Charlie Christian (1916-1942) was the pioneer of the modern jazz guitar style and was the first major soloist on the electric guitar. In his hands the electric guitar became a distinct solo voice; equivalent of the saxophone, trumpet and clarinet, also capable of the same levels of expressiveness and intensity while playing in a jazz ensemble. Before Christian guitarists were un-amplified acoustic musicians who were relegated to strict rhythm-guitar roles in an ensemble. His efforts and genius with the electric guitar resulted in freeing the instrument in jazz bands specifically and in many other forms of music. Following Christian's initial appearance and short career, a school of want to be like Charlie emerged and spread his influence …show more content…
Charlie's father, Clarence played trumpet in a silent movie theatre, while his mother, Willie Mae, accompanied him on the piano. He had two older brothers, Edward and Clarence. Both were also musically inclined but not as much as Charlie. In 1918, the Christian family moved from the Dallas area to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. There, during the early 1920s, Charlie attended elementary school. It was around this time, Charlie Christian took informal guitar lessons from his father, but dropped the instrument after the death of his father in 1926. A couple of years later he briefly took to playing the trumpet in the school band. It’s unknown why but Charlie's interest in the guitar was revived in 1928, around this same time Charlie took a keen interest in tenor saxophonist Lester Young after his arrival in Kansas City. It is known that Lester was a main influence on Charlies linear style solo approach on the guitar. Christian was known to scat sing Lesters solos note for note. Charlie Christian's first public performance as a guitarist was in 1930 at the age of 14 when he sat in with the Don Redman Orchestra at Honey Murphy's Club in Oklahoma City. There he took solos on "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Tea For Two," and "Rose Room" most likely holding his acoustic guitar up to a microphone as to be heard over the rest of the
As ancient Rome began to fall, Christianity began rising. Around 2,000 years ago, Jesus of Nazareth was born, later to be known as the Messiah or Son of God. When people of the Roman era began to hear of such a powerful being, they began to convert to Christianity. Why did Christianity take hold on the ancient world; Christianity took hold on the ancient world because it offered immortality, equality, and it was spread like wildfire.
In all, Chuck Mangione was an influential and popular musician/soloist in Jazz. He wrote and played incredible music and won many awards. He had great jazz idols and even played his own type of jazz. He made jazz-pop an even more popular genre. All in all, Chuck Mangione is a truly incredible musician.
He also was known to influences experimental new music and electronic music. Although he spent a good part of his life in the recording studio, he also performed live. In addition to being one of the greatest vocalists in the 1950s, Holly played guitar, a variety of percussion instruments, and electric bass. Although Holly’s music career was short lived, the amount of music he produced is very impressive. As a songwriter, he is famous for developing his own material. It is in his songs and his band, The Crickets, that we truly see Buddy Holly’s unique musical personality. Holly also appeared to be a vocalist and instrumentalist, playing bass and guitar on almost all his songs. “Buddy Holly played rock and roll for only a few short years, but the wea...
Not only that, he played for great stars like Ike and Tina Turner as well as Sam Cooke. The year 1965 was when things really started to take flight for Hendrix’s music career. He played for more bands and artists such as Joey Dee. Hendrix played for the Starlighters at the time as well. During the next three years, Hendrix played for many major music artists and decided to make his own band he named Jimmy James And The Blue Flames. One day, while performing, former bassist of the band The Animals, Chas Chandler watched him and offered to be his manager in mid 1966 (Rockhall).
Charles Cullen was born on February 22, 1960, in West Orange, New Jersey. He was the youngest of eight siblings. His father worked as a bus driver, and died at age 58 when Cullen was only seven months old. Two of his siblings also died in adulthood. His mother was a stay at home mom who raised the eight children. Charles Cullen described his life as miserable, he attempted suicide at age nine by drinking chemicals he got out of a chemistry set, he attempted suicide a total of twenty times throughout his life. On December 6, 1977, when Cullen was 17 years old his mother died in a car accident, while his sister was behind the wheel. After this accident, Charles Cullen was devastated and decided to drop out of high school and join the Navy. Cullen
The first instrument Robert played was the harmonica. Robert quit school as a teen and started working in the cotton fields. Robert left that life to travel and play his music. He began to play the guitar around the age of fifteen. Famous blues men; Charlie Patton and Willie Brown influenced Johnson when he was young. At age 17, Robert married Virginia Travis. She and their first baby died during childbirth. Johnson then went on the road. Robert traveled all over the Midwest and all the way down to Mississippi and Arkansas. He married Calletta Craft during his travels. She died only a few years later while Robert was on the road.
“Louis Armstrong charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music.” “Louis Armstrong received music lessons on the coronet while he was in jail and from there on he loved music.” Joe Oliver started mentoring Armstrong and showing him pointers on the horn and would occasional, using him as a sub when he was out and could not play in the band. In 1918 Armstrong replaced Oliver in “Kid Ory’s Band,” the most popular band in New Orleans. Armstrong was able to stop working manual labor jobs and began playing at parties, dances, funerals marches, and honky-tonks. Louis Armstrong started his summer playing on riverboats with a band by Fate Marble. Armstrong made his first recorded on April 5, 1923. Armstrong began playing with is wife’s band in 1925. “Armstrong created more than 60 records in 1925 to 1928 with the Hot Five.” Armstrong started playing the trumpet in 1926. Armstrong made his first tour of England in 1932. Armstrong went on his second tour to Europe in 1933. Armstrong was the first African American jazz musician in 1936.Armstrong Joined Columbia Records in the 1950s (“Louis Armstrong
Jimi loved blues and rock and roll and when he was sixteen Jimi got his first acoustic guitar and taught himself how to play. Shortly after, he began performing with his band called the Rocking Kings. Jimi is today acknowledged as a musical intellectual. He is highly recognized for his precision and speed while playing his music.
