Im trying to find examples of all the different types of jazz, such as boogie, swing, big band, trad jazz, modern jazz, etc =) For my listenning exam, what instruments should I listen out for as a clue in each type of jazz? My music teacher said saxophones suggest mod jazz, because they are newer instrument. Thankyou
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You'll hear saxophones in all the styles you've quoted except for trad jazz - listen for the clarinet there.

Listening for different instruments isn't really the way to identify different types of jazz - it's more about the feel, the rhythm, the harmonic structure etc. I'm not really sure how to describe, but I'll have a go at giving some examples

Boogie woogie - this is Jools Holland style

Swing / Big Band, I think of these as pretty much the same. Big Band is the sort of instrumentation behind, say, Frank Sinatra or Robbie Williams when he did his "Swing While You're Winning" stuff. I guess if Swing is different it would be a similar sound with less instrumentation if that makes sense. The Doo-bie Doo-bie sound with the accent on "Bie".

Swing tends to be a slower speed than Bebop. You haven't listed Bebop, but that's usually fast, with off-beats accented, and listen for the Bebop sound at the end of phrases. Phrases will often end on the 1 or 3 of the bar.

Modern jazz could mean many different things. I would say try and listen for more space and possibly more unusual harmonies, the things you're ears aren't so used to hearing.

Hopefully, in the exam, the pieces you listen to will be fairly clear examples of the different styles

thanks for your help, that was very useful

They were great examples! I might elabourate a little more, if that is OK! You should really try to listen to examples of the music of the names that I mention - it will really help!

Swing or Bigband music was the pop music of the 30's (roughly) - the time of the great depression. People would go to dances where big bands would play catchy number and hot swing for dancers to jitterbug the night away. Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, among many others, are well known during the swing era. Typically, this piece will be in a medium (dancing) tempo with a strong horn section made up of Trumpets, Saxophones and Trombones as well as the rhythm section of guitar, piano, bass and drums. The guitar usually is a good give-away as they strummed four times in each bar - on every beat, as a good rhythmic drive behind the band. Swing also featured 'call and response' between the different instruments in the band - usually the trumpets would play a phrase or melody, which would be answered, or even copied, by the trumbones or saxes. Don't assume that there was always a singer out the front of the band - I am thinking of Banny GOodman's band and their famous hit 'Sing,Sing,Sing' which is a GREAT example of swing music! lol

Bebop (late 1940's) came about for many reasons. Some say it was a reaction to Swing music - some musicians disliked the mainstream-ness of swing, and so developed a new style of playing that would force people to listen to their 'art-music' rather than dance to it. Some also say that because of the depression and world war 2, it was too expensive to pay for the 20 musicians in a big band at venues, let alone if the band was good enough to tour around to different towns. Bebop developed during a time when there was a recording ban because there was no union for the rights of recording artists etc. This meant that once the ban was lifted and bebop was recorded, it hit the public with such a force that many people couldnt understand where it had come from and could not see how it had developed logically out of the lilting catchiness of swing. Bebop was fast, hot, virtuosic and challenging. Bands were made up of a smaller group of instrumentalists - usually a quartet or quintet (piano, bass, drums, trumpet, sax). The melodies are very quirky, chromatic and full of rhythmic kicks - the word 'bebop' sounds like the rhythm which is found in many of the melodic and solo ideas used in this type of music. Usually the soloist is playing many long phrases that are made up of quavers (eighth notes) based off the chords and scales of the songs, rather than just the KEY of the song, which was often the case in Swing music. Bebop was best played by Charlie Parker and his band, and the song which features the 'bebop' rhythm best is 'Groovin' High' - so go and check that one out.

Out of bebop came 'Hard Bop', 'Cool', 'Latin' and 'Fusion' eras (among a million others), which are said to have been reactions to Bebop (which was a reaction to swing....). basically this is when you start to check out every single record of Miles Davis - because he was usually at the forefront of these style changes and developments throughout the decades. We are still in many of these 'eras' today, although they go in and out of fashion every couple of years. I dont think fusion has come back yet, though! That was during the 80's (i think??)

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed my little shpeals on the history of jazz, and that you at least have an idea of who to listen to, to develop your aural understanding of the different styles of jazz.