Strange Fruit

One of the most powerful songs ever writtem, Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday was a stark cry against the horrors of lynching. After hearing the song Strange Fruit, please complete the following:

• In the class handouts folder labeled Strange Fruit please review the lyrics of the song
• Complete the question sheet included in the folder.
• Submit your responses.

Thank You

Jazz on the Frontier: Listen Up!

Listening One

Fusion borrowed a number of elements from rock and funk—including electric guitars, synthesizers, electric bass, a straight–four rock drum beat, and repeated simple melodies. Listen to the following musical excerpts and describe the instrumentation, rhythms, melodies, and arrangements that might combine rock or funk concepts with jazz.

• Miles Davis,  “Spanish Key”
• Herbie Hancock,  “Chameleon”
• Weather Report,  “Boogie Woogie Waltz”

Listening Two

Jazz musicians refer to playing “outside” when they test the farthest reaches of tonal harmony in their improvisations. If possible, have a music teacher or student musician demonstrate how “extensions” can be added above simple chords, such as triads, and altered sharp or flat to produce increasingly dissonant harmonies. Jazz soloists developed increasing facility with improvising among these upper harmonic extensions, producing a strange and often disturbing effect to uninitiated listeners. Rhythms might be altered as well. Listen to the following excerpts, and describe moments of the pieces when the musicians play within the expected tonality and moments when they play outside it. Compare these pieces with several others of your choice from previous lessons. Which do you find most interesting? Which do you enjoy the most?

• Eric Dolphy,  “Out to Lunch”
• Cecil Taylor,  “Steps”
• Ornette Coleman,  “Lonely Woman”
• Anthony Braxton,  “W–138”

Jazz: The New Frontier

The 1960's saw great social upheaval throughout America. As it had in the past, Jazz reflected the influence of social change. Please read the NEA Essay about Jazz of the late 20th century as it approached the millenium.

The elements of Bebop: Re-arrangement and re-composition

One of the trademarks of Bebop music is the sometimes sly reworking of well-known songs into newer more intricate versions. This process served a couple of purposes:

1. It was an excellent technical workout for the musicians on familiar material, and
2. It often frustrated the older, established musicians who might know the original version of the song but were unable to grapple with the more complex version.
Here is a classic example of an old standard jazz tune that was rewritten by the bop musicians to challenge and frustrate the less skilled. The original song is called Indiana and the bop version is called Donna Lee

I found two examples that use just saxophone to highlight the diferences...

and now the bebop version called Donna Lee

Do you notice a difference in the way these two saxophonists played the song? Can you think of examples of artists that have reworked other people's music? What are some of the reasons do you feel that reusing familiar material is so prevalent in music and in other aspects of our culture?

Major Artist Interview

We will be doing an interview project with a Major Artist from the history of jazz. Today, I would like you to begin your personal research about the major artists. You will select one to interview. Follow this link to find the list of Major Artists from the Bebop and Modernism period

Listen to the available audio clips and read the brief biographies of each artist. A number of these artists can even be seen in performances on sites like youtube.

For those of you curating a blog, your interview can appear within the blog environment. You should take advantage of the opportunities within the blog environment to include, images, video, audio, links to tangental information, or whatever might add to the interview with your chosen artist.

Once you have chosen the subject artist of your interview, prepare 10 questions for the interview.The interview will focus on questions such as:

• How did you first get involved in music?
• Who were your early influences?
• How do you describe your music?
• Have you worked with any other great musical artists?
• etc.
• etc.
• etc.

Once you have selected your artist, your questions will become more specific to him or her.

You have done elements of the artist interview in the past. If you need a refresher on that assignment or the sample interview, you can check out that blog post here.

This assignment is due by midnight on Friday May 17th. This assignment wil not be accepted late and will count as a double quiz grade. Your completed interview should be in the 750 word range. All sources must be cited. 
The scoring rubric for this assignment can be found by following this link.

The Elements of Bebop: Virtuosity

One of the characteristics of Bebop music that often gets mentioned is the concept of virtuosity. According to sources on the web, virtuosity is defined as...