Art Menius said, “The African-American music of the rural south provided the source for gospel, jazz, and blues, while the often ignored black contribution to country music and hillbilly music went far beyond providing the banjo and Charley Pride.” In 1928, A.P. Carter, the patriarch of the legendary Carter Family, the first family of country music, met a blues guitarist by the name of Lesley “Esley” Riddle. Lesley Riddle had created a unique picking and sliding technique on the guitar while he was recovering from an accident on the job. The Carter Family was looking for a new sound of music, and they were so overwhelmed by the sound that Lesley produced, they wanted him to teach them how to play that way. Lesley Riddle influenced Maybelle Carter’s style of guitar playing called the “Carter Scratch,” which became legendary. According to birthplaceofcountrymusic.org, Riddle’s influe...
Born in Alton, Illinois, Miles Davis grew up in a middle-class family in East St. Louis. Miles Davis took up the trumpet at the age of 13 and was playing professionally two years later. Some of his first gigs included performances with his high school bandand playing with Eddie Randall and the blue Devils. Miles Davis has said that the greatest musical experience of his life was hearing the Billy Eckstine orchestra when it passed through St. Louis. In September 1944 Davis went to New York to study at Juilliard but spend much more time hanging out on 52nd Street and eventually dropped out of school. He moved from his home in East St. Louis to New York primarily to enter school but also to locate his musical idol, Charlie Parker. He played with Parker live and in recordings from the period of 1945 to 1948. Davis began leading his own group in 1948 as well as working with arranger Gil Evans. Davis’ career was briefly interrupted by a heroin addiction, although he continued to record with other popular bop musicians.
Music was always a long-time love for Johnson. Although Johnson did not appear to bear the gift of a talented guitar musician, the legendary Eddie "Son" House taught him to play when he was a teenager. House taught Johnson not only the basics of blues guitar but many other things that Johnson would use throughout his career. House became a role model for Johnson and he encouraged Johnson to take his music seriously and to achieve his dream of becoming a professional musician.
Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901 to Mayanne and William Armstrong. His father abandoned his family during Louis' infancy. Louis spent the first years of his life with his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong. After age five, Louis moved back with his mother and his sister, "Mama Lucy." The family was forced to live in stark poverty. Louis got into some trouble when he was just 12 years old and was placed in the Waif's Home for Boys. It was there that he first received musical instruction and learned to play the coronet. He was released from the Waif's Home in June of 1914. He worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. Joe Oliver, one of the finest trumpet players in New Orleans, was Louis' music teacher and mentor. Louis married Daisy Parker, a prostitute from Gretna, Louisiana in 1918. He joined the Kid Ory Band after Joe Oliver moved to Chicago. In 1922, Louis moved to Chicago to play in the band Joe Oliver's band, " King Oliver." It was there where he separated from his wife, Daisy. He made his first recording with the band in one year later in Richmond, Indiana. He later married Lil Hardin, a pianist in the King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. He moved to New York City in 1924 to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom. During that time he also did dozens of recording sessions with numerous Blues singers including Bessie Smith's 1925 classic recording of "St. Louis Blues." He also recorded with Clarence Williams and the Red Onion Jazz Babies.
Looking for a new sound, he started to work with the arranger Gil Evans, and this cooperation gave birth to a new wave of “cool jazz”. Later, this genre called West Coast cool jazz brought many other new sub-genres. During the same year, Miles formed his own band with a nine members in it where he combined in addition to himself a trombone, a baritone saxophone, an alto saxophone a tuba, and a French horn. At that time, the band included such musicians as John Lewis, Kenny Clarke, Kai Winding, Gerry Mulligan, Lee Konitz and J. J. Johnson. All of them have brought into music relaxing notes.
Constance Meyer states in the Los Angeles Times, “It [the saxophone] was invented in the 1840s by the Belgian Adolphe Sax for military bands and orchestral use.” Although the saxophone is still used in orchestras and military bands, today most people associate the saxophone with jazz music. The saxophone is one of the many symbols of jazz and has become popular through jazz. Players such as Charlie Parker and John Coltrane became famous playing jazz music on the saxophone. Saxophones are used in many types of music because they produce a sound that goes well with other instruments and can be played with any style of music. Saxophonist and composer Tommy Smith states in his own words the extent of a saxophone’s musical range. “The saxophone's sonic possibilities are limitless, like an aural kaleidoscope. Its sound inspires sensuality but it but [sic] can rock out and scream with anger and frustration.”
The first country blues that was written and published was "Memphis Blues" by W.C. Handy in the early 1900's. The first recorded blues was " Crazy Blues" by Mamie Smith in 1915. Most country blues were played with an acoustic guitar and with someone singing. It also has a definite call and response between the voice and guitar.