Count Basie

Cannabis & Culture With origins dating back 10,000 years, the psychoactive Cannabis plant, or commonly known as marijuana, has swept the globe as one of the oldest agricultural plants. Stemming from Eastern Asia, using exportation of goods and exploration as a tool to travel the world, it has left roots scattered across every continent (excluding Antarctica). Its use has varied from helping to reach a state of euphoria, to being used in textiles, which has helped countries such as China and…

playing combined with this ability to combine chords rarely used in jazz, flowing seamlessly between them made Parker one of the greats. As a teenager, Parker was allowed the opportunity to play with the famous drummer Jo Jones, drummer of the Count Basie band, a most popular swing bands of the time. Parker enters his solo and starts to show off his unique style, but then he messes up, losses the beat, and stops dead in his tracks. Angered, Jones throws a cymbal at Parker and laughs him off…

Influential Black Female Artist As the sound of music has developed over years, peoples’ contribution to the development sometimes goes unnoticed. Every musical artist should be honored for their played part in this musical evolution. So many musicians fail to pay respect to the artist before them when creating their own musical sound. Some of the most overlooked talents are the female artist that played huge roles in the growth of the music industries and the sound of music still heard today.…

broadcasts in the everyday American’s home, even ballrooms like Savoy and Roseland in New York were common venues for the latest Big Band tunes. The Big Band Boom also brought together the greatest jazz musicians (Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and the most famous Glenn Miller) and singers (Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby, and Frank Sinatra). The Big Band Era started seeing a decline in its popularity during the Postwar Big Band Era of the 1940s-present. It stilled remained popular but…

The Jazz Age: Prevailing Opportunities for African Americans During the Jazz Age, jazz music, primarily dominated by African Americans before 1920, began to gain popularity among whites and transformed into an important aspect of American culture. The increased popularity of jazz music led to a growing acceptance of African American culture and presented African Americans with the opportunity to gain social status. Music has always played an essential part in African American life and its…