Jazz at the Philharmonic

Jazz at the Philharmonic was a concert and touring series founded by Norman Granz in 1944. It presented jazz musicians in large venues and helped popularize the jam-session format.

Norman Granz: Norman Granz was an American jazz impresario and producer who founded Jazz at the Philharmonic. He created the series in 1944 and shaped its booking, production, and presentation.
Jam session: A jam session is an informal musical gathering in which performers improvise on shared material. The series adapted the jam session’s spontaneous exchanges for a staged concert.
Charlie Parker: Charlie Parker was an American alto saxophonist and composer who helped establish bebop. His virtuosic improvisation made him one of the series’ defining soloists.
Jazz festivals: A jazz festival is a public event presenting jazz performances, often across multiple concerts or days. The series anticipated the large-scale touring and star-centered programming of later jazz festivals.
Los Angeles: Los Angeles is a city in Southern California with a major role in twentieth-century American jazz. Granz launched the series there, drawing on the city's jazz scene and concert venues.
Jazz improvisation: Jazz improvisation is the spontaneous creation of musical phrases within a performance. Extended solos and exchanges supplied the concerts’ central drama.
Dizzy Gillespie: Dizzy Gillespie was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer central to bebop. His trumpet and comic stage presence enlivened the series’ high-energy performances.
Verve Records: Verve Records is an American record label founded by Norman Granz in 1956. Granz used the label to release recordings by artists associated with his concert ventures.
Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts: Jazz at the Philharmonic concerts were touring performances featuring rotating groups of jazz soloists. The series began with a 1944 Los Angeles concert before expanding into national tours.
Jazz big band: A jazz big band is a large ensemble organized into sections of saxophones, brass, and rhythm instruments. Some performances used large ensembles to accompany and frame featured soloists.

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