One of America’s musical styles has become one of the major music genres worldwide and it is jazz music. The genre was developed around the late 1800s to the early 1900s, and originated from African Americans in New Orleans and Louisiana (Issitt 1). Within Jazz there are many different categories such as Dixieland, swing, cool jazz, hard bop, jazz-rock, fusion, and many more (Philipp 3). In addition, “Jazz as a whole is frequently regarded as one of the United States’ greatest cultural achievements” (Issitt 2). However, Jazz was not only a source of entertainment, or a great accomplishment, but also a reliever of pain; and it encouraged people to explore deep into their minds and the world around them. Before all else, Jazz has two central …show more content…
Blues is an African American folk music that arose from rural slaves as they worked on the fields. In the early development of blues, the music used call-and response patterns, repetitive melodies, and lyrics that “reflected the realities of life among African American communities” (3). The different chord progressions and musical innovations of blues were important aspects of the development of jazz. Blues notes, which were unexpected tonal shifts, were used in jazz to create an emphasis for mood and emotions (3). As jazz continued to grow, few musicians increased the popularity for jazz music. In fact, one of the first jazz musicians was Bunny Bolden. Bolden was in a band that became famous for their unique music blend. In their music they combined blues, minstrel, ragtime, and other elements in groundbreaking ways (3). As a result, swing, which uses rhythmic techniques to give the music a sense of movement, was created from Bolden’s music. At the same time Dixieland, one of the earliest forms of jazz, was invented …show more content…
The narrator listens to blues and visions of memories come into mind. Also one of Louis Armstrong’s lyrics stand out in his mind, which was “What did I do to be so black and blue?” (Ellison 12). This disturbs the narrator and he claims the music demands he take action. Another character in the book went to music for help subconsciously. Trueblood, a man who” accidently” made his daughter pregnant felt a slight amount of guilt and he says, “I looks up and sees the stars and I starts singin’ . . . all I know is I ends up singin’ the blues” (Ellison 66). Music was a way African Americans found comfort and took feelings and made them into positive energy to keep them at peace and that is what Trueblood
Jazz music of the 1940’s and 1950’s was defined by a history of change since its beginning at the dawn of the 20th century. Almost every decade brought a new flavor to the movement, and by the 1940’s jazz had developed into a mature, complex form of music, with many nuances and avenues for continued change. It is important to trace the early movements in jazz to better understand the innovations of the Bebop and Cool jazz eras of the 40’s and 50’s.
Blues has played an extreme role in todays’ music. The music genre of blues, helps us express ourselves in which you can feel it from the ubiquitous in the jazz to the blues scale and the specific chord progressions. To start off, the blues is musically originated by African Americans in the deep South of the United States. Growing up in a southern household, I was used to listening to a variety music, but blues was always most listened to. Every time I listen to blues, the lyrics often deal with personal adversity, and it goes far beyond pity.
Perhaps the blues was representation of optimism and faith for the entire city of Harlem and all of African-American descent. Music is portrayed fluently and abundantly throughout the entire story of “Sonny’s Blues”. Despite the fact that Sonny frequently plays the piano, there is always a juke box playing, the “humming an old church song”, a “jangling beat of a tambourine”, a tune being whistled, or a revival meeting with the singing of religious words (Baldwin 293-307). The repetition of music in the short story is a realistic portrayal of how regular the blues, musically and emotionally, was present in an African-American’s life during the era of racial discrimination. Flibbert explains that the rooted, burdensome emotion felt by African Americans is difficult to put to words, other than describing it as the blues. He best defines the blues as “a mental and emotional state arising from recognition of limitation imposed-in the case of African-Americans-by racial barriers to the community” (Flibbert). Though a definite definition exists, the blues cannot simply be construed. To cope with this unexplainable feeling of blue, the African-American folk genre of jazz music was created. Finally, the blues was something African-Americans owned and that the white man could not strip them of. Though music appears to show up at the most troublesome times in “Sonny’s Blues”, it brings along “a glimmer of life within the
Musicologists have dated the ‘birth’ of blues to be around 1890 as a West African tradition involving blue indigo in which mourners at ceremonies would wear blue dyed attires to resemble their suffering . Although, blues derived from times of slavery, the Prohibition Era (1920’s), World War Two (1939-1945), and during the Vietnam War (predominantly 1960’s to 1970’s), it has been a continuously evolved form of music in America, in which the similarities have always remained; melancholy and protest.
