Count Basie

Jazz began in the late 18th century in African-American communities in New Orleans. Soon these vocal tunes made by African-Americans turned into piano songs, and soon enough evolved into the Jazz we know and love today. In modern Jazz, there are pieces that are considered “Jazz Standards”, one major contributor to these standards is the trombone player and Big Band Jazz composer, Glenn Miller. Glenn Miller lived a short yet interesting life, he differed from his competitors and left a dazzling…

In his book, James Brown the Godfather of Soul, he states “I wasn’t supposed to be James. I wasn’t supposed to be Brown. And I wasn’t supposed to be alive.” (Brown & Tucker, chapter 1 pg. 1) In Barnell, South Carolina in a one room shack on May 3, 1933, James Joe Brown Jr. was born. (Brown & Tucker, chapter 1 pg. 1) From the very beginning, Brown’s life had various struggles from his mother leaving to his father’s gambling habit. (Brown & Tucker, pg.4-7) Despite his father’s gambling habit,…

Anastasia Heinze Mr. Summers Honors English 11 15 October 2015 Music. Culture. History. American ragtime, jazz, and blues, is affected by society; much like American pop and rap music today. The 1920’s American culture was a profound, racy, yet brilliant era. American culture was made up of change, racism, and iconic music. The ending of the World War I in 1918 made an immense impact on American culture. The portrayal of women was altering, new music was being discovered, and the economy was…

The Characters of Wilson has mastered one of the creation of complex, which is three-dimensional human characters- those characters which come to life on stage as well as on the page. They also engender an appreciation for the crisp, accurate manner in which Wilson captures the speech patterns of his characters. In the Play "Joe and Alice" both of whom are African American, readily identify with the cultural and gender-related issues with which African American had to contend half a century…

The Harlem Renaissance was a very important time period in America. The Harlem Renaissance somehow affected utterly any and every sector of life in America. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that took place from the early 1920’s until roughly around the mid-1930’s. The Harlem Renaissance was a movement that introduced the America to new African-American cultural expressions that were affected by the African-American Great Migration of America. The Harlem Renaissance was a period of rebirth…

While heading to Grammy Museum I was able to arrive before it open, I waited for about 15 minutes outside. While waiting I was able to walk around and see the Grammy Awards that have been won throughout the years. They were displayed on the sidewalk heading towards the Museum. I was able to identity some bands and artists that I knew such as; Ray Charles, Norah Jones as well as Green Day. I was truly surprised to have seen these names displayed. Outside of the museum I was able to hear a variety…

R&B, or Rhythm and Blues is a musical genre born in the middle of the 20th century that, perhaps, bridged the gap between the mainly black audience of early blues and what eventually became an international audience that transcended racial and social barriers. The musical term rhythm and blues was coined as a musical marketing term by Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler in 1948 as a substitute for the term “race records”. This distinctive music style described as rocking and jazz based with…

People usually think tap dance does not need too much work, all you need is stamp your feet on the ground and make some loud noise. But actually, tap dance has two major variations, one is rhythm (jazz) tap and another one is Broadway tap. “Broadway tap focuses on dance; it is widely performed in musical theater. Rhythm tap concentrates on musicality, and practitioners consider themselves to be a part of the Jazz tradition.” According to the Rhythmic Circus official website, Rhythmic Circus is…

A terrible mistake started something big and strong. Racism has gone on for decades and it was something normal. Nobody said anything about it and even slaves themselves. They didn’t make it a big riot. They didn’t have the right. They were nothing for the “yankees.” So the slaves started something different. Something quiet but loud. They sang! They wrote songs about their slave life and racism that they had to see every day. Their songs had different codes that only, but only they could…

The 1920’s and 30’s were significant decades for America. The Roaring 20’s are often characterized with great effervescence; a time of speakeasies, flashy parties, excessive wealth, good fortune, and jazz music. Jazz music, at the time, was the rhythm of the people. It moved with their joy and beat with their jubilance. But in 1929, everything changed. Tragedy struck, and the Great Depression befell the country like a suffocatingly thick blanket, smothering the flame of the American people.…