Louis Bonaparte

Throughout the past few decades, our music taste, along with our society, has developed into an expressive community. People of all ages have been using music to express themselves for thousands of years. The 1920s, as well as 2000s are prominently known for their groundbreaking new sound. The two were ferociously popular in their time, but how can two genres, each with a different sound, be so popular? The purpose of the composer, instruments used and the sound produce, are vastly different…

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…

Charles R. Ciorba and Brian E. Russell are Professors of Music at University of Oklahoma and University of Miami, respectively. Ciorba and Russell discuss the acquisition of jazz theory and the types of students that are most likely able to acquire that knowledge and apply it to jazz improvisation. Ciorba and Russell begin by pointing out the problems of traditionally acquiring knowledge in jazz theory, which was almost entirely trial and error (sec 1.2). They then discuss the importance of…

Both Edison and Young attained their fame from one thing that they had in common, 'Originality'. On Edison's appearance at Riverwalk Jazz, in 1993, Edison mentioned that "All the musicians used to say they'd rather be the world’s worst 'originator' than the world’s best 'imitator'" as he knew the importance of being original. Lester Young's fame came from the similar reason. Rather than adopting the normal 'forceful' approach, he came up with a completely new concept in which to play his horn,…

Ragtime Jazz is considered the first completely American Music. As mentioned before ragtime jazz was popular towards the end of the 19th century and about two decades of the twentieth century. Musical Characteristics: Ragtime Jazz is structured in a way that is similar to the march. this music style’s use of syncopation is what makes it distinguishable. Ragtime Jazz is lively and springy and is ideal to dance for, much like todays music. The name “Ragtime Jazz” is believed to be a contraction…

Miles Davis - Kind of Blue One of the greatest albums in jazz - Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue has received innumerable commendations ever since its release in 1959 and has been admired by jazz fans far and wide. Miles Davis and his sterling band that consisted of top performers at that time together brought this masterpiece to the world. This album features Miles Davis on trumpet, Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on alto saxophone, John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Wynton Kelly and Bill Evans on piano,…

Certain music genres have been associated with particular ethnic groups. This is the case of Jazz and African-Americans as well as Tejano and Mexica- Americans. In the article Tejanos and the Making of the Texas Jazz Festival, 1959-2013, Guadalupe San Miguel Jr. describes how minority ethnic groups influence one each other and how such influence is seen through music, especially jazz and Tejano music. During the historical study, San Miguel Jr. attempts to analyze the tendency Mexican Americans…

Ornette Coleman (or in full- Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman) was born in Texas on the 9th of March 1930 and died last year (2015) on the 11th of June, in New York. He was a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He released loads of albums over the span of his career and is known to be one of the most important initiators of free jazz. When Ornette Coleman was a child he played alto, then moved onto tenor saxophone in his teenage years. His early style of jazz was influenced not only by…

that he developed his trademark “crisp, jazzy song-and-dance style”. Calloway helped popularize the jitterbug through his unique style. Additionally, he was also a huge proponent of scat singing and helped popularize the singing style along with Louis Armstrong and others. Some of his most popular songs were Hi De Ho, The Jumpin’ Jive, The Lady with the Fan, Reefer Man, It Ain’t Necessarily So, and many other too. Most of his songs had a very upbeat and lively mood to them as they were meant to…

Attending for the first time a jazz restaurant was a great experience; I attended Jazz Kitchen at Downtown Disney. The restaurant has a New Orleans style jazz club upstairs, it has New Orleans dining rooms and an outdoor Jazz balcony. When we arrived we noticed the presence of the restaurant has contemporary art made out of wrought iron. At the center of the waiting area, there’s a water fountain made out of Jazz instruments, such as trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, and flutes. The restaurant is…