Paying tribute to Ella Fitzgerald is almost a priori to the concept of jazz vocalization itself. Her influence spans generations, genres, and instruments. Her voice is the voice of postwar jazz, and, perhaps especially for people of more recent generations, is probably the one that first comes to mind when we think of ‘classics’ or ‘The Great American Songbook’. Jazz violinist Regina Carter likely knew the idea of an Ella tribute wouldn’t be as novel as her previous two albums, but she seized upon the icon’s 100th birthday and took the advice of friends who saw how Fitzgerald’s music had been a constant influence in her musical life and told her, “why not make an album about it?” Approaching Fitzgerald’s work in fresh light, Carter sifted through …show more content…
Gone is the swing constant of Ella’s time: a variety of rhythmic and harmonic patterns are employed to create a sense of timelessness. Yet timelessness not conceived, to use Ralph Ellison’s words, out of time: the violinist says she wanted to utilize “the love of music” to provide an antidote to the negativity and division frontlining our national discourse--a sentiment embodied by the titular track. Originally, Carter says, the project was through-and-through violin-only--concerned with the propensity of vocals to overshadow the violin in the eyes of venue bookers, she wanted to ensure that her playing could stand alone. At the last minute she caved to gut feeling and added vocals to two tracks, but performs frequently without them, as she did in this concert. “Ella saw her voice as another instrument,” she notes, and conversely, “I see the violin as a voice.” So much is apparent in her playing. Her sound is utterly distinct: smoother than caramel and surer than day, yet alive with an honest …show more content…
The performance in Palmer on the 7th, which took form as a quintet, highlighted not only these qualities in her playing but also the spontaneity of her live persona. She effortlessly wove in and out of her vocal role, at some points improvising, at others, feeling her way about the stage by way of the music, giving her band a wide berth to bring out what they wanted while they took the melody themselves. Nothing felt regurgitated or tired, and all on stage seemed to genuinely enjoy their time intensely, acutely attuned to their contribution to the whole, engaging the listener in a seemingly spontaneous, conversational narrative. Marvin Sewell on guitar, Ed Howard on upright bass and Xavier Davis, playing masterfully the trifecta of keyboard, organ and piano, all took generous solos, but never crossed the line into
Dolores Stewart Riccio is an American author that writes cookbooks, poems, and novels in the mystery and thriller genres. Born in Boston and brought in New England most of the settings of her Circle of Five series of noels are set in Pembroke, Massachusetts where she grew up. She was married to Ottone Riccio an author, teacher, and poet best known for the Intimate Art of Writing Poetry. From that first marriage she had two children son, Charles Sundance Anderson and daughter Lucy-Marie Sanel both of whom deem themselves among the Penobscots of Maine. Dolores is Scotch-Irish though she held a traditional Penobscot funeral on Indian Island on Old Town, Maine for her son when she died in 2007. For her cookbooks, she has always preferred to use her married name Dolores Riccio as she credits her Native American husband who was insistent that she try many experimental dishes. Conversely, she uses her maiden name of Dolores Stewart when she is writing her poetry. Not one to abandon either of her heritage or past life she decided to use both of her names when she pivoted to the writing of fiction novels. She has recently moved back to Pinehills in Plymouth the small town that she had always adored growing up as a child in nearby Pembroke. She lives at the Avalon Apartments a pleasant and peaceful apartment complex in town, where
January of 1933 the Nazis came to rule of Germany. Nazis believed that Germans were racially superior and seen Jews as a threat to their German racial community. Due to this reason, the Nazis created the Holocaust. The Holocaust is known as a time in history when Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis and his collaborators killed to about six million Jews, through Genocide, Ethnic cleansing, deportation, and mass murder. But the point of this story is to tell the story of a young woman who I had the privilege to meet by the name of Anna Seelfreud Grosz who survived this tragic time in history.
