MHL 145 Chapter 6 Essay

According to The Edinburgh University Swing Dance Society of the Edinburgh University Students' Association, Swing dancing is a style of dance that was originated from Harlem, New York with Afro-American Roots. Although originating with Afro-American Roots, I do know that many other cultures and races take part in this form of social dance, and it is not segregated to one race specifically. When in the act of this dance, one should feel as if they are “swinging.” Swing Dancing developed as a swing style from jazz music from around

Jazz was a hit in the 1920s, African Americans were given credit for leading the jazz industry, the Jazz industry had an amazing impact on many other popular cultures. Jazz was the favorite type of music among the flappers. The Jazz age was known to be powered by the prohibition of alcohol.

Thesis: Although Jazz music was first introduced over 80 years ago, the genre still influences artists and the new music they make to this day.

Jazz music is another thing that had a big hit on the 1920s. “Jazz influenced all aspects of

Our music industry would not be what it is today without one of America’s greatest music legends, Duke Ellington. He made major breakthroughs at a time when the odds were against him. He was born Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974) (Tirro 1993). He was a natural and has many life achievements that have contributed to the genre of jazz. He was a catalyst in his era. His music spoke to the soul. He defied the odds with his musical accomplishments. It was not everyday blacks were awarded the opportunity to shine in America’s spot light.

Duke Ellington's pre-eminence in jazz is not only because of the very high aesthetic standard of his output and not simply due to his remarkable abilities as a pianist, composer and bandleader, but also to the fact that he has extended the boundaries of jazz more than any other musician, without abandoning the true essence of the music. Perhaps no other American musician left such a massive and challenging legacy in composition and performance.

By the late 1920’s Duke was performing in Broadway nightclubs and made hundreds of recordings with his bands, as well as preforming in films and on the radio. Duke’s fame rose to the rafters in the 1940’s when he composed several works including “Concerto for Cootie,” “Cotton Tail” and “Ko-Ko”. Duke’s most famous jazz tune was “Take the A Train”. It was Ellington’s sense of musical drama that people loved so much. Duke brought a level of style and sophistication to Jazz that it had not seen

The swing era was vast and equally varietal. From Benny Goodman to Chick Webb or Artie Shaw each had their individual 'sound'. Moreover, this separated them and gave them their own appeal to the masses. However, The swing era occurred at a time when racism and prejudice still had a strong foothold in public eye. While playing swing did allow a member of a minority to have some freedom from this prejudice, they still could not expect the same treatment as the white players. In The Swing Era: Pure Pleasure swing was described as an escape for people who are “down on their luck.” Moreover, Swing gave people hope and a place to break free and forget about your trouble. This is most likely why swing climbed so aggressively into popular culture.

Duke Ellington shared an interesting viewpoint of authenticity in Black culture in response to the critics that accused him of “watered down” and “inauthentic” music. Ellington believed that Black aesthetic guided the primary principle that underlies the work of African American artists and he under minded Negro music being part of categories like jazz and swing, while defining his music as part of something bigger

During the early 20s to late 30s “Swing” dancing and music quickly became popular across America. The swing era was about dancing, without dancing there would have been no swing era. According to the video “Swing Thing” people thought said Swing was labeled as dangerous music white adults thought that it made you have sex with people. Swing has thrown up some of the most iconic stars of the 20th century. With people like Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and George Gershwin, this music style developed into one of the catchiest and most popular style of the mid 1900s. Even though that was more than 70 years ago, Swing continues to influence modern music today. The catchy beats, improvisation, and scat are all still a huge part of modern Jazz

A lot of changes affect jazz and it has benefitted from them in many different ways. The changes in production and style of Jazz music are highly attributed to shifts in economic well being, as well as events such as Prohibition. Jazz has changed a lot, and has had many different stages throughout it’s history. Economic collapse and the invention of household radio were a major catalyst in the evolution of jazz. The prohibition of alcohol -and in turn the lifting of this ban, caused a drastic change between soloist jazz and big band. The changes in production and style of Jazz music are highly attributed to shifts in economic well being, as well as events such as Prohibition.

To begin with, jazz evolved due to the popularity of big bands like the Duke Ellington Orchestra that brought this art form to the people in different places. Duke Ellington was a significant bandleader and musician

In this paper, I am going to discuss the early jazz influences on the 1965 recording of ‘Feelin’ good’, recorded by Cy Grant featuring Bill LeSage. I will also be looking at the origins of jazz music, and how this genre has shaped the music that we still listen to today. Most notably, I will be looking at jazz music from the early 20th century to the mid-20th century by discussing the different styles of jazz that were derived from certain parts of America. For each of these sections I will select a famous artist per style and write a detailed response to one of their most successful workings, including a brief history of the artist and what influenced them in their work. In this paper, I will start by discussing the central piece that my essay is based on, ‘Feelin’ Good’, as well as looking at other covers of the song that have been recorded since its first recording in 1965. Next, I will explain the roots and origins of jazz, and when it became popular in Western culture. I will then talk about the musical elements of jazz, and how these elements define the genre. I am then going to discuss the different styles of jazz that spanned over two decades from 1920 to 1940. Of which include, jazz in the ‘Dixieland’ era of America in the 1920’s, moving onto the swing in the 1930’s and finishing with the big band style which brings us into the 1940’s. I will be using research I have found both online and in books which I with reference throughout, and in my bibliography. I will

Bebop was one of the first styles of music to be classified as "modern" jazz and not as popular as swing music. Bebop melodies were very difficult, full of notes and off-beat. It was hard to dance to. It is a different kind of jazz that not everyone can play. Swing Era has also been called the Big Band Era. Majority bands usually had a featured vocalist and each band had a recognizable feature. Dancing was very important in the Swing

Swing was the dominant idiom of the 1930s and much of the 1940s. Basically, it was a form of dance music played by a large band, and was the medium through which most white Americans first heard Jazz (Schuller,1989). Although the decade 1935-45 was called the Swing Era, swing arrangements had been played by large bands beginning in the 1920s. Bandleader-arrangers Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, and, later, Count Basie, worked out arrangements for their 10 to 12 piece bands, which, unlike traditional jazz bands, were divided into instrumental sections.