Interesting analysis question

Has improvised jazz music ever been analyzed by music theory experts for adherance to part-writing rules? Has anyone gone through a jazz piece and found all the errors? Or do some jazz artists actually end up following those rules without knowing about it?

Somehow I doubt that Jazz has ever been subject to such rules. I'm coming to realize that my own music, though heavily influenced by Romantic and Baroque music, is actually an odd variety of Jazz. Though it does sometimes hint at traditional harmony, I'm constantly changing key suddenly, using strange chords, and rhythms which would be difficult to notate. Also, I'm pretty sure I break part-writing rules constantly. But in a style of music which is rhythmically and metrically so free anyway, would subjecting it to traditional analysis even make sense?

Anyone see what I'm getting at? Perhaps modern, improvised music transcends analysis. One can perhaps only use one's internal aesthetic response to judge this sort of music?

i´m a jazz player and also a composer... as a jazz performer i can only say the true art of jazz is when you improvise, so analisis?, that´s useless for jazz

Agree that "true" jazz is improvisation but the improvisation is often based around a melody (though it may bear almost no relation to the actual melody) and chord sequences. Though the chords may be weird at times they are often triads with added notes and can be analysed to some extent. Admittedly not always but analysis can help if someone wants to play it.

Some sequences are standard enough to allow practical jazz to be taught and it will not stop academies cashing in (as jazz becomes acceptable as a classical subject), inventing lots of nice rules like contrapuntists have to suffer, and examining on them to help fill their coffers!

M

People have notated jazz improvisations, and the result is sheet music that is too complex to play. It's one of those amazing things about improvisation is that it technically shouldn't exist. It's too complex. Yet the subconscious is more powerful than the conscious and so it works.

A jazz pianist did an improvisation which a composer notated off a recording, and then brought it to the jazz pianist. Not only did the performer not recognize his own work, but he told the composer that what he had written was impossible.

Hahaha, that rules. Welp, I suppose we shall keep sheet music alive as long as there are people who love the musical literature that was recorded with it, and as long as people continue to write with some sort of imitation of those old styles. But---personally, if I have to choose between toiling over the precise notation of a composition and going downstairs and improvising on this beautiful grand piano with rhythms and metres that transcend notation, I will probably always choose the latter!

In jazz, there are no rules such as voice leading BUT...

Sometimes, the BEST JAZZ, does have the following criteria

such as, good voicing. In other words, depending on white kind of tension you have, where each note of the chord is placed. One note can be harmonized in almost 40 different ways.

Secondly, following the likes of Debussy, jazz chords, unlike baroque chords, don't CREATE purpose, in that I leads to II leads to V leads to I

Jazz chords are chosen because, well, they sound good.

Parallel motion is quite common in jazz.

The interesting thing is though, even though there may be conventions in classical and in jazz which APPEAR opposed to one another, the way the ear responds to sound is the same no matter which style you are playing; therefore one can use interesting jazz chords and rhythms AND make your music sound purpose driven and emotional. w00t! sweet, I just found a loophole that allows me to do the outrageous things I do in my own music. I break part writing rules AND I use voicings that supposedly are "wrong" in jazz! but I use the best of both worlds, too! Does that mean I don't have a CLUE what I'm doing---or does it simply mean that I'm being my own man and not following a set of silly rules? =D

I thought Jazz musicians usually know more music theory then classical musicians... they really need to know modes and chords to improvise on...

There have been attempts to notate the improvisations of legendary Jazz pianists from the 20's based on recordings.... but I think it was futile...