Josephine Baker was an exceptional woman who never depended on a man. She never hesitated to leave a man when she felt good and ready. In her lifetime she accomplished many great things. She adopted 12 children, served France during World War II, and was an honorable correspondent for the French Resistance. She fought against fascism in Europe during World War II and racism in the United States. She grew up poor and left home at an early age and worked her way onto the stage. Baker was more popular in France than in the states. Audiences in America were racist towards Baker and that’s when she vowed she wouldn’t perform in a place that wasn’t integrated.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of famous author F. Scott Fitzgerald, lived an extravagant life. Her life may not have been well known in the same way that her husbands was, but many people still knew of her nonetheless. Fitzgerald was born on July 24, 1900 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her family was rather well known throughout the government. Fitzgerald’s father, Anthony Dickinson Sayre, served on the Supreme Court of Alabama. Zelda’s great-uncle and grandfather served in the United States Senate. Her mother was Minnie Buckner Machen Sayre. Fitzgerald was the youngest among her five siblings. During her adolescence, she was a dancer. She also challenged the normal things a teenage girl her age would do by drinking, smoking, and socializing with boys. She
Throughout history, and even today, music has shaped America’s culture, society, and even politics. One of the most outstanding and enduring musical movement has been from African American artists, ranging from bebop to jazz to hip-hop to rap. During the 1920’s , jazz artists stepped into the limelight and began their impact on American and even world history. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential leaders during the Harlem Renaissance and his jazz legacy and impact of American history is everlasting. A master of his craft, Armstrong and his music heavily influenced America’s white and black populations from the 1920’s and up until his death.
Music is magical: it soothes you when you are upset and cheers you up when you are down. To me, it is a communication with souls. I listen to different genres of music. When appreciating each form of music, with its unique rhythm and melody, I expect to differentiate each other by the feelings and emotions that it brings to me. However, I would definitely never call myself “a fan of jazz” until I witnessed Cécile McLorin Salvant’s performance last Friday at Mondavi Center. Through the interpretations and illustrations from Cécile’s performance, I realized that the cultural significance and individual identity are the building blocks of jazz music that create its unique musical features and support its development.
To commerate Black History Month, I have decided to do reasearch on an exceptionally talented musician Ella Fitzgerald. She was essentially the Aretha Franklin of the Jazz Age. She was an incredibly talented jazz singer who was considered the best by almost everyone. The reason she’s been chosen as today’s Black History Month is because she holds the distinction of being the first Grammy Award Winner who was both Black and female. Ella Fitzgerald had an everlasting impact on, not only how jazz music sounded, but also who performed it. When looking at a compulsive life as Ella’s, I was inspired by the huge impact she brought throught out music; especially jazz.
Music nurtured the African American tradition and their struggle towards equality in the same century.... ... middle of paper ... ... Greensboro, N.C.: Morgan Reynolds Pub. Carter, D. (2009).
Amy Beach was a very famous and influential composer and pianist from New Hampshire, United States. She fought long and hard to get to where she got in her lifetime. Back in the late 1800’s, it was hard for women to get noticed because they believe that their role in society was to stay at home and take care of the family. Amy Beach defeated all the odds of a female gender role in her lifetime. She became a role model for young girls wanting to become a composer or becoming anything they wanted to be, as long as they fought for it. She has made an enormous impact on music in America. The following paper will discuss Beach’s life, her struggles, her musical training, how her music was shaped by the society she lived in and famous compositions
Carringer, Robert L.. The Jazz singer. Madison: Published for the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research by the University of Wisconsin Press, 1979. Print.
Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday were both prominent jazz singer-songwriters during the same time and masters in their own right, but their worlds could not have been further apart. In 1939, while they were both in the midst of experiencing mainstream success, Ella was touring with Ella and her Famous Orchestra and showcasing her perfect pitch and tone to the world while singing songs that would soon become standards to fellow singers and musicians. Billie was singing solo, comfortable with her limited range, and gaining the adoration of audiences nationwide who loved her soulful voice. Both of these historic singers made contributions to the art of jazz, with vocalists and instrumentalists still using elements of their style today. Ella
Music’s role on society has changed drastically through the course of its history as it has become ever so increasingly expansive. Many of the previous musical movements were only for the wealthy as entertainment
If you ask the average young adult what comes to mind when they hear the term “music” they are likely to respond with a fresh singer, band, or genre of “pop” music. Often times society places their opinion of classical music and popular music on completely different wavelengths of importance in the world. The modern perception of classical vs. popular music has led to a heavily decreasing audience for classical groups and performances, a desire for repetitive and simple melodies, and a negative stigma against classical music’s importance.
Music often carries information about community knowledge, aesthetics, or perspectives. Toni Morrison discusses the power of music and the way it functions in culture in discussions of her craft. Symbolic and structural elements of music appear throughout all of Toni Morrison’s fiction in one way or another. (Obadike) As mentioned above, the title itself, draws attention to the world-renowned music created by African Americans in the 1920s’ as well as to the book’s jazz-like narrative structure and themes.