano saxophone).

Double time - A tempo that is twice as fast as another given tempo. (The opposite is half time)

Double time feel - In double time feel, the music feels like it's changing to a tempo that is twice as fast, but in actuality, the chord changes and melody progress at the same rate. The opposite is half-time feel.

Effects - Electronic devices that distort or change the sound of an instrument.

Fake books - A collection of lead sheets used by jazz musicians (called "fake" books because musicians "fake" or improvise a performance without detailed notation).

Fall - A special music effect made by falling or dropping off the pitch at the end of a note.

Feel - Native ability or acquired sensitivity. Playing the correct musical elements in a particular way. In swing, playing eighth notes with a rhythm similar to triplet, but not quite.

Fill(s) - To supply an empty place within the music with sound. The fill often leads the ensemble or section to an entrance. Usually played by the drums and/or rhythm section players or by horn players accompanying a vocalist.

Fours - Alternate four-bar passages, as played in sequence by different soloists (i.e., the guitar and drums were trading fours). Typically the form of the song continues through the fours.

Freddie Green guitar style - Playing downstrokes of each of the four beats of a chart. Freddie usually used 1, 3 and 7 notes in hist voicings.

Free improvisation - Improvising without reference to harmony, often in an atonal context. The focus usually shift to areas that can be masked in harmonic improvisation: timbre, melodic intervals, rhythm and constant interaction among musicians.

Free jazz - A style of playing jazz that is free of the restraints of key, form, metre, changes and so on.

Front line - The horn section of an early jazz instrumental ensemble, usually cornet, clarinet and trombone.

Funk - A type of groove with a highly syncopated bass line and various rhythmic layers. Favoured by jazz musicians starting in the 1970s.

Fusion - The blending together of two styles. Fusion particularly refers to the jazz/rock style.

Ghost band - A band where the leader has died, but the band continues to perform under the leader's name.

Ghost note, Ghosted note - An unaccented note that is suggested or implied but only half sung or played.

Glissando (Gliss) - A slide into the note, usually from below, from 1-3 steps away. Individual notes should be heard in a gliss (think trombone or acoustic bass).

Gospel - A style of music typical of southern religious services.

Groove - A general name for the overall framework that makes rhythmic contrast possible. This includes the jazz-specific concept of swing.

Growl, Growling - Creating an unusual timbre on a wind instrument by growling in the throat while playing.

Guide tones - Important pitches to use in improvisation and comping. Typically, the 3rd and 7th of the chord.

Half-time - To play at twice as slow tempo as previously played.

Half-time feel - The tempo does not change but the feel is halved; sometimes called playing in two. In 4/4 time, the feel is in half notes, not quarter notes.

Hard bop - A modified form of bebop also known as mainstream or straight-ahead style.

Hat - Slang for a marcato accent.

Head - The melody of a jazz song. A composed section, typically performed in unison, that frames a small-combo jazz performance by appearing at the beginning and again at the end.

Hi-hat - A pair of cymbals installed on a stand and played with the foot.

Horn - Jazz slang for any wind instrument

Improvisation - The process of simultaneously composing and performing music.

Inside - See "Playing inside".

Intro - The musical introduction to a jazz "head". Some tunes have standard introductions, some styles may have a typical introduction and some forms have standard introduction.

Jam session - An informal gathering at which musicians perform jazz for their own enjoyment. It can be competitive, with one musician trying to outdo another, or it can be friendly and supportive.

Kansas City swing - A swing style that emphasizes medium tempos and riff-like melodies.

Kicks - Accents played by the drummer that coincide with those played by the soloist or ensemble.

Latin - A very broad term used to describe the blend of Afro-Cuban, Brazillian and other Latin-American countries' music with jazz. Characterized generally with a straight eight note feel.

Laying back (lay back or laid-back) - The placement of rhythms very slightly behind (on the back side) of each steady quarter note beat.

Lay out - To rest or stop playing for a portion of the piece.

Lead sheet - A shorthand musical score that serves as the point of reference for a jazz performance, usually containing only the composed melody (or head) and the harmonic progression.

Lick - A short melodic phrase learned by jazz musicians and used in their improvisations. A lick may be repeated precisely between two different solos. The jazz equivalent of "motif" in classical analysis.

Mainstream - Hard bop or a straight-ahead style of jazz.

Mambo - A typical Cuban dance rhythm placed in a two feel.

Modal jazz - A style of jazz in which the music is based on a scale or mode rather than chord changes.

Modes - In jazz, a player may chose to use various modes of major and/or minor scales while improvising (On a iimin7-v7-IMaj7 pattern a player may choose first to use the dorian, then mixolydian, then ionian modes of a scale in the key of the I chord).

Monitor - A speaker used to project sound back at the musicians and/or performers.

Multiphonics - By changing the manner of blowing, musicians playing wind instruments can create several pitches at once. Often these are used more frequently in avant-garde jazz, but are used in all styles.

Outro - The ending for a jazz "head". Some tunes have standard endings, some styles may have a typical manner of ending and some forms have standard endings.

Outside - See "Playing outside"

Pentatonic scale- A five-note scale. It can be any five notes but usually is referred to in two ways. The major pentatonic scale is the notes 1, 2, 3 ,5, 6 or a major scale (think of the black keys on a piano ascending from Gb). The minor pentatonic scale is actually the same notes but starts from Eb instead of Gb (6, 1, 2, 3, 5).

Playing inside - Improvising within the structure of the harmonic progression.

Play in two - In 4/4 metre, the rhythm section and particularly the bass player will play (mostly) two half-notes per bar.

Playing outside - Improvising outside the structure of the harmonic progression. This may mean improvising atonally (without reference to a tonal centre).

