Music in American History and Culture Mod 4

post WW2

jam sessions

late night gatherings of elite musicians to play together and share ideas, resulted in new style of jazz

bebop

characterized by elitism, players knew their new style was difficult and embraced, even relished the idea of excluding less gifted performers, resulted from jam sessions

bebop instrumentation

front line= trumpet, alto or tenor sax

rhythm section= piano, string bass, drum set

typical bebop combo is a quintet

virtuosic

bebop was this style, requiring performers to have complete mastery of their instruments, improv

head

was composed in advance and opened/closed many numbers to let audiences identify a song

contrafacts/changes

bebop musicians borrowed familiar songs and used their chord progressions, but abandoned the tunes and created new melodies over the old ones, this saved money. contrafacts were the song that meant no paid royalties, but had recognizable tunes

charlie parker

"bird", he loved fried chicken, most important (alto) saxophonist in jazz history, founding father of bebop, could improvise with great imagination at fast tempos

"Koko"

charlie parker, fast tempo, unpredictable bebop, brief intro and head were composed by parker and dizzy gillespie, choruses were improv and aaba

"Yardbird suite"

charlie parker, bebop, 32 bar aaba choruses, recorded by the charlie parker septet, had a larger band with guitarist and tenor solos, laid back

miles davis

trumpet player, began playing bebop in parker's band, but experimented with cool jazz, explored use of nontraditional jazz instruments 1950s

cool jazz

quieter less aggressive style of jazz

"summertime"

miles davis, cool jazz, 16 bar abac choruses. Harmon mute and trumpet solos, flute and French horn included

mambo

cuban dance that swept the u.s

Latin Jazz

danceable, mambo and rumba, variety, emphasis on percussion with timbales, congas, trumpet and sax

tito puente

american of puerto rican descent, used the mambo craze after ww2 with his album dance mania, included el cayuco, Latin Jazz

"el cayuco"

tito puente, latin jazz, vamps and chorus, referred to motion of paddling small canoe that was reflected in the dance movements

how did the strike by the american federation of musicians in 1942 impact the future of jazz

the strike meant that for a whole two years, the new developments made in jazz were only heard by live audiences. the changes happened gradually over time, but listeners weren't prepared for them and responded negatively. bored with swing , jazz musicians enjoyed the new style

name three ways in which the lp format developed in the early 1950s benefited jazz musicians

it gave artists the option to record longer pieces, it encouraged listeners to listen to them repeatedly causing them to be exposed to new styles and really absorb them, they helped modern jazz develop a fan base of many different types of ppl expanding its audience

generation gap

youth didnt understand important events in their parents lives like depression ww2 and the impact of those events in shaping their parents values. rock and roll was rebellion and identity for youth

rhythm and blues

generic black popular music in the 50s, included everything from chicago blues, jumps, doowop, and gospel, this was the new billboard label for race records

riff

short distinctive melodic/rhythmic figure that's repeated

backbeats

strong accent on normally unaccented beats of the bar, fast tempo, 12 bar blues form, loud amplified instruments

"choo choo chboogie"

recorded by louis jordan and his tymphany five, novelty song, the horns mimic the train whistle, boogie woogie style bass line

louis jordan and his tymphany five

recorded choo choo chboogie, jump band that played jump blues

jump band

one trumpet, one or two saxes, plus a full rhythm section and a vocalist who was the star, basically a smaller version of a swing band, often recorded novelty songs

"hoochie coochie man"

recorded by muddy waters, chicago blues

muddy waters

recorded hoochie coochie man

chicago blues

modified 12 bar blues form, gritty rough vocals with call and response between singer and guitar/harmonica, other instruments played melodies under the singer, borrowed rhythm section from big band:guitar bass piano and drums

alan freed

dj that worked in cleveland, started radio program playing r &b recordings, saw teenagers liked it, he labeled it rock and roll

chuck berry

black r&b artist who became a rock and roll star, his songs appealed to teenagers, with msgs of rebellion and references to high school jukeboxes cars and rock and roll music

"school day"

chuck berry, rock and roll, strophic 12 bar blues, features many stylistic elements of early rock n roll songs, heavy backbeat jangled and overdubbed

elvis presley

grew up in Memphis, exposed to lots of music in his youth, his music appealed to blacks and whites, country and pop fans, “hound dog” was the first record to ever reach number one on two charts simultaneously, handsome and flashy with sensual body language, inventive vocal style

sam phillips

had a studio that recorded many black musicians, 40/50s formed his own record label: sun records, saw that r&b appealed to whites and wanted presley as a white r&b artist published Presleys first song

sun records

sam phillips record label

rock and roll

different from tpa music, had a driving rhythm with a strong backbeat, common 12 bar blues form, amplified instruments

