Miles per hour

Duke Ellington was born Edward Kennedy Ellington on April 29, 1899. The name “Duke” was a nickname given to him because of his choice of clothing. Duke’s parent both worked to live a decent life his mother a domestic and his father a butler who had a part-time catering business. Duke studied piano since the age of seven and was influences by pianist, James Johnson and Willie the Lion Smith. He wrote his first song “The Soda Fountain Rag”, at the age of seventeen. This title was influenced by a…

Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, vocalist, soloist, film star and humorist. Considered a standout amongst the most powerful specialists in jazz history, he is known for melodies like "Star Dust," "La Via En Rose" and "What a Wonderful World." Louis Armstrong was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist who was a standout amongst the most powerful figures in jazz music. Well known for his inventive strategies for playing the trumpet and cornet, he was additionally an exceedingly…

Count Basie, an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer, was born on August 21, 1904, in Red Bank, New Jersey as William Basie. He is considered one of the best bandleaders of all time and changed the entire jazz landscape. He also shaped the mid 20th century pop music and earned the title “King of Swing”. Both of his parents, Harvey and Lillian Basie, were musicians. He started piano at a very early age with his mother giving him his first lessons and played the drums in his…

The music of John Scofield, a technically skilled and emotionally consistent guitarist, doesn’t confine itself to just one style. His salutary versatility and originality have been noticeable throughout a successful career that spans more than 40 years, addressing styles such as jazz, funk, rock, M-base, post-bop, and fusion with the same unquestionable quality. After last year’s “Past Present”, a Grammy-winning masterpiece of original works, Scofield releases “Country for Old Men”, an album…

Case Studies Case 1: During my visit to St. John 's Episcopal Cemetery in Valle Crucis, NC, I came across an interesting example of a laser etched image on Charles Dotson 's gravestone. Etched on Charles 's stone was an image of the USS San Diego along with the inscriptions "WWII," "Bronze Star Recipient," and "Brother Our Hero." Initially, I could figure that Charles was a member of the crew of the USS San Diego during his life, and that time was a defining factor of his personal identity.…

Often providing vital information initially hidden from the public, whistleblowers have the ability to greatly affect the way that society functions. Although the insider facts released can benefit the population, the informants are frequently persecuted. When whistleblowers such as Daniel Ellsberg and WikiLeaks informants release new information, the government work with the media to reprimand the actions that were taken. This is to prevent people from losing trust in the strong sociological…

Pyle poses a two-pronged threat to Fowler: Pyle’s physical threatens to steal away his love and his ideals threaten to burn down his home. With his imperialistic idealism, Pyle assumes that Vietnam needs change. That it needs a paternalistic Third Force “free from Communism and the taint of colonialism-national democracy” (157) to protect the land. Fowler loves things the way they are. War has driven him to Vietnam. War has given him a new home. War has become the status quo. War has provided…

‘Blues For Alice’ is a jazz standard composed by a American jazz saxophonist called Charlie Parker. This jazz standard is a 12 Bars Blues form but it is a modified version of Blues in the key of F major. Instead of normal 12 Bars Blues progression of just using I, IV and V chords, Charlie Parker composed it through a lot of ii - V sequences. For melody lines, Charlie Parker’s famous Bebop tune was used, as well as arpeggios, syncopation and also anticipation. These make Blues For Alice famous…

Ray Charles was a famous jazz composer. Because of being blind since he was 7 years old, he stood out even more to his fans. Charles was born on September 23, 1930 and he died on June 10, 2004. His music was a huge hit during the 1950’s. He was a great jazz composer to many because he was blind. He was able to play the piano extremely well for being blind. He loved composing making soul, blues, and jazz music and the people loved listening to it. Some people even called him “The High Priest of…

This paper will inform you all about Bill Robinson and his carrer. Bill Robinson as known as “Bojangles” was a huge iconic African- American tap dancer and actor during the Harlem Renisance. Bojangles was best known for his Broadway performances and film roles. At the young age of five Robinson began his carrer, performing at the local beer gardens in Richmond,Virgina. At the age of nine he joined the Mayme Remington’s touring troupe. In 1891 he had joined a traveling company, performing as a…