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| Stride | |
|---|---|
 Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904–1943), a student ofJames P. Johnson, was an important contributor to the stride piano style. | |
| Stylistic origins | Jazz Ragtime |
| Cultural origins | 1920s[not verified in body] |
| Derivative forms | Kansas City jazz |
Stride jazz piano, often shortened tostride, is ajazz piano style that arose fromragtime players. Prominent stride pianists includeJames P. Johnson,Willie "the Lion" Smith,Fats Waller,Luckey Roberts, andMary Lou Williams.
Stride employed left hand techniques from ragtime, wider use of the piano's range, and quick tempos.[1] Compositions were written but were also intended to be improvised.[1]
The term "stride" comes from the idea of the pianist's left hand leaping, or "striding", across the piano.[2] The left hand characteristically plays a four-beatpulse with a singlebass note (or anoctave,major seventh,minor seventh ormajor tenthinterval) on the first and thirdbeats, and achord on the second and fourth beats. Occasionally this pattern is reversed by placing the chord on thedownbeat and bass notes on the upbeat. Compared to the ragtime style popularized byScott Joplin, stride players' left hands travel greater distances on the keyboard.[3]
Stride piano is highlyrhythmic because of the alternating bass note and chord action of the left hand while the right hand playssyncopatedmelody lines withharmonic andriffembellishments andfill patterns. Proper playing of stride jazz involves a subtle rhythmic tension between the left hand which is close to the established tempo, and the right hand, which is often slightly anticipatory.
Unlike ragtime pianists, stride pianists were not concerned with ragtime form and playedpop songs of the day in the stride style. Ragtime was composed, but many stride pianists improvised. Some stride players didn't read music. Stride usedtension and release anddynamics. Stride can be played at all tempos, slow or fast depending on the underlyingcomposition and treatment the pianist is performing. On occasion a stride jazz pianist might have the left hand shift into double time.
Some pianists have transcribed display pieces note for note from early recordings.[4] However, this practice only illustrates a small part of stride jazz musical adventures.
James P. Johnson (1894–1955), known as the "Father of Stride", created this style of jazz piano along with fellow pianistsWillie "The Lion" Smith (1893–1973),Thomas "Fats" Waller (1904–1943) andLuckey Roberts (1887–1968). One of Johnson's contributions was to recast the "straight" feeling of ragtime with a more modern, swinging beat, sophisticated harmonies and dynamics.[5] He discovered and employed thetenth or "broken tenth" interval. The pianist could not only substitute tenths for single bass notes but could also play broken (staggered) tenths up and down the keyboard[6]
Stride pianistArt Tatum (1909–1956) (a fan of Fats Waller andLee Sims, who was himself a fan of the European "Impressionist" pianists such asClaude Debussy andErik Satie, and hosted a radio program Tatum enjoyed) introduced more complex harmonies into his playing, and, like Fats Waller, would start songs withlegato explorations of chordal intricacies before launching into swing. Tatum was given a posthumous Grammy Award in 1974.[4]
Stride pianists used devices such asarpeggios, black note slide-offs, varying rhythmic accents, and tension and release.
Stride pianists engaged in marathoncutting contests to show off their skills.[7]
Other stride jazz pianists of the 20th century includedClarence Profit,Johnny Guarnieri,Mary Lou Williams,Cliff Jackson,Hank Duncan,Pat Flowers,Don Ewell,Joe Turner,Claude Hopkins,Ralph Sutton,Dick Wellstood,Dick Hyman, andJudy Carmichael. Others such asDuke Ellington,Thelonious Monk, andJaki Byard developed the style for their own ends.
Other prominent stride jazz pianists areButch Thompson,Mike Lipskin, Bernd Lhotzky,[8]Louis Mazetier, Rossano Sportiello[9] andStephanie Trick, who perform internationally. Japanese pianistHiromi Uehara's solo concerts often include stride-based pieces.
Mrs Mills used a stride technique for her many sing-along and party tunes.[10]
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