"Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis is undoubtedly one of the most essential jazz recordings ever. It is a masterpiece that was recorded in 1959 and skillfully combined jazz, blues, and modal music. It revolutionized jazz and paved the way for a new generation of performers. The album is noteworthy for many reasons, starting with the all-star cast of performers. The album also features trumpeter Miles Davis, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, alto saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley, piano players Bill Evans and Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Jimmy Cobb. These artists were picked for their unique creative skills, and their combined efforts produced some of the era's most beautiful, emotional music.
The album's distinctive style is perfectly exemplified by the first track, "So What." It establishes the mood for what will come with its modal structure and straightforward but gloomy melody. Davis's trumpet playing is subtle but effective, and Coltrane and Adderley's solos are breathtaking. Chambers and Cobb's rhythm section creates a strong base upon which the soloists build.
The 12-bar blues structure of "All Blues," another excellent track on the album, is given a distinctive modal twist. The song's subtle, laid-back groove is its guiding force, and Davis and
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The track "Flamenco Sketches," which includes solos by Davis, Coltrane, and Adderley, could be the best example. Each musician contributes their distinct voice to the composition, but they also pay attention to and interact with one another, forging an incredible unity. The album's production, with its simple style and focus on the performers' performances, is also noteworthy. The recordings were only partially edited and reshot in two sessions of recording. Because of this, the album has a raw, genuine quality uncommon in jazz recordings from the
Elijah Wald published the book Escaping the delta in reference of the music genre of the blues, in which he explains some of the myths that surround the blues genre, in which according to him were misleading about the culture of the genre. Derived from a lot of history, the foundations in which were perpetuated to promote the genre according to Elijah Wald were not accurate, and he tries to explain in detail the misconceptions in the book. One of the main ideas that Elijah Wald tries to explain is the concept of the blues being described as a definite genre. According to Elijah Wald, the genre exists but also does not exists (Wald, p 23 ).
(European Graduate School) In Sonny’s Blues Baldwin shows both his influence of from Black people and drug addiction to the loneliness that situations create and how isolation occurs during troubling times. Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin is a story of struggle and redemption through others. James Baldwin uses the narrator the story from a first person point of view which leads to a sense of disorientation in the reader and contributes to the stories theme of forgiveness.
He told himself “ Sonny was wild, but he wasn’t crazy…been a good boy.” Narrator thought Sony had a potential and didn’t want it to go for waste Ordinary things can be expressed in extra ordinary way. Sonny struggles to be heard throughout the story, especially by his own brother and the only way he knows how to communicate and express himself with his family is through the Blues music. It was his way of reconnecting with his heritage and discovering himself. “Blues is a music genre and musical form originated by African Americans in the deep South.
The music they had use for the performance was gospel and holy blue songs. It is supposed to explore the places of your deepest grief and holiest joy in the soul. Ailey hade debuted Blues Suite a piece that drew the southern roots. This is the ballet that launched the sensational Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.
For Baldwin, the blues are not a specific genre of music, but rather something more universal. The narrator explains that the blues are "the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph" (Baldwin p.139). Given this definition, the story "Sonny's Blues" is a blues piece in itself because it begins with the suffering of two brothers, follows their growing sense of communion, and ends with the triumph of brotherly love over suffering. The narrator admits that this formula isn't new, but claims that "it's the only light we've got in all this darkness" (Baldwin p.139). The story “Sonny's Blues" is an attempt, much like Sonny's actual music, to relate with its audience and, through understanding and compassion, to relieve suffering.
Jake Mercier College Reading and Writing 2040696 3/11/2023 Essay Title "From the Jazz Age to the Present: Exploring the Ongoing Struggles Faced by African Americans in Sonny's Blues and Modern Society" , two crucial components need to be taken into consideration: first, the analytical review of the written piece, and second, its connection to real-life issues. In James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues," we witness the challenges a jazz musician faces while living in Harlem during the 1950s alongside his strained relationship with his brother. This write-up will delve deeper and explore how their hardships relate to modern-day struggles. Music plays a significant role in Sonny's life as it symbolizes artistry and creativity, highlighting society's need for varied cultures within communities.