This essay, as the title suggests, will be about the origins of jazz music. Starting from the roots when African slaves arrived in North America, they helped the development and the emergence of early jazz a great deal. It is also important to not forget the significance of the Congo Square which kept the music alive in New Orleans, never letting it die out. Then, continuing on with the slavery theme, the essay will talk about why and how jazz music appeared in its widely considered birth place, New Orleans. Also, as early jazz developed into different styles, the text will mainly be focusing on its two most prominent ancestors: ragtime and blues. Additionally, jazz would not exist as it is known today without the assistance of some of the
Others do not explore the significance of how blues music relates to the commonly-agreed-upon basic themes of individualism and alienation. The chief value of living with music lies in its power to give us an orientation in time. In doing so, it gives connotation to all those indefinable aspects of experience, which nevertheless helps us make what we are. Works Cited • http://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/marie.dybala/engl-1302/research-paper-assignments-and-documents/baldwin-articles-on-sonnys-blues/Sherard%20Sonnys%20Bebop.pdfhttp://cai.ucdavis.edu/uccp/sblecture.html#bebop • http://wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/1321/1353476/essays/jbgioia.htmlhttp://cai.ucdavis.edu/uccp/sonnylinks.html • http://introduction-to-literature.wikispaces.com/Baldwin+and+Sonny's+Blues http://davinci.choate.edu/dloeb/webpages/SummerSchool/sonny'sblues.htm http://www.marinaskendzic.com/essayscriticalpieces/baldwinssonnysblues.html • http://www.jstor.org/pss/2901246
According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is “fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit” (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a “wideawake, forward-tending” rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).
Swing Jazz, a subgenre of Jazz, was an unprecedented sound that has skillfully created an effect on the way we live today. In an article from a devoted Jazz website, Just the Swing, it is presented how Jazz was “revolutionary in its time period.” This is shown through how it was the first outlet that expanded into African American culture after desegregation was officiated. A corroboration within this statement is shown on Swingmusic.net’s : The History of Jazz Music Part II. This article adds to the idea of desegregation but concludes the idea of the “eclipsing” nature is what led to its success.
Jazz, considered an American music, took root in New Orleans and spread throughout the nation and world, with the it’s influence shown in the modern era. In a television is aired, other music is played, or a cartoon is shown, Jazz has instrumented a key role in the forming of American Culture. Jazz contains many qualities that distinguish it from other groups, the origin influences, the qualities, and the lasting impact Jazz has left on the modern world.
Imagine you are walking the streets of New Orleans. You are standing right where jazz was established in the United States of America. Jazz wasn’t just about music, it also affected the culture involving social, economic, artistic and jazz leaders.
For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives.
Early jazz or Dixieland developed in the 20th century. Early Jazz influences are ragtime, the blues, gospel music, and military brass bands. The main feature of Dixieland jazz is collective improvisation, or each musician taking a solo in turn and improvising at the same time. Majority of Dixieland jazz musicians were African American. Early Dixieland bands were small original marching bands. In the early 1920s jazz music evolved into an important part of American popular culture. Although, African Americans were faced with discrimination, racism, and segregation they found comfort in jazz music. Jelly-Roll Morton, also known as, Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe, was an important jazz musician of early jazz. Morton wrote the first published jazz composition
Now a days, many believe that jazz is not that important of music genre, but with our history, jazz plays a big role. “Jazz does not belong to one race or culture, but it is a gift that America has given to the world.”, quoted by Ahmad Alaadeen. Jazz in the 1920’s opened the eyes of whites and invited them into African American culture; it evolved Americans to where we are today since it brought a change to the music scene, an acceptance of African Americans, and a change of lifestyles.
Jazz is the best-known artistic creation of the Harlem Renaissance. “Jazz is the only pure American creation, which shortly after its birth, became America’s most important cultural export”(Ostendorf, 165). It evolved from the blues. In the formally standardized, instrumentally accompanied form of “city blues”(as opposed to the formally unstandardized and earlier “country blues”), the blues was to become one of the two major foundations of 1920s jazz (the other being rags). City blues tended to be strophic songs with a text typically based on two-line strophes (but with the first line of each strophe’s text repeated, AAB) and a standard succession of harmonies underlying each strophe’s melody.... ...
The blues is one of the core elements of American popular music. Samuel Floyd wrote the book —(“the power of black music interpreting its history from Africa to the united states”) . He observed “ the blue be basic to most forms of black music , and it be the most prominent factor in maintaining continuity between most of them”. It greatly influenced Jazz, rock ,R&B, gospel, zydeco and country,among other style. They are steeped in the blues. Blues music is the African American in the hardships of life to create the music style. It originated in the Mississippi River. There are many characteristics of blues: Repeated 12 - bar form(formed the basis of most rockin singing style); Blue notes; Bending pitches and sliding between notes; Call and response; AAB lyric pattern and rhyme scheme. Much of American popular music retains