Duke Ellington

James Baldwin was a well known African American writer as well as a Social and Civil Rights Activist, as a result his works represented not only a personal aspect but also historical expression. Some of his stories were based during the struggle of identity in the African American communities as well as the fight against the predestined assumptions of racial hierarchy in America. In the story, “Sonny’s Blues”, We follow two brothers set in post World War II Harlem and how their lives take two…

Louis Armstrong was born on August 4th 1901 in New Orleans. His tough and painful childhood began when his father abandoned the family Shortly after he was born. Over the next 12 years Louis lived with his grandmother, Josephine Armstrong. At six years old Louis, and three other boys, formed a vocal quartet, It was here where he first felt his love of music grow, sometimes making up to $10 simply from those passing by tipping him, and his friends, in mere pennies. At twelve Louis was sent to…

Hanya Holm’s ideology, as well as her movement quality, is woven throughout Gus Giordano’s career and his approach to movement. Giordano successfully established a technique that, like Holm’s approach, took advantage of other dance techniques, such as ballet and modern, and morphed components of each into a new art form (Sabo, Made in America 44). Not only did Gus use others’ techniques, but he also anticipated the manipulation of his own technique to fit into his students’ personal style.…

Wednesday, November 16 at 12:00 noon was hosting the Studio Jazz Ensemble in Building K, room K413. One of the numerous buildings of Miami Dade College, Kendall Campus. The Studio Jazz Ensemble consists of 9 members. When there are less than 10 members it is called a Jazz Combo. The young Musicians who performed were Yami Ayala- Vocal, Alex Arias- Bass, George Fernandez- Guitar, Christian Martinez- Drums, Charles English-Drums, Christian Romero- Piano, Andrew Collado- Tenor Sax, Marcel Diaz-…

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Rich Matteson’s Jazz Corner. I listened to two other tapes, and they were all equally interesting. Rich Matteson’s broadcast had a very relaxed feel; even the tone of his voice is relaxing! I really like that he knew exactly what he was talking about; considering his prolific career and vast knowledge of music and jazz, everything he said was relevant, and he was very well-spoken. His broadcast is excellent for discovering jazz songs and jazz artists, as well as…

Louis Armstrong was a part of an influential time of the Harlem Renaissance. He played a major role in the Jazz Age, otherwise known as the Roaring Twenties. He helped this time period move forward with this type of jazz. Louis and his group, the Oliver band, brought “swing” to this time period. Louis Armstrong helped start a significant music period (“Louis Armstrong”). Armstrong was born in New Orleans, on the fourth of August in 1901 and died on the sixth of July in 1971 in New York, New…

Dizzy Gillespie was initially influenced and dreamed to be a famous jazz musician like his idol Roy Eldridge. Dizzy was highly influenced by Roy after hearing him play his song on the radio and immediately wanted to become a jazz musician like Roy. Roy Eldridge John Birks Gillespie was born on October 21st 1917 in Cheraw, South Carolina. He is the youngest of nine children in his family and began playing Piano at the age of 4. At 10 years old his father passed away and not long after, by…

The first real jazz concert that I saw was a Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola. Now this may not be one of the most ideal spots to listen to jazz but it’s still an experience I will never forget. I attended one of the late night sessions which began around 11pm. The featured musician that was going to play was Josh Bruneau. After some research I found that Josh Bruneau is a fairly new jazz musician. Although he has been playing jazz for a long time he wasn’t recognized until the release of his…

The saxophone proved to gain acceptance when it came to America. Oddly enough, a woman by the name Elise Boyer Hall (1853-1924) was the first to perform on and let the United States know how truly incredible the saxophone is. She began learning the saxophone while she was recovering from typhoid fever. She commissioned many solo works from world renowned composer that had written for this new instrument. A few of these composers include Richard Strauss, Claude Debussy and Georges Bizet.…

Louis Armstrong is the father of jazz. Personally, I am not a music aficionado by any means but even I know who Louis Armstrong is. For him to collaborate with Earl Hines meant a lot to the development of jazz. The reason for this they were two of the most talented jazz musicians ever. What really made this important however is their different skill sets. Louis Armstrong was a wizard at the trumpet while Earl Hines was a magician at the keys. This collaboration showed how you can seamlessly…