what advantages did the 45 bring to both manufacturers and consumers

the 45 benefited manufacturers bc it was only 7 inches in diameter and the larger hole in the middle made it well suited for jukeboxes, which obviously helped jukebox companies gain revenue as well as 45 manufacturers. they were convenient for consumers bc they were easily stackable, allowing them to create their own sort of playlist at home. each side allowed about 3 mins of playing time making it perfect for consumers to be able to listen to popular songs

discuss the role of broadcasting in widening the audience for r and b and rock n roll

broadcasting helped expose all types of music to a wide audience. whites were introduced to r and b through the radio and they listened to black radio. there was no segregation in public broadcasting, so r and b and rock n roll gained many new listeners through it

discuss the importance of presley's teenage years in memphis to the development of his musical taste and style

presley loved all types of music, but growing up in memphis specifically exposed him to white gospel quartet singing, as well as the local black radio WDIA. he also went to classical orchestra concerts while in memphis. these influences definitely had an impact on his taste and style, as can be seen by his black performing style

What is the significance of the appearance of "Rock Around the Clock" on the rhythm and blues charts, and of "Maybellene" on the popular chart? b) In what way could this be understood as a reflection of current events in 1950s America?

Maybellene was more country and reached the white teenage audience, people saw the success and began to tailor songs to young people. The generation gap meant young didn’t listen to “old” music so they were a new music market. Rock around the clock introduced more people to R n R for the same youth rebellion reason

topical songs

songs using preexisting melodies from old folk songs with new words pertaining to the current scene and the artists position on a controversial issue or to call for peace/justice

"if i had a hammer"

pete seeger, urban folk song, strophic, became an anthem during civil rights movement

pete seeger

cofounder of almanac singers

"tom dooley"

by the kingston trio, climbed the charts, topical song, novelty

the kingston trio

criticized by preservationists, seemed they lacked genuine commitment to music and changed words/ music as they saw fit. college students liked them and their song tom dooley regardless

urban folk revival

postwar embrace of traditional music by ppl outside the communities in which it originated

bob dylan

singer songwriter who loved folk music, moved to nyc where he met guthrie, planned on focusing on rock and roll but that changed when he began to perform guthrie's songs and write new ones in that mold, signed with columbia records, many of his songs offered social commentary, including criticism of the government

protest songs

bob dylan type songs previously called topical songs became known as this

"blowin in the wind"

bob dylan borrowed melody from an old slave song called “no auction buck for me”, recording feautured distinctive voice of Dylan with harmonica and acoustic guitar, text had indirect criticism of vietnam, asked questions about civil rights in the us, greatly expanded audience for folk revival artists, new type of protest songs that offered questions to ponder rather than a call to action

"only a pawn in their game"

bob dylan, protest song, strophic, comments on murder by a white man of Medgar Evers, a black activist in the civil rights movement. considers motivation, racism is taught, murderer controlled b society

newport folk festival of 1965

dylan showed up here with an electric guitar and a rock and roll band supporting him, fans bood him offstage claiming it was a folk festival, they played three songs before leaving stage

name and describe the three approaches prevalent in folk music in the fifties and sixties

popularizer: freely altered traditional material to make it more commercially palatable, interested in sound of folk music

preservationists: sought to perpetuate all they could of the folk traditions they embraced like original lyrics singing styles instruments and earlier ways of playing them, treasured the music for its history

Politicize: set old tunes to new political words to create new folk traditions

why was the audience at the 1965 newport folk festival so violently opposed to dylan's appearance with the butterfield blues band

the audience was angry bc they claimed it was supposed to be a folk festival not a r and r one. the concert has been recognized as dylan's transition from folk to rock due to the songs he played with the band behind him

What was the particular appeal of folk music to American youths and young adults?

it was authentic and wasn’t commercialized. they viewed the past as more honest and idealized. wanted authenticity over conformity and materialism

jerry leiber and mike stoller

pair that shaped the sound of rock and roll, young white and jewish, composers of hound dog, were familiar with the studio production that shaped hit songs recorded by frank sinatra and other pop singers, began to work as producers as well as songwriters

"hound dog"

composed by leiber and stoller, originally sung by big mama thornton, then elvis

big mama thornton

r and b singer who originally recorded hound dog

phil spector

guitarist often hired by Leiber and Stoller as a studio musician for recordings, began to market himself as a songwriter and producer, first success with his own label was “Be my Baby”, had a trademark wall of sound

"be my baby"

recorded by the ronettes on spectors label philles records, ft a wall of sound, spectors first success

wall of sound

spector assigned multiple musicians to each part and formed ensembles the size of small orchestras with unexpected instruments, he funneled the recorded sound to an echo chamber in the basement of the building, where the sound reverberated within its cement walls and floor before being returned to the studio where it was recorded

beach boys

capitalized on young americans obsession with cali, surfing and cars, started off releasing bubblegum pop songs but moved to sophisticated style after featuring orchestral instruments, brian wilson was the leader, he hired the same studio musicians who did spectors wall of sound to create tracks for the more sophisticated songs starting with the album pet sounds