• technical skill or fluency or style exhibited by a virtuoso
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• total mastery of one's instrument
  www.cgsmusic.net/Classical%20Guitar%20Sheet%20Music%20Dictionary/Classical%20Guitar%20Dictionary%20V.htm
• the artistry, or the degree of rhythm and harmony, displayed while a movement is executed. In general, the more flowing and seamless a series of ...
  www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/2248/vocab.html

Virtuosity is not limited to the world of music. Can you think of examples of virtuosos in the field of your choice? In what ways do they exhibit virtuosity? Feel free to include links to examples (such as youtube videos)

Introducing... Bebop!

Bebop music was a complete rebellion from the often repetitive, arranged life of the big band musician. Characteristics of bebop included lightning fast melodies, dissonant harmonies and smaller more flexible instrumentation. The main proponents of this style were Charlie Parker and 'Dizzy' Gillespie.

Here is the only existing video w/audio of Charlie Parker (along with Dizzy Gillespie).



What are some of your favorite styles of music? How would you describe the characteristics of this music? Try to explain in words what you hear with your ears.

Bebop and Modernism Independent Research

Learn more about bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, Latin jazz, and the artists described in the essay. 
Possible topics include: (1) Dizzy Gillespie’s use of Afro–Cuban musicians and their influence on his music, (2) orchestration and arrangements by Gil Evans, (3) big bands of the postwar period (such as Dizzy Gillespie’s) as compared with bands from the Swing Era, and (4) exemplary soloists and the changing role of drummers in bebop bands.

Your personal research will culminate with a classroom presentation on your chosen topic Thursday May 2nd. This presentation will count as a quiz grade.

Scoring Criteria:
Creativity: 4- exceptional creativity and out of the box thinking, 3- demonstrates a moderate level of creativity and moments of out of the box thinking, 2- demonstrates minimal levels of creativity and little in the way of out of the box thinking, 1- lacks creativity or out of the box thinking.

Presentation: 4- fully engaged and captured the audience, 3- moments of engagement during the presentation, 2- few instances of audience engagement, 1- student as not able to engage the audience

Accuracy: 4- student presentation demonstrates a fully researched and accurate representation of the chosen topic, 3- moments of questionable research or scholarship, 2- many instances of questionable research or scholarship, 1- the presentation did not represent research or scholarship

Sources: 4- student presents a work with at least 3 cited sources, 3- student presents work with at least 2 cited sources, 2- student presents a work with at least 1 cited source, 1- student does not present cited sources

Listen Up! Bebop and Modernism

Example #1

to the following musical excerpts. Note the similarities or differences between bebop and cool jazz, considering musical characteristics such as: (1) instruments, (2) articulation, (3) use of vibrato, (4) dynamics, (5) timbre, (6) phrasing, and (7) rhythmic devices (see the Glossary  for definitions).

• Bebop: Charlie Parker’s Reboppers,  “Ko Ko”
• Cool Jazz: Miles Davis Nonet,  “Boplicity”
• Gerry Mulligan Quartet,  “Bernie’s Tune” (with Chet Baker)
• Dave Brubeck Quartet,  “Take 5”

Example #2

Bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop jazz soloists expanded the jazz vocabulary in the 1940s and 1950s. Their innovations, however, were solidly built upon the work of their jazz predecessors. Listen to the following excerpted trumpet solos. Describe similarities and differences in timbre, phrasing, articulation, use of vibrato, range, dynamics, rhythmic devices, and interaction with other musicians.

• Louis Armstrong,  “West End Blues”
• Roy Eldridge,  “Rockin’ Chair ”
• Dizzy Gillespie,  “Shaw ’Nuff”
• Miles Davis,  “If I Were a Bell”
• Clifford Brown,  “Blues Walk”

Example #3

Vocalists have always played an integral role in the shaping of jazz. Their moans, cries, bent notes, and timbral shadings have long been imitated by instrumentalists. And vocalists, in turn, have often turned their voices into instruments, improvising new melodies with scat syllables of every variety. Listen to the following examples of vocal jazz. Describe similarities and differences in timbre, phrasing, diction, treatment of the lyrics, use of vibrato, range, dynamics, and interaction with other musicians. Do changes in vocal styles reflect innovations in instrumental jazz and vice versa?

• Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong,  “St. Louis Blues”
• Louis Armstrong,  “Lazy River”
• Billie Holiday,  “Strange Fruit”
• Ella Fitzgerald,  “How High the Moon”
• Sarah Vaughan,  “Shulie a Bop”

Jazz, The Beat Generation

This assignment is a follow-up to the reading of the NEA Essay about jazz and modernism. Please review the essay here.

The Beat writers and poets of the 1940s and 1950s, such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, were strongly influenced by bebop musicians. Jack Kerouac, in books such as On the Road, attempted to adapt the rhythms and improvisation of bebop to prose. In a 1968 interview, poet Allen Ginsberg said that Kerouac “learned his line ... directly from Charlie Parker and Gillespie and Monk. He was listening to Gillespie’s ‘Symphony Sid’ and ‘Night in Tunisia’ and all the Bird–flight–noted things which he then adapted to prose line.” Ginsberg himself noted that his seminal poem, Howl, was influenced by tenor saxophonist Lester Young’s “Lester Leaps In.”

The Beats also saw bebop as a form of protest against white middle-class conformity in the post-World War II period. Sal Paradise, a character in On the Road, remarks, “This is the story of America. Everyone’s doing what they’re supposed to do.” Kerouac and other Beat writers saw bebop musicians as rebels and “prophets” that represented the best of American genius and artistic innovation.

**Read the following excerpts from On the Road and respond to the prompt  related to them and the NEA Essay #3**.

“They danced down the streets like dingledodies, and I shambled after as I’ve been doing all my life after people who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes Awww!” (p. 5)

“I was adventuring in the crazy American night.” (p. 100)

“And as I sat there listening to that sound of the night which bop has come to represent for all of us, I thought of my friends from one end of the country to the other and how they were really all in the same vast backyard doing something so frantic and rushing–about.” (p. 12)

“Once there was Louis Armstrong blowing his beautiful top in the muds of New Orleans; before him the mad musicians who had paraded on official days and broke up their Sousa marches into ragtime. Then there was swing, and Roy Eldridge, vigorous and virile, blasting the horn for everything it had in waves of power and logic and subtlety—leaning to it with glittering eyes and a lovely smile and sending it out broadcast to rock the jazz world. Then had come Charlie Parker, a kid in his mother’s woodshed in Kansas City, blowing his taped–up alto among the logs, practicing on rainy days, coming out to watch the old swinging Basie and Bennie Moten band that had Hot Lips Page and the rest—Charlie Parker leaving home and coming to Harlem, and meeting mad Thelonious Monk and madder Gillespie—Charlie Parker in his early days when he was flipped and walked around in a circle while playing. Somewhat younger than Lester Young, also from KC, that gloomy, saintly goof in whom the history of jazz was wrapped; for when he held his horn high and horizontal from his mouth he blew the greatest; and as his hair grew longer and he got lazier and stretched–out, his horn came down halfway; till it finally fell all the way and today as he wears his thick–soled shoes so that he can’t feel the sidewalks of life his horn is held weakly against his chest, and he blows cool and easy getout phrases. Here were the children of the American bop night.” (p. 241)

*Jack Kerouac, On the Road (New York: Penguin Group, 2003).

Describe how Kerouac’s perspective on American culture differs from the traditional middle–class culture of the 1950s. See if you can identify characteristics of the prose that are similar to the musical characteristics of bebop.**

From Swing to Bop! A journey to "modern" Jazz

The big band era brought jazz to it's highest heights of popularity. Many stars  ascended during the big band era (Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra) while other stars were rekindled (Louis Armstrong). Along the way, some of the fundamental elements of jazz were being downplayed. Improvisation was taking a back-seat to group arrangements. Younger musicians, frustrated with the constraints of playing in the big bands, sought a new path...

Please read the NEA essay about the move to modernism in Jazz

Langston Hughes: The Poetry of Jazz

The influence of jazz (the music, the people, the settings) is a major factor in the work of Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes. Here are two poems in which that influence is more easily apparent. The Weary Blues is also accompanied with a video recitation of the poem accompanied by images and a soundtrack of the jazz age. This post has a considerable amount of information and I expect a considerable amount of thoughtful reflection and response. I will be counting your responses as a quiz grade, so substantive responses will earn you higher marks. Your responses should reflect your assimilation of material from all aspects of the course to this point. References to other artists and examples from other readings or recordings will be highly considered.

