Free jazz

The 1920’s are often portrayed as a free, luxurious, and creative time in American history, but with freedom and creativity came scandal, corruption, and extreme changes. The year of 1921 is viewed as a major turning point in America’s culture and society through drastically changing societal norms, music, literature, and entertainment. The emergence of a new social trend was prevalent among young women in the 1920’s. The iconic flapper “embraced unconventional behavior and represented…

and Sweet by Jamie Ford Entry 1: The Power of Jazz Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford mainly takes place in Seattle during World War II. Despite the international poverty, animosity, and discrimination during this time, there was one thing that seemed to connect many around the United States: jazz. It is considered to be one of the first forms of music originating from the “Land of the Free”: the United States of America. Jazz is a symbol of freedom and multiculturalism, as…

The Great Migration positively affected the development of jazz. Due to the increase in job opportunities brought to American Americas through the Great Migration, many were able to buy records and listen to them at their houses, along with being able to buy musical instruments. During the migration, many musicians were able to gain better education, which ultimately increased their musical abilities. Throughout the Great Migration, many African Americans began composing “freedom songs” which…

Sonny’s Blues is a short story written by James Baldwin that showcases a flawed relationship between two brothers because of their opposing ways of seeing life. In the story the narrator and his brother Sonny go through many moments in the story in which expresses how crushed their relationship is and the many times they have tried to see eye to eye. A very heavy theme in this story is the obligation towards brotherly love which means all the things that they have done for each other because of…

The lack of African Americans in The Jazz Singer becomes clear as Jack Robin (played by Al Jolson) appears on screen for the first time in blackface. The only African American representation in the film is through what is considered a racist imitation or caricature. Jolson’s use of blackface…

English saxophonist Paul Dunmall has built strong reputation in the European free jazz scene throughout the years. From soliloquies to large ensembles, Dunmall never ceases to surprise through his dashing improvised statements and writing skills. Among his successful past collaborations, saxophonist Elton Dean and drummer Tony Bianco come first in the list, while the improvising quartet Mujician with pianist Keith Tippett, bassist Paul Rogers, and percussionist Tony Levin will be always…

they did not have a very close relationship, but towards the end of the story, the two begin to understand each other more. At the end of the story, Sonny invites the narrator to accompany him to a local nightclub where he plays a new type of freeform jazz on the piano. As his brother plays, the narrator finally realized and understood his brother’s struggles. The narrator asks the waitress to take Sonny a glass of scotch and milk and the brothers look at each other and nod in recognition. The…

The Jazz Age was a post World War 1 movement and a very important time in America during the 1920s & 30s, impacting music, economy, and warfare. Music and dancing grew rapidly around the nation and gained a lot of popularity, specifically jazz. Economically, the Great War happened, which led to the Wall Street Stock Market Crash and eventually led to the Great Depression. People needed something to do to get through the Crash and the War so jazz music was a getaway for some people. Many liked…

which has withstood the test of time. In today’s world we have experienced some of the greatest compositions that have or will ever be written. Everything resulting from classical music, inspiring other eras of music such as Baroque, Romantic and Jazz, to these types of music inspiring music genres that we listen to daily, music is simply the theme song to life, with a very versatile palate to fit every desire. The…

characteristic features of Dixieland, The contribution of “Gothan Jazzzmen” to the genre, and an overview of the concert. When it comes to the origin of jazz, people tends to have some mixed opinion about its birth place although most research agreed on New Orleans being the motherland. It surprised me to hear from one of my classmates that Jazz could have been born in Asia. More surprising are those researches that claim this birth place to be in the big northern cities such as New York,…