many struggles. Living in the early Nineteenth Century was already hard enough for a young black man but even harder for a young black musician. Louis Armstrong single handedly paved the way for future jazz musicians. Since Louis Armstrong is such a prominent figure and idol in the world of jazz music, young and growing musicians should get a chance to learn about Louis Armstrong’s early life, his career and accomplishments and his…
West African musical influences can be found throughout the rest of Africa and across the globe. These influences can be found throughout various genres of music, including jazz, blues, and electronic music. A modern example I discovered that demonstrates West African musical styles was M83’s Midnight City, an electronic song. Firstly, and prominently featured throughout the song is the synth pattern, or ostinato that is repeated through a large majority of the song. It is a simple four note…
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…
the newly popular jazz music, which took everyone by storm. Through the popularity and influence of jazz, Americans of all different ethnicities and cultures were brought together. The roots of jazz music are typically accredited to African Americans of the 1700’s, who sang work songs while in slavery. Many of the work songs were in a form called “call-and-response”.…
leader of his jazz orchestra was the most recognized around the world as a credible…
of the earlier hymns, black performance styles, and elements from black spirituals. Singing, which may merge into ecstatic dance, is usually accompanied by piano or organ, often with hand clapping, tambourines, and electric guitars” ( “Gospel music” ). “African-American gospel music is a major influence in nearly all genres of modern popular music, from rhythm ‘n blues to jazz, from soul to rock ‘n roll. The musical genre is as a continuation of black spirituals but in a sophisticated…
other jazz idols to perform with his group from time to time, some of those being Charles Mingus and Aretha Franklin. By the 1950s-60s, Hampton had become so famous that he had toured all over the world to countries that include Japan, Australia, and parts of Europe. He became the founder of several companies, including a music publishing company, two music labels, and a company that was responsible for bringing low-income housing to the city. It was also in this period where he released Jazz…
In 1904 he began traveling, playing the piano in places like Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. He was one of the creators of ragtime, which was the first major black music style popular with the white community. When he started managing a jazz club, it would’ve been weird and inappropriate for him to play all the time instead of finding other people to play.…
Although his life ended very early, Sonny Clark was still able to make his mark on the musical community. Sonny is known for his musical works as a hard bop, jazz pianist. But like many musicians, Clark may not have had such an impact on the musical world if not for the inspiration of the musicians before him. Sonny was inspired by several musicians, and therefore, spent much of his short life jumping from state to state gathering as much knowledge and experience as he could. Sonny Clark was…
The Mambo dance was originated by a Cuban bandleader, Perez Prado, in Havana, Cuba in the 1930s. It is a very sexy Latin style dance along with passionate and flirtatious hip movement that flows forward and backward. Additionally, Mambo dancers dance in sharp and quick steps, side steps, rock steps, kicks, points and flicks of the feet. There are a variety of Mambo rhythms, and they are all based on the clave rhythm that used in Afro-Cuban music. The rhythms are set by a variety of percussion…