The Trumpet Player

The Negro

With the trumpet at his lips

Has dark moons of weariness

Beneath his eyes

Where the smoldering memory

Of slave ships

Blazed to the crack of whips

About his thighs.

The Negro

With the trumpet at his lips

Has a head of vibrant hair

Tamed down,

Patent-leathered now

Until it gleams

Like jetWere jet a crown.

The music

From the trumpet at his lips

Is honey

Mixed with liquid fire.

The rhythm

From the trumpet at his lips

Is ecstasy

Distilled from old desire...

But softly

As the tune comes from his throat

Trouble

Mellows to a golden note.

The Weary Blues 

Droning a drowsy syncopated tune,

Rocking back and forth to a mellow croon,

 I heard a Negro play.

Down on Lenox Avenue the other night

By the pale dull pallor of an old gas light

 He did a lazy sway . . .

 He did a lazy sway . . .

To the tune o' those Weary Blues.

With his ebony hands on each ivory key

He made that poor piano moan with melody.

 O Blues!

Swaying to and fro on his rickety stool

He played that sad raggy tune like a musical fool.

 Sweet Blues!

Coming from a black man's soul.

 O Blues!

In a deep song voice with a melancholy tone

I heard that Negro sing, that old piano moan--

 "Ain't got nobody in all this world,

 Ain't got nobody but ma self.

 I's gwine to quit ma frownin'

 And put ma troubles on the shelf."

Thump, thump, thump, went his foot on the floor.

He played a few chords then he sang some more--

 "I got the Weary Blues

 And I can't be satisfied.

 Got the Weary Blues

 And can't be satisfied--

 I ain't happy no mo'

 And I wish that I had died."

And far into the night he crooned that tune.

The stars went out and so did the moon.

The singer stopped playing and went to bed

While the Weary Blues echoed through his head.

He slept like a rock or a man that's dead.

VIDEO OF WEARY BLUES

After reading and listening to the poetry of Langston Hughes, describe how the writer uses the elements of jazz music to influence his writing. Does there seem to be a natural connection between the written word of Langston Hughes and the sounds and style of Jazz? Describe that connection. 

How does the language and imagery Langston Hughes use in his poem match the images and sounds you see and hear in the video?

We have been making the case for language and writing being interlaced with music. What other aspects of our culture get connected with music?

Langston Hughes- The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes is one of the most celebrated of the Harlem Renaissance writers. He wrote short stories, novels, plays and poetry which celebrated the struggles and achievements of African Americans. Often his work was influenced by the rhythms, melodies and themes of jazz music and the  culture of jazz that was at it's height in the 20's and 30's. We will be exploring one of his short stories in an upcoming class, but I'd thought we get acquainted with one of his poems.

The Negro Speaks of Rivers

Langston Hughes

I've known rivers:

I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the

flow of human blood in human veins.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young.

I built my hut near the Congo and it lulled me to sleep.

I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.

I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln

went down to New Orleans, and I've seen its muddy

bosom turn all golden in the sunset.

I've known rivers:

Ancient, dusky rivers.

My soul has grown deep like the rivers.

 From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. Copyright © 1994 the Estate of Langston Hughes. Used with permission.

You can hear Langston Hughes talk about this poem and recite the text HERE

What do you think of this poem? Did your interpretation of the poem change after hearing Langston Hughes speak about the poem and recite the text? Do you think poetry is an effective way of communicating the deep feelings in the human soul? Why or why not?

Jazz and Prohibition

Using the NEA Essay II, discuss the affect prohibition had on jazz music.

• What is prohibition?
• How and why did it affect jazz music?
• Did the law have the intended affect?

Contrasts in Style

Today we are going to discuss the contrasts in style of two famous big band leaders: Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Though their styles have contrast, their overall musical genre (Big Band) is the same.

