Miles Davis

Edward Kennedy Ellington was one of the most famous jazz composers and performers of the twentieth century. It is a well-known fact that Duke Ellington went down in history of jazz music as one of the most significant composers, as well as outstanding bandleader, who led his own musical group of about fifty years. Thus, the main aims of this project are to think about Duke Ellington, and discuss how he fits into the history of jazz, dwelling on his style and other details with more attention.…

FLETCHER HENDERSON James Fletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. (December 18, 1897 – December 29, 1952) was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of band jazz and swing music. He was one of the most prolific black musical arrangers and his influence was vast. He was often known as Smack Henderson (apparently due to his college baseball hitting skills) .Fletcher is ranked along with Duke Elington as one of the most influential arrangers and band leaders…

World War II was not only a time of destruction, but also a time of creation. Many new music styles appeared during this time period. One of these great innovators was George Gershwin, who created Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin’s introduction of a new music style in his first performance sent waves around the country that pulled in people of all music preference. The musical genius, Gershwin, created a new rhythm and style by combining Classical and Jazz music. In the time before Gershwin rose to…

Cameron Davidson Associate Professor Karen Werner Music of America 28 September 2015 Paper #1: R. Carlos Nakai and Native American Music The field of Native American music is an interesting one. For myself, I have never heard much Native American music, but I have seen the rituals and dances that they perform in movies, most of them in history classes in my past. There is one person that I had never heard of before taking Music of America. That man is R. Carlos Nakai. He relates to the field…

Music has always been world music, it’s not just old concert pieces from dead men of the past. Here we like to think of world music as music from outside the United States, but in other countries we become the other people, we become the world music to them or at least part of it. My dad when I was growing up listened to a lot of jazz. He grew up in south Louisiana, moved to north Louisiana and then finally moved to Texas, so he grew up in a culture of jazz. We always had some kind of it playing…

Frankie Blue Eyes Frank Sinatra a actor/singer from Hoboken, New Jersey, started off with nothing but a ukulele and his back yard, to bright lights and all the fame a man could want. (“Frank Sinatra Biography”) Frank Sinatra was a mastermind when it came to singing and acting, he was one of the most famous men in the world. He was called the “Swing Eras” (1935-1946) best singer and actor (“Frank Sinatra Biography Film Actor, Singer”). Frank Sinatra was known by everyone back then, everyone…

Trumpeter-composer Wadada Leo Smith owns an inimitable avant-jazz voice and an out-of-the-box creativity that is patented throughout a prolific career. If last year he delighted me twice with A Cosmic Rhythm With Each Stroke (duo record with pianist Vijay Iyer) and America’s National Park, this year he strikes again with another couple of powerful albums, Solo Reflections and Meditations on Monk and Najwa, the object of this review and a bow to major American jazz artists. The album’s acute bite…

Charlie Parker Jr. better known as the Bird was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is accredited for being an influential part in the development of bebop. This style of jazz had a much faster tempo, specialized technique, and advancement in the harmony that is used. His playing style made way for faster chords, variants to altered chords, and substitution that are made to it. Although he had a difficult upbringing and maybe obstacles were placed in front of him, he still succeeded…

Dylan Scallo Mrs. Glaser English 3 Honors 29 May 2015 Jazz comes in a variety of genres: dixieland, bebop, blues. Each genre contains its own unique quality that distinguishes itself from the rest, whether the difference is the steady beat of a drum, the focus on a pianist’s melody, or the fast tempo kept throughout a piece of music. The influx of jazz styles was welcomed by the people in the late twentieth century who appreciated a variety of music to choose from. The music reflects what was…

In Whiplash, at 1:17:25, Nieman is at a jazz club where his former teacher, Terrence Fletcher is playing. The scene opens with Fletcher playing a beautiful song while Nieman simply watches. However, when the song ends, Fletcher nods and gazes into the crowd, until he spots Nieman which causes him to immediately stop. This cause Nieman to turn around and leave the club when suddenly Fletcher calls out his name. Nieman pauses and then lets out an awkward, “Hey.” A hard transition takes place and…