"wouldnt it be nice"

beach boys, rock, aaba, fts harmony and accordian. contrast of joyful music with yearning lyrics

chet atkins

set out to attract adult listeners who favored pop music, to the country genre, which was in a slump, developed a magic formula consisting of country singers backed by highly-skilled musicians with careful use of studio techniques to produce a smooth polished recording, his recordings became known as the nashville sound

nashville sound

recordings spearheaded by chet atkins, traditional country instruments were replaced with string sections, electric guitar and piano, background singers singing in close harmony were common, lead singer with rich voices and minimal southern drawl were popular. less unique country

jim reeves

one of the biggest stars associated with nashville sound, clear voice with no southern accent or nasal twang, known as the singer with the velvet touch

"welcome to my world"

jim reeves, first sound is violins

merle haggard

country musician in bakersfield, ca, recording style was rooted in honkytonk music

bakersfield sound

buck owens and merle haggard were known for this, kept standard honky tonk instruments like the steel guitar, fiddle and acoustic guitar but added a distinctive current sound in the fender telecaster solid body electric guitar, electric bass and drums

"mama tried"

merle haggard, country, verse and chorus, haggard tells a story based on things from own life, example of bakersfield sound +some Nashville

how did the country music industry respond to the threat posed by rock and roll to its audience

country artists knew that their current form of music stood no chance against the popular genre of r and r, so they had to make some changes. the nashville sound and the bakersfield sound were key components in the way the country music industry responded. the nashville sound exchanged traditional instruments like the banjo and fiddle with the more up to date electric guitar and piano. the nv sound was definitely more similar to the rock genre, whereas the bakersfield sound embraced honky tonk sounds and traditional instruments

how did the migration that took place during the dust bowl lay the foundation for the bakersfield sound

the okies that had to migrate to cali brought with them their southern cultural lives and even in later generations that stuck around. one of the aspects of their southern folkways was honky tonk music. they brought it with them to cali where country musicians took it as a starting point for the bakersfield sound. blend of cultures

how were the beatles formed

paul mccartney joined john lennons band the quarrymen. george harrison joined the following year. name changed to silver beetles, then the beatles. brian epstein brought in ringo starr to replace original drummer

brian epstein

record store manager in liverpool who became the beatles manager. made them abandon tough image, cut their hair and wear suits. brought in ringo starr

george martin

record producer, clasically trained musician who helped the beatles use a wide range of intruments and special fx in their later recordings, important contributor to the bands growth and development as musicians

"I Want to Hold Your Hand"

the beatles, rose to number one in less than a month, success of this song led to their appearance on the ed sullivan show, typical of their early style, danceable, accented backbeat, no guitar solo, hand clapped rhythmic pattern, distinctive vocal leap

"yesterday"

intended to be solo ballad by mccartney with acoustic guitar accompaniment, represented their movement away from light upbeat dance songs to their new dont have a formula form

dont have a formula

beatles new style of music, each song became a new adventure

sgt. pepper's lonely hearts club band

album that set new standards for the use of technology, george martins wizardry in the studio played a huge part in its success, took 700 hrs to produce, wide range of instruments and musical styles

"a day in the life"

beatles, offers social commentary about events lennon read in a newspaper int the context of daily life contains reference to drug abuse, 42 piece orchestra layered four times to create an 168 piece orchestra

psychedelic rock

LSD inspired, acid rock, common elements include: deliberate intro of feedback, long jam session versions of rock numbers, drug oriented lyrics, intense involvement of the audience, exotic (Indian) elements

surrealistic pillow

album by jefferson airplane filled with references to drug experiences, includes white rabbit

"white rabbit"

jefferson airplane, reference to british writer lewis carrolls alices adventures in wonderland, lyrics contain overt references to drugs and drug use

describe george martins role in shaping the beatles sound

martin actually introduced the band to the classical instruments used in a lot of their works. he also arranged the instruments the way that they were to create the graceful and powerful sound that was such a key to their sound. lastly, martin encouraged the band to "think symphonically" meaning to take the forms and techniques used in symphonies and use them to create pop songs that still hold true to the elements of rock n roll. martins incredible musical background and willingness to experiment and try new songs worked very well with the beatles and he was a huge part of the reason they were successful

discuss the long term impact of the beatles on popular music in the us

the beatles made rock n roll more than just music for teens, they made it the most popular form of music in the twentieth century. they set a new standard for how pop stars were recieved by having strong personalities opinions and messages. they truly gave pop music its due recognitions as an art form

psychedelic rock has been called a rock substyle defined not by a musical feature but simply by the musics ability to evoke or enhance the drug experience. what traits in white rabbit by jefferson airplane might evoke or enhance the drug experience

white rabbit fts lyrics having to do with drugs and loud intense sections where the music and vocals are both strong. the song has an overall sort of dreary blurry feel to it which also contributes

stasis

the feeling of movement ceasing and time standing still, Indian repetition of melodic patterns

“raga jogeshwari”

Ravi Shakar, Indian