"Lost Your Head Blues"

As always, listen to the works, especially the timing of certain parts to better identify it and music principles during the quiz.

Singer

Bessie Smith

Date of Recording

March 18, 1926

System

12 bars blues

Key of foundation tune

E flat

Cornet Player

Joe Smith

Piano

Fletcher Henderson

Standard blues singing style

a a b

Despite not having formal training in “Art Music” her vocals had an _____

“Operatic flair”

Implication of African singing traditions can be heard through ___

Joe Smith’s cornet filling a call and response with Bessie’s improvised vocals

Time 0:00

Instruments: Piano and Cornet

Listen For: Swing rhythm

What’s happening?: Intro

Time 0:01-0:39

Instruments: Smith’s vocals

Listen For: Blue note slides on “I” and “did”

What’s happening?: Chorus 1

Time 0:17

Instruments: Cornet

Listen For: Cornet Fill

What’s happening?: Call and response with vocals

Time 0:39

Instruments: Cornet

Listen For: Cornet fill

What’s happening?: Call and response with vocals

0:43-1:44

Instruments: Smith’s vocals, cornet

Listen For: Jazzy inflections in the vocals interspersed with cornet fills

What’s happening?: Chorus 2

Time 1:05

Instruments: Smith’s vocals

Listen For: Sings melisma on “gal”

What’s happening?: Melisma

1:16-2:17

Instruments: Smith’s vocals, cornet

Listen For: Jazzy inflections in the vocals intersperesed with cornet fills

What’s happening?: Chorus 3

1:27

Instruments: Smith’s Vocals

Listen For: bends the pitch on “lone” in “lonesome”

What’s happening?: Blue notes

1:49

Instruments: Smith’s vocals

Listen For: Melisma on “baby”

What’s happening?: Melisma

2:10

Instruments: Smith’s vocals

Listen For: Bends the pitch of “I’ll” in I’ll write” and shaking ornamentation on “why”

What’s happening?: Blue notes/jazz inflections

2:21-2:48

Instruments: Smith’s vocals, cornet

Listen For: Cornet interjections fall to a quiet murmmur

What’s happening?: Chorus 4

2:21

Instruments: Smith’s vocals

Listen For: Emphasizes the word “days” with a long high note

What’s happening?: Start of the new chorus

2:27

Instruments: Smith’s Vocals

Listen For: Emphasizes the work “rights” with a long not, ornaments the word “long”

What’s happening?: Blue notes/ jazz inflections

2:37

Instruments: Smith’s Vocals

Listen For: Performs a scoop up to “nights” in the line “nights are so long”

What’s happening?: Blue notes/ jazz inflections

2:42

Instruments: Smith’s Vocals

Listen For: Ornament on the word “wrong”

What’s happening?: Blue notes/ jazz inflections