The term “cool jazz” could describe the style or genre that Stan Getz, Chet Baker, and Miles Davis played, but it should not categorize them as musicians because their talents and versatility extend farther than just a style or genre. Stan Getz became a popular tenor saxophonist during the bop era in the 1940s. Stan Getz is a talented tenor saxophonist whose style became categorized as cool jazz. Chet Baker is considered one of the best “cool jazz” trumpeters besides Miles Davis, but did not receive exposure until the early 1950s with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. Chet Baker is considered to be a “West Coast Style” player that produces melodic ideas, a tuneful quality, and has a style that can be categorized as cool jazz.
Each have their traditions that emerged from the south of America and specially the African-American populations of that region. The musical styles of each are the results of the collision of traditionally African rhythms and musical techniques with European classical and popular music genre. Each are adored American styles of music. Miles Davis “So What” and Robert Johnson’s “Cross Roads Blues” have some similarities and some differences. Miles Davis “So What” is Modal Jazz, used whole band tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Piano, Drums, trumpet, bass, and emphasis on melody and rhythms whereas Robert Johnson’s “Cross Roads Blues” is Delta Blues, used only slide guitar and vocals in his track (solo), and defining Racism, phobia and violence.
The Chicago blues is a subgenre of blues music local to Chicago, Illinois. It 's foundation is revolved around the sound of the electric guitar and its enhancer. In this paper, I will investigate what made is the essentialness of Chicago blues and what prompt to production of this subgenre in the city of Chicago and it 's legacy in the present setting. The blues initially started to show up close to the end of the 1800s after the Emancipation Proclamation.
“In a 1999 interview in The Paris Review, Mr. Wilson cited his major influences…the blues was the primary influence, followed by Jorge Luis Borges, the playwright Amiri Baraka and the painter Romare Bearden” (NY Times). The blues is different from other forms of music because it was only recorded by memory and was passed down through generations of African Americans. It began in North Mississippi in post-Civil War times. The blues music was influenced by African roots, church music, and rhythmic dance tunes which were called jump-ups. An evolution of African music created in the United States by slaves influenced the blue.
That you shouldn’t let your living situations or surroundings determine your outcome. Sonny's Blues shows challenges that troubled the African-American community, and how drugs troubled the young artists and kept them bound like slaves. How those living in Harlem, felt like there was no escape to the poverty that surrounded them. How a young artist was overcoming his demons, with the support of his family and living out his dream. How one has to forgive and not let the past control one’s future, nor let the surroundings of your environment determine where you will go in
Baldwin uses symbols such as ice, lightness and darkness, and jazz music to add more depth and meaning to “Sonny’s Blues.” Throughout the whole story, jazz music plays a major role in defining the characters and culture of Harlem, which is overwhelmed by drugs, poverty, and racism. Jazz music has a different meaning to each of the characters of the story. For the narrator it is a reminder of Sonny’s drug addiction, because he believes that a musician needs to get high in order to play music. However, for Sonny it is confortable to him, he loves to listen and play the music.
The music group Prussian Blue was a music group of twins, Lynx and Lamb Gaede, who were white nationalists and through their music they celebrated Adolph Hitler, denied the holocaust and supported the U.S. hate movement. They used their white power music as a tool to advertise and recruit people to the hate movement (Davis, 2009). Lynx was quoted as saying, "We're proud of being white, we want to keep being white. We want our people to stay white ... we don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle.
“Sonny’s Blues” is not just about Sonny's decisions and struggles but also about how they affect the narrator. This story is as much about family and brotherhood and the relationship between these two men as it is about the character of
Blues music as a genre and form was developed by African Americans in the south of the United States at the end of the 19th century. The genre has origins in many cultures such as in African music, African-American work songs and European-American folk music. Blues music incorporates field hollers, shouts, chants, etc. The blues form, found in jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll, is characterized by the call-and-response pattern, and also the twelve-bar blues structure, which is the most common feature. Early traditional blues verses consisted of a single line repeated four times.