• Do you listen to any musical styles that have an extreme contrast?
• What examples do you have of musical artists that have contrasting styles?
• How would you describe the contrasts in those styles?

Duke Ellington: Beyond Category

It was often said of Ellington, "He was a masterful pianist but his real instrument was the orchestra he led for half a century."

• Based on what you have seen and heard, what do you think is the meaning behind that statement?
• Duke Ellington's early music was often called "Jungle Music". Listen to the musical clip The Mooche. What are the characteristics of this piece that might lead people to describe the music in that way?

Slang: A Language All its Own

Jazz has introduced and expanded upon many innovations in music. One innovation that has endured is the use of slang terminology. You can see a pretty exhaustive list of often used slang terms right here

So now for the follow-up...

• Why do you think jazz musicians developed this manner of speaking?
• What do you think is the overall intention of slang use?
• Do we (or your generation) still utilize slang terms?
• Has the use of slang terminology evolved over time?
• Care to share any of your favorite slang terms?

Jazz in Literature: The Reunion

Jazz music has had an influence on how people dress, speak and move. Jazz has even been a major influence on the writing of important authors and poets. Early in the course, we read the poem "Jazz Fantasia" by Carl Sandburg. In that poem, Mr. Sandburg was trying to express, in words, all the swirling emotions and sounds of Jazz. Other writers have made Jazz a central theme or plot point in their writings. 

The materials you need for today's class can be found in the following folder in the Jazz History classroom handouts:

• Jazz Writing/ Short Stories

You will read the short story "The Reunion" by Maya Angelou
After completing the story, please respond to the comprehension questions.

This is the first assignment in a series of projects about Jazz in literature.

Duke Ellington's Sidemen: The Colors of the Orchestra

Duke Ellington’s Sidemen

The unique sounds of Ellington

This list represents a sampling of some of the many musicians who passed through the ranks of the Ellington Orchestra. The unique sounds they created set a standard for artistry that has never been surpassed in Jazz music.

Harry Carney- Baritone Sax- A full rich sound, Carney had the longest tenure with Ellington. He developed a practice of circular breathing in which the player can continue to blow out through the mouth while inhaling through the nose. It allowed him to sustain notes indefinitely. “Sophisticated Ladies”

Jimmy Blanton- Double Bass- Also called the string bass, this instrument was still playing simple bass parts similar to a tuba until Blanton revolutionized the instrument. He could improvise like a horn player and create stunning intricate lines and fills. “Jack the Bear”

Bubber Miley –Trumpet- Bubber was the originator of the “jungle sound” of Ellington’s music. He growled into his horn and used a mute to create menacing sounds that became a trademark. “East St. Louis Toodle-oo”

Tricky Sam Nanton- Trombone- Sam Nanton took the growling muting effects of Bubber Miley and transferred them to the trombone. His unique results were an eerie human voice quality that defies description and must be heard to be believed. “What am I Here For?”

Johnny Hodges- Alto Sax- Hodges had a uniquely beautiful sound on the alto sax. It was described as “excruciatingly beautiful” by Ellington. He could bend and slide notes on his instrument like no other player before him. The results are a wonder to hear. “Passion Flower”

Cootie Williams- Trumpet- Cootie could play all styles and had a wide range of sounds for the horn. He could growl, play muted, play with a big beautiful open horn sound and improvise. Ellington considered an integral part of the band and would often compose pieces to highlight his versatility. “Concerto for Cootie”

William “Cat” Anderson- Trumpet- Cat Anderson was a high note trumpet specialist. His dramatic screaming trumpet became a necessity in the big band repertoire for excitement and power. “Blue Jean Beguine” 

The Classic "Cutting" Contest

The Cutting Contest has been a proving ground for jazz musicians for as long as there has been jazz.


Please read the following book excerpt about one of the most famous cutting contests of all time.

• Write a brief synopsis (summary) (75-100 words) of the book excerpt.

• Your synopsis should include the major players of the story and the basic storyline.

• You also need to answer the following question in a separate paragraph:

• Why do you think there are so many different accounts of the same event? What do you think really happened at the Cherry Blossom in Kansas City, Missouri? 

This assignment will count as a quiz grade

Assignment due: 3/20/13