Jazz History Midterm

John Henry

Lewis Hairston 1977

• Traditional folk ballad which tells a story through music of aural tradition

• Blues solo and merging of folk ballad storytelling

Kasuan Kura

The People of Dagonba, Ghana Recorded by John Miller Cher something

• Demonstrates African musical traditions

• Metronomic Pulse

• Call/Response

• Percussion dominant

• Syncopation/Polyrythyms

Swing Low Sweet Chariot

Fisk Jubilee Singers, 1909 Recorded??

• Spiritual

• Transforms call/response structure into religious poetry

• Church was a cornerstone of black musical training

• This style evolved into gospel

Belton Sutherland’s Field Holler

Belton Sutherland, recorded by Alan Lomax 1978

• Field Holler

• Shows roots win blues with AAB form

• A monophonic rhythmically loose vocal line sung by an enslaved person which expressed individuality

Joe Savage’s Field Holler-I Wake Up One Morning

Joe Savage, recorded by Alan Lomax 1978

• Shows rots of blues tonality

• A rhythmically loose vocal line

• Expressed lonesome individuality

Rosie

Inmates of the Mississippi & Louisiana State Prison recorded by Alan Lomax

• A work song

• Used to pace manual labour

• Call/response structure

Make Me a Pallet on the Floor

Mississippi John Hurt 19**?

• Country Blues

• Solo singer in blues form

Hustlin’ Blues

Gertrude “Ma” Rainy 1929

• Vaudeville Classic Blues

• Prelude dof a band

• Structure for a large ensemble

Revival

The Presidents Own U.S. Marine Band by John Phillip Sousa 1976

• Marching Band

• Organized into ragtime like strains

• Ragtime Melodic Phrasing

• Origins of ragtime sensibilities

The Buzzard Lope

Georgia Sea Island Singers-Bessie Jones(Lead Vocal) 1960

• African Folk tradition

• Body percussion, call/response, polyrythyms

• Looping until signal to go around one more time

• Spiritual dance in which singers take turns imitating a buzzard snatching carrion

Pony Blues

Charley Patton-The Father of Delta Blues 1929

• Delta/country blues

• Free flowing form within the blues structure

Crossroad Blues

Robert Johnson 1936

• Delta/country Blues

• Solo blues allow for a more free flowing structure

*Memphis Blues

W.C. Handy-Father of the Blues Composed 1909 recorded 1912

• First ever blues to be published

*St. Louis Blues-Handy

W.C Handy composed 1914 recorded 1922

• One of the most well known blues of all time

• Habanero rhythm “the Spanish tinge”

• Handy was the first to write down blues

Moonshine Blues

Gertrude “Ma” Rainey-Mother of the Blues 1923

• Classic Blues

• Big talent who attracted big talent

• Many of Ma Raineys Bandmates went big ex:Louis Armstrong

Reckless Blues

Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong 1925

• Classic Blues

• The Empress of Blues

• Massive influence on later voices like Billie Holiday/Janis Joplin

St Louis Blues-Bessie Smith

Bessie Smith 1929

• Classic Blues

• Composed by W.C. Handy

Maple Leaf Rag

Scott Joplin

• Ragtime

• Fully composed, written down music, improvisations were often transcribed

• Characteristic left hand, organized formally onto contouring strains

Don’t Home Rag

Wilbur Sweatman 1917

• March/ragtime

• Multiple strain form

• Secondary ragtime

• Improvised solo, potentially counter melody

• Demonstrates transition between composed music and improv

Livery Stable Blues

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band 1917

• Dixieland style

• Nick Larson on clarinet

• First recorded album by Freddie Keppard who was afraid of copycats

• White guys

• Emphasis on comedy, beginning of minstrelsy

• Dixieland Jazz had characteristic collective soloing

Stockyard Strut

Fredie Keppards Jazz Cardinals 1926

• Hot Jazz, a blend of ragtime,mock sensibilities originating in Storyville New Orleans

• Keppard on cornet

• Johnny Dodds on clarinet

Original Jelly Roll Blues

Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers composed 1915 recorded 1926

• Jazz Foxtrot

• Kid Ory on trombone

• Johnny St Cyr on banjo

• Jelly Roll claims to have invented jazz

• Electrical recording

• Alternating solos, ending on “ride out” in Dixieland jazz style

Dead Man Blues

Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers 1926

• Jelly Roll on piano

• Kid Ory on trombone

• Johnny St Cyr on banjo

• Interpretation of New Orleans burial ritual, rooted in Christian scripture about rejoicing at death for those now in a better place

• Blues 12-Bar form, also arranged with a ragtime like structure

The Crave

Marcus Roberts recorded 1991, composed by Jelly Roll

• Ragtimelike, modern jazz

• Spanish tinge

• Interpretation of a Jelly Roll song

• Ragtime strain form, LH stride??

Dipper Mouth Blues

King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band

• Ensemble Jazz Blues, New Orleans sensibilities in blues form

• King Oliver on cornet

• Johnny Dodds on clarinet

• Louis Armstrong on cornet 2

• Lil Hardin on piano

• Use of wah wah (Harmon) trumpet mute

• Oliver pioneered mutes as a genre staple

Snake Rag

King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923

• March/ragtime New Orleans Jazz style

• King Oliver on cornet

• Johnny Dodds on clarinet

• Louis Armstrong on cornet 2

• Lil Hardin on piano

• A & B strains, punctuated by “snake'“ chromatic line

• Trombone glissando

Chimes Blues

King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band 1923 arranged by Lil Hardin

• Blues form, New Orleans jazz sensibilities

• King Oliver on cornet

• Louis Armstrong on cornet 2

• Lil Hardin on piano

• Louis Armstrongs first recorded solo

Everybody Loves My Baby

Clarence Williams Blue Five recorded 1924, composed by Jack Palmer

• Eva Taylor on vocals

• Louis Armstrong on trumpet

• Louis’ solo that stands out even among other talented performers

St Louis Blues-Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong

Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong recorded 1925, composed by W.C Handy

• Blues

• Call/response between Bessie and Louis

• Blues form AAB chorus structure

Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage?

Maggie Jones & Louis Armstrong 1924

• Maggie Jones on voice

• Louis Armstrong on trumpet

• Fletcher Henderson on piano

• Louis interjects countermelodies

• Fletcher Henderson hired many of the best most famous black musicians of the time

Weather Bird

Louis Armstrong 1923

• Louis Armstrong on trumpet

• Earl Hines on piano

• Joe Oliver on cornet

• The “most famous duet in jazz history”

• Improvised, and wasn’t released for several years

• Demonstrated how well Louis and Earl played each other and why this piano is different from Louis previous accompanists

West End Blues

Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five 1928

• Earl Hines on piano

• Louis on trumpet

• Mancy Carr on banjo

• Jimmy Strong on clarinet

• Fred Robinson on trombone

• Zutty Singleton on percussion

• Demonstrates the shift between collective improvisation to the time of virtuosic soloing

• Opening cadence is hugely famous

• Canonical and contains staples such as solos and scatting