Polychord - Literally, many chords. Two chords played at once or stacked on top of each other. The chord symbol is written as two chords with one above the other with a horizontal line separating the two chords. Also refers to one chord played over a different root; this type of polychord often is referred to as a slash chord. Context will tell if there is confusion as to whether the chord is a "slash" or "poly" chord.

Polyrhythm - Two or more rhythms played simultaneously.

Progressive jazz - Big bands playing modern jazz, frequently with the addition of string, French horns and other non-traditional jazz instruments.

Quotes - Using a familiar melody during a solo

Ragtime - Piano style with stride left hand and highly synchopated right hand. Predates the development of the jazz style.

Reharmonize - Taking an existing tune and changing the chord progression.

Rhythm changes - A musical form based on the chord progression (and form) of George and Ira Gershwin's song, I Got Rhythm, which forms the basis of countless (usually uptempo) jazz compositions (e.g., AABA using a cycle of fourths for the bridge, starting with the dominant of the third of the key).

Rhythm section - The instruments in a jazz ensemble that provide a rhythmic and harmonic foundation. Normally, the rhythm section will comprise a bass instrument (string bass, electric bass, tuba), percussion (usually the drum set) and one or more harmony instruments (piano, acoustic or electric guitar, banjo, the Hammond B-3 organ, vibraharp).

Ride pattern - The steady pulsation played on the ride cymbal of a drum kit. It formed the rhythmic foundation for jazz after about 1945.

Riff - A short, catchy, repeated melodic phrase. Riffs often are used to articulate the structure of a twelve-bar blues, making it clearer to the listener to hear the form. Also a short fragment of melody.

Rumba - A Cuban ballroom dance.

Salsa - A dance from the Caribbean similar to the Mambo, usually with a definite two feel.

Samba - An African dance eventually modified into a Brazillian ballroom dance with a definite two fell.

Scat - Improvising by a vocalist, using nonsense syllables instead of words (e.g.,"doo-bee-doo-ba-doot-'m-do-ba").

Sequence - A pattern within a melody that is repeated on a higher or lower scale step.

Set up - The drummer will "set up" the ensemble by plating a fill that leads the band into playing on a particular part of the beat or bar.

Shuffle - A way of playing swing eighths with a more dotted-eighth feel. Also a particular drum pattern.

Sideman - A member of a performing group that is not the featured soloist or leader.

Sit in - When a musician spontaneously joins a group to perform.

Slash chords - Complex extended chords formed by placing a triad over a different root (e.g., an A major chord over an F root). The name comes from the usual abbreviation for these chords as A/F.

Son - A type of dance music combining Spanish and African elements.

Songo - A contemporary Cuban style the blends son, rumba, jazz and funk.

Speakeasy - A type of nightclub that became popular during Prohibition. Many early jazz musicians and bands found employment in speakeasies.

Stage band/Jazz band - A jazz ensemble.

Standard - A popular song that has become part of the permanent repertory of jazz musicians.

Stop time - A technique in which a band plays a pattern of short chords separated by silences . The intervening musical space then is filled in with monophonic improvisation. Stop time commonly was used in early jazz. Typical patterns for stop time include playing on the downbeat of every measure, or of every other measure, or the entire group playing only on the beats of a measure.

Straight-eighths - Even eighth notes

Stride - A technique for a pianist's left hand. It involves a steady alternation of bass notes (low notes) with chords in a "boom chick, boom chick" rhythm.

Substitute chords - Chords that replace or augment the original chords of a composition.

Swing - Jazz from the period 1935-1945, usually known as the swing era.

Swing eighth notes - In a swing style with two eighth notes starting on the beat, the first eighth note is longer than the second. Though commonly described as a triplet feel (2-1) the relationship of the two notes is not always the same depending on the style, era and tempo of the music. The second or less long eighth note is accented.

Symmetrical scales - Scales that have a regular, recurring structure of intervals. The most common are chromatic (all half-steps, whole tone (all whole steps), diminished (whole-half or half-whole) and augmented (augmented 2nd - half).

Tag - The repetition of the last phrase of a tune, normally two or three times and sometimes with a change of key. Normally played only on the very last chorus to conclude the performance of that tune.

Third-stream jazz - A style of jazz combining elements of classical music and elements of jazz.

Time - A solid tempo, pulse and/or rhythmic groove. Everyone's job is to keep time.

Time charts - Charts written on unusual or mixed metres

Traditional jazz - An early jazz style, sometimes called Dixieland

Transcribe - The process of notating a piece of music

Transform (a lick) - In this context, to take a lick or motif and, by changing one note or some of the notes, have the lick work in another key, while retaining the original shape of the lick.

Tritone substitution - Replacing one dominant chord with another whose root is tritone away. It works because the 3rd and 7th for the two chords are the same (e.g., A7-C#/G becomes Eb7-G/Db).

Turn the beat around - When a group loses their place in the music and replaces the second and fourth beats with the first and third.

Two feel - A style for the rhythm section that emphasizes two strong beats per measure.

Uptempo - Fast.

Vamp - A short, repeated chord progression, usually used as the introduction to a performance.

Vocalese - Lyrics written to fit the melody of a jazz improvisation (e.g., Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, Manhattan Transfer). Not to be confused with the classical term, vocalise, which means to sing a melody on vowels.

Voicing - The particular way that a jazz musician chooses to play a selection of notes in a particular chord. A triad only has three pitches, but these can be spread out or doubled in infinite variations (e.g., notes used to represent a chord, often in response to the melody, feel, bass line of a song, or to a soloist playing over a song).

Walking (bass line) or to walk - A bass line featuring four even beats per bar, usually serving as the rhythmic foundation for the jazz ensemble.

Woodshed - To practise diligently.