Louis Armstrong

Sarah Vaughan was surrounded by music at birth. She was born in Newark, New Jersey to a father who played guitar and a mother who played organ for her church. Her interest in music began at an early age. Sarah started talking piano and organ lessons when she was seven years old; she also sang in her church’s choir. At age 12 she began subbing in to play organ for the church when her mother couldn’t. When she was eighteen years old Sarah was dared by her friends to enter an amateur singing…

Cuban jazz pianist and composer, David Virelles, has been widely solicited by the attentive musicians on the current scene, who immediately recognized his outstanding creative capabilities. In the recent past, he has played key roles in projects led by trumpeter Tomasz Stanko and saxophonists Henry Threadgill and Chris Potter. As a leader, Virelles always brings heritage into the game, and both Continuum (Pi Recordings, 2012) and Mboko (ECM, 2015) received accolades from the specialized media…

I consider my ethnic and musical background to be not just African by blood; but American by birth. When I visited Africa, I noticed a great deal of differences; on top of various similarities, between the Western culture and African tribal culture. No matter where I go or the type of music I listen to, I have always been entertained and pleased by the sound of music; but I have always felt a deeper comprehension and connection through the power of music. The most rarest and extraordinary…

Fiona Chen, Prelude English 10, Block 2-1 FLIP Journal entries, Term 1: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter 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…

Research Project A comparison of “Koko” and “So What” “Koko” as well as “So What” are two of the most influential and famous pieces pertaining to Jazz. With “Koko” being composed and performed by Charlie “Bird” Parker and “So What” being composed and performed by Miles Davis. These two musicians are no doubt heavily involved in the development of jazz and are two of the most renowned musicians in the world. “Koko” was composed in the early 1940’s, where as “So What” was composed in the late…

Art Tatum and peanut m&ms share many of the same characteristics. The hard shell of the m&m is similar to the many challenges Art Tatum faced in his life and the chocolatey filling on the inside that surrounds the peanut is his family always surrounding him with support. Lastly, the peanut in the center is taste of peanut that never fades just like his music. It will never fade through the centuries. Art Tatum had lots of support from his family and friends growing up and was exposed to music at…

At the turn of the twentieth century, jazz was still in its early phases. While there are many musicians that are credited with making jazz into what it is today, one of the earliest attributors was the “King of Ragtime,” Scott Joplin. Joplin earned his title due to his success—despite racial barriers—in developing the sub-genre of ragtime in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Joplin’s sound and style created a crucial link in the history of jazz and laid the foundations for…

The saxophone is a wonderful instrument. As a member of the reed and woodwind family of instruments it is usually compared to the clarinet or flute. As an instrument that could reach four octaves, there is much you can play and plenty of room for experimentation. Saxophones are normally made of brass to create their colorful, characteristic sound, but some, in the past have been made of copper, silver, bronze, and even plastic. There are four main saxophones that are commonly used which are…

What is Cool? Groovy,tubular,brisk and relaxed could all be considered synonyms for the same word but with very different meanings behind them. The word cool is used describe such vast variety of things from people,places,events and feelings. “Grab your jacket honey, it's cool out there!” Mom exclaims as he is walking out the door to catch the bus on that first crisp cool morning of November. Then he had responded by saying “its cool mom, I will be alright” explaining how nonchalant and feeling…

During the final week of classes at Truman, I had the pleasure of hearing the school’s jazz bands in concert. During the concert, the Jazz Lab band and the Jazz Ensemble, both directed by Tim AuBuchon, played several jazz standards and modern favorites. The Jazz Lab band started out the night with five big band pieces. The instrumentation of the Jazz Lab band was standard for a big band; it included about four of each horn (saxophone, trumpet, and trombone), an upright bass, a piano, and a…