Swingin On The Housetop Analysis

For this analysis on Louis Armstrong’s West End Blues, I am going to concentrate on Louis Armstrong and how influential he was in the birth of Swing. He was extremely innovative in the way he played his instrument. Louis Armstrong had a brilliant trumpet sound. His power, range, and his rhythmic approach are all trademarks of his playing in the 1920s and 1930s. West End Blues is still considered one of the most influential and classic pieces in the Jazz Industry. I will explain why by breaking down the song utilizing the five elements of music; form, harmony, texture, melody, and rhythm.

The pieces were quite odd for me at the first time, first hearing, but I got used to it at the end of the each piece. “The Gospel Train” and “Little David, Play On Your Harp” were African-American Spiritual songs, which I kind of enjoyed, because I was also, very spiritually active. The last song, “Precious Lord Take My Hand” was very calming songs. I liked the lyrics of the song. The lyrics were very touchy that it made me ponder after the applause.

In order to see the parallel between the novel and jazz, one must first see how Ellison incorporates jazz music in the prologue of the novel. He not

First, the overall tone in all three pieces was phenomenal, but there were a couple spots during the performance that were not as amazing as the rest of the performance. In the first song, Hamilton by Jerry Brubaker, it was hard to hear certain sections

In my opinion, that is the reason why we listened to this piece of music. To try and be exposed to a work that has a large supply of instruments and a choir at the same time. From listening to it, they did a very good job of incorporating the choir with the music. The choir was also very synchronized as well. They did not get too high or too low as a group. One of the differences with this piece of music is they incorporate different types of music and the choir sings from the very beginning. One thing that was very enjoyable was how strong and powerful the choir sang at the end of the piece. Once, again, the most difficult thing about listening to this piece was the lack of understanding any of the

Overall I actually enjoyed the piece more than I thought I would. It had a nice tempo that allowed listeners to be engaged and even when the volume dropped the violins played a softer texture as if they were inviting you to listen closer and pay more attention. Generally, the theme was also joyful which I took notice of and enjoyed. Lastly, I didn’t notice any musical mistakes, and thought the piece was well played.

“Walkin and Swingin” is a piece of jazz performed by Andy Kirk and his band, the Twelve Clouds of Joy, that could be described as light, bouncy, and perhaps easy or even uncluttered. This was written by Mary Lou Williams for Andy Kirk and is a thirty-two bar piece with four choruses. However, the length of the sections is handled differently, with the last chorus section being shortened to six bars after the transitions between different instruments, from the saxophone and brass to the piano (seen from 2:16 to about 2:24). The song overall has a light tone, and has many instruments that contribute, including two alto saxophones, one tenor saxophone, three trumpets, two trombones, a guitar, a piano, a bass, and drums, as observed from the written sheet music. The piece is different from others in multiple ways, perhaps the most noticeable being the piano solo played by Mary Lou Williams, the multiple solos played by members of the brass instrument section, very quick but effective transitions, and the overall swing groove of the music. There is also a walking bass used at the bridge, and a very intriguing trumpet lead of the brass instruments.

The flute solo blew me away. I have never in my life encounter such an excitable energy. It authentically intrigued me and I customarily do not aquire to the musical taste that is on the more classical side, but I was veraciously drawn by not just the overall quality of the sound, but how the piece just flowed beauteously and all the instruments meshed together, seamlessly. This piece, above all the others connected to me in some way. It made me cerebrate of times that I have had over summers in my life, of me driving either on my own or with my family to go to the beach and optically canvass the sunrise. It just reminds me of the placidness and tranquility that I had experienced. It seems to give me a sense of tranquility and avails me to elude all the stresses for just a brief moment in time as I fixate on each note and fixate on each instrument, and then the piece in its

Jazz, for me, is a musical, projective verse that idealizes American democracy by poetically allowing individuals to improvise and produce music that speaks about their life and their struggles. Jazz was a way for individuals in the early 1900’s to escape the Victorian social norms previously established at the end of the 19th century. The course readings helped me the most to develop this working definition of what jazz means to me conceptually. One of the readings that spoke the most to me was Charles Olson’s “Projective Verse”. This allowed me to realize that each note played by a jazz musician, although played fast and in rhythm, has meaning. Each breath that a jazz

Armstrong’s rendition of the song is a fairly typical example of typical jazz in the 1920s both lyrically and musically. The performance futures Armstrong’s trumpet and singing front and center in the performance with a drum set, trombone, clarinet, and piano in the background. The Song has a very bluesy feel much like a lot jazz of the time. This moody feel steams from the minor cord progression that the

Once we understand how improvisation plays a role in the overall tune of jazz, we can then look to how jazz is communicated. To musicians, jazz is a language. It doesn’t limit to a yes or a no, but instead it communicates feelings that show our anger, happiness, sadness, and everything in the middle. It is unique in that it seems to transcend tradition language barriers. Though a man who speaks Spanish and another who speaks English cannot understand what the other is trying to say, jazz has a way that communicates the feelings behind the words, that

To me, jazz gave off a mature aura of life, as if it was a stereotypical kind of thing you would hear in a 1920’s club, people seated around a white-clothed table that was tipped off with a name place.

As is so often the case in jazz, when a style or way of playing becomes too commercialized, the evolution turned in the opposite direction. A group of musicians, who had something new to say, something definitely new, found each other reacting against the general Swing fashion.

This tune should have a straight eighth-note feel throughout. Make the introduction very strong, as it sets up the piano groove to follow. The piano player should be careful not to clip the syncopated eighth notes short while playing the groove, as it’s the soul of the tune. Be sure to watch intonation on the trumpet/alto saxophone melody. With the saxophone counter lines, be very subtle. When trombones enter at measure 28, play the comping figures crisply, but not rushed. We restate the introduction at measure 45 - 48, and then we’re off to the first solo section.

Being a Jazz enthusiast, it has always been a dream to be able to bring together a group of established and gifted musicians, working and playing on an original. I am honoured to be able to fulfil this dream and bring to you this extraordinary