James Buchanan Duke

Edward Kennedy Ellington, better known as Duke Ellington, never took formal action in forwarding the Civil Rights movement but his accomplishments helped to forward civil rights. On the biographical page of his website it says, “Duke Ellington influenced millions of people both around the world and at home. He gave American music it’s own sound for the first time… His legacy continues to live on and will endure for generations to come.”(Duke Ellington Biography). Being a well known bandleader…

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.…

double bass, and drums. The trumpet has its own unique sound, which could come from either a mute or the style in which the musician is playing. The bass does more than keep time, which is unusual for that instrument. Chick Webb, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington all wrote music for big swing bands. Chick Webb was known for his long and furious riffs that drove crowds wild. Count Basie was famous for his rhythm sections and composition…

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…

During the documentary, we could watch the influences through some musicians in the 50´s. Those musicians had been inspired mostly by the times that the world was living. For example, segregation, and Vietnam world. They used Jazz as a kind of expression, as a political believes. The most notable musicians in these time were Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, and Dave Brubek. All of them moved the Jazz to another level. A new kind of Jazz became, some improvisation, no guides, new…

The differences between these two kinds of Jazz mentioned in the test seems to have more to do with “the five-year gap between them,” a lot can happen in five years especially with the introduction of record players and the radio (Starr & Waterman, 88). The suggestion that “the ODJB’s recordings are rooted in the past,” being more similar to ragtime than The Creole Jazz Bands style of Jazz, which “points toward the future of jazz” makes a valid point (Starr & Waterman, 88). ODJBs were playing…

It was a pleasure and convenience to have experience a live Jazz concert at Medgar Evers College on Saturday May 6, 2017, the title of the concert was JAZZ! The women’s viewpoint. What made this performance unique and special that it consisted of all female orchestra, who shined individually and together produce a chemistry hypnotizing the assembly? The audience were mainly older ladies and gentlemen. Whereas, I was the only youthful, and most likely student there. It was obvious that the…

The masterful, classic composition “Potato Head Blues” by legendary musician Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven band is widely regarded today as one of Armstrong’s finest recordings. This song is a quick-paced jazz melody with the trumpet along with the piano providing what I believe is to be a 4 beat per measure rhythm. “Potato Head Blues” also sounds different from that of Joplin Rags since I counted 2 beats per measure. The song also does not seem to have much variation with a constant…

Louis Armstrong is an American icon in the jazz industry because of his unique voice. Armstrong was born in 1901 and lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. His most famous song, “What a Wonderful World,” put his career in the record books for the greatest jazz singer of all time. When I was younger, my grandmother would play “What a Wonderful World” every day I visited for lunch. Personally, this song has impacted and taught me to look at the world we live in with a positive attitude. Through…