Jazz Music
Jazz is often considered to be a uniquely African American contribution to music. Its origins can be traced back to African slave rhythms that survived on Southern plantations. The music evolved into jazz in New Orleans and Louisiana, where black musicians were hired to entertain at brothels and nightclubs. As African Americans began migrating North during the Great Migration of the 1920s, jazz spread to large urban areas, like St. Louis, Chicago and New York.
Jazz quickly became the popular music of the day and strongly influenced white culture to the point in the 1920's that is often referred to as the "Jazz Age." Jazz had an enormous impact on race relations in the United States; white patrons would venture to the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, New York, and other jazz clubs to hear black jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and King Oliver. Some jazz bands were evenly integrated; however, audiences tended to remain segregated.
As jazz became more popular, some people saw it as a threat to white culture and denounced it as not being sophisticated enough to be considered music. The mainstream press tended to publish articles degrading jazz or focus on white jazz musicians and completely ignore such jazz greats as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and "Jelly Roll" Morton. As jazz grew in popularity, it evolved into different forms, such as blues and swing. By the end of the 1920s, jazz was an unstoppable force that would transform music for decades to come. DB
Jazz quickly became the popular music of the day and strongly influenced white culture to the point in the 1920's that is often referred to as the "Jazz Age." Jazz had an enormous impact on race relations in the United States; white patrons would venture to the Lenox Lounge in Harlem, New York, and other jazz clubs to hear black jazz musicians like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and King Oliver. Some jazz bands were evenly integrated; however, audiences tended to remain segregated.
As jazz became more popular, some people saw it as a threat to white culture and denounced it as not being sophisticated enough to be considered music. The mainstream press tended to publish articles degrading jazz or focus on white jazz musicians and completely ignore such jazz greats as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and "Jelly Roll" Morton. As jazz grew in popularity, it evolved into different forms, such as blues and swing. By the end of the 1920s, jazz was an unstoppable force that would transform music for decades to come. DB
Duke Ellington-Take the A Train
Duke Ellington Born on April 29, 1899, Duke Ellington was raised by two talented, musical parents in a middle-class neighborhood of Washington DC. At the age of 7, he began studying piano and earned the nickname "Duke" for his gentlemanly ways. Inspired by his job as a soda jerk, he wrote his first composition, "Soda Fountain Rag," at the age of 15. Despite being awarded an art scholarship to the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Ellington followed his passion for ragtime and began to play professionally at age 17.
In the 1920s, Ellington performed in Broadway nightclubs as the bandleader of a sextet, a group which in time grew to a 10-piece ensemble. Ellington made hundreds of recordings with his bands, appeared in films and on radio, and toured Europe on two occasions in the 1930s. Ellington's fame rose to the rafters in the 1940s when he composed several masterworks, including "Concerto for Cootie," "Cotton Tail" and "Ko-Ko." Some of his most popular songs included "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing," "Sophisticated Lady," "Prelude to a Kiss," "Solitude," and "Satin Doll." It was Ellington's sense of musical drama that made him stand out. His blend of melodies, rhythms and subtle sonic movements gave audiences a new experience. Ellington earned 12 Grammy awards from 1959 to 2000, nine while he was alive. On May 24, 1974, at the age of 75, Duke Ellington died of lung cancer and pneumonia. His last words were, "Music is how I live, why I live and how I will be remembered." More than 12,000 people attended his funeral. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York City. |
Louis Armstrong-Come Back, Sweet Papa
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana, the birthplace of jazz. Armstrong grew up in a poor family in a rough section of New Orleans. He started working at a very young age to support his family, singing on street corners for pennies, working on a junk wagon, cleaning graves for tips, and selling coal. His travels around the city introduced him to all kinds of music, from the blues to the brass bands. A born musician, Armstrong had already demonstrated his singing talents on the streets of the city and eventually taught himself to play the cornet.
As the young Armstrong began to perform with pick-up bands in small clubs and play funerals and parades around town, he captured the attention and respect of some of the older established musicians of New Orleans. Joe "King" Oliver, a member of Kid Ory's band and one of the finest trumpet players around, became Armstrong's mentor. When Oliver moved to Chicago, Armstrong took his place in Kid Ory's band, a leading group in New Orleans at the time. A year later, he was hired to work on riverboats that traveled the Mississippi. In 1924, he moved on to New York City to play with the Fletcher Anderson Orchestra at the Roseland Ballroom.In 1929, Armstrong made his first Broadway appearance. His 1929 recording of Ain't Misbehavin' introduced the use of a pop song as material for jazz interpretation, helping set the stage for the popular acceptance of jazz that would follow. During the next year, he performed in several U.S. states, including California, where he made his first film and radio appearances. In 1931, he first recorded When It's Sleepytime Down South, the tune that became his theme song. In 1947, Armstrong formed a small ensemble called the All-Stars, a group of extraordinary players whose success revitalized mainstream jazz.Throughout the 1950's and 60's, Armstrong continued to tour and perform around the country. Up until a few days before his death, on July 6, 1971, he was setting up band rehearsals in preparation to perform for his beloved public. |