James Brown: The Evolution Of Funk Music

The Miles Davis Quintet was so influential to jazz history because they were able to spontaneously explore changes in temp, mood, and form walked a fine line between hard bop and free jazz that is still used today. The younger member in the quintet also energized Davis so he was playing with such

Until the middle of the 1950’s “Jazz dance” was more commonly referred to as tap dance due to tap being performed to jazz music.

The purpose of this post is to discuss an aspect of jazz that was charged or influenced by race, gender, religion, or another social aspect. I chose to write about a Duke Ellington album, Black, Brown and Beige. Duke Ellington was known for expressing the feelings of African Americans without being angry. However, you could still feel the pain, sadness and angst, and it was always done through a filter, with a feeling of triumph at the end.

A standout amongst the most prominent supporters of the racial refinement of jazz music was African-American jazz artist Duke Ellington. He intentionally coordinated spirituals and racial influences in his music and referenced to African-American history and society in a number of his tunes. While doing this, Ellington deliberately endorsed the idea that jazz music was African-American. Duke Ellington insisted that the music he played was distinctly African-American. He expressed his conviction of this fact by

Birthed in the Mississippi Delta, the blues would have un-denying roots from the South. However, long before any form of blues genre came about, slave music expressed the sorrows of the African American experience. At the turn of the 20th century black communities in the south continued the tradition of musical expression by performing in small shacks all around the Delta. It was in these juke joints, that famous artist such as Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters first performed. With the cotton industry taking a turn for the worst many African Americans were living very undesirable. So, they decided to pack up and head North taking their musical traditions and talents with them.

Starr and Waterman note that “the use of encoded, or hidden, meaning in the blues has its roots in many earlier genres of African American music.” These coded messages often take the form of referencing local landmarks (i.e., “where the southern cross the dog”) and sexual references (i.e., “That Black Snake Moan”). How do these traditions continue to impact popular music? Starr and Waterman note “songs of slaves could embody secret messages that were impossible to state directly in the presence of the masters or overseers.” Why might coded references be used in contemporary music? In which genres do you think this technique is most prevalent? Cite some specific examples of coded messages in contemporary music that reference this

Jazz categories include Dixieland, swing, bop, cool jazz, hard bop, free jazz, third stream, jazz-rock, and fusion. Bebop was the first major leap in creating the cultural phenomenon that was jazz. It gained a massive amount of popularity over a short span. Bebop gained popularity in the 1940’s and the reason bebop stayed primarily in African-American culture was that it was too complicated for white musicians to copy. This brought their culture back into the public’s eye. During the swing era of the 1930’s, jazz culture reached a new level of sophistication. With the great depression still fresh in everyone’s mind, Swing was exactly what the country

Initially, bebop jazz was characterized by significantly more complex chord progressions and melodies with a strong focus on the rhythm section. Although the irregular and unpredictable lengths of solos and increased sophistication made the music less suitable for dancing, it was nonetheless entertaining. Jazz had gained higher respect from a widestream audience, as it was no longer just dance music. Bebop lasted well into the 1950s, and the next stylistic revolution came during the revolutionary decade of the 1960s: fusion. Jazz fusion came into fruition when musicians combined aspects of jazz harmony and improvisation with styles such as funk, rock, rhythm and blues, and Latin jazz. It was during this time that many jazz musicians began to experiment with electric instruments and amplified sound as well as electronic effects and synthesizers. These instruments were common in other forms of popular music yet unprecedented in jazz. Many of the developments during the late 1960s and early 1970s have since become established elements of jazz fusion musical practice, perhaps the longest lasting stylistic showcase of jazz music due to its flexibility as a term. The development of American jazz is staggering and a fascinating study, but the music’s influence also transcends borders. On the tropical beaches of Rio de Janeiro in the late 1950s, students, artists and musicians came together to create a new sound called Bossa Nova. It was the result of

The 1960s was a tumultuous decade for the United States. Along with the escalation of the Vietnam War, this decade was rocked by the Civil Rights movement and the second wave of the Feminist movements, creating an immense amount of social tension. As a result, people turned to politically-charged music, predominantly Rock n’ Roll, to release their frustrations. However, an equally important musical genre, Soul, was left in the background. Despite the fact that Soul music was not as popular in the United States, artists such as Aretha Franklin released many politically-charged songs that advocated for social justice.

Charles Joseph “Buddy” Bolden is considered the father of jazz music. His specialty is the cornet which he played in his band that was discovered as the first group to play jazz music. The rhythm from his talent inspired the perfect sound to dance to. Though his music entertained crowds of people, a recording of Bolden’s ability was never created. It is only up to the imagination of what he really sounded like. After falling into a rut of alcohol, his health started to decline. He experienced headaches, anxiety, and paranoia which led to his enrollment in the Louisiana State asylum. Logically, alcohol was the cause of his behavior but some people think he was under a voodoo curse. In 1931, he died at the asylum where he was capable of playing the cornet until his last breaths. His legacy inspires every upcoming jazz musician today.

Go-go music is a specific type of music that was first started in Washington D.C. go-go music was developed around the mid-1960s to the late 1970s. However, if you are from the DMV area we all know the God father of go-go music was Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers. Go-go music is unique because it has a variety of different sounds. Old school hip-hop, funk, and blues are all factors that play into creating go-go music. A live music scene called Chocolate city in the early 1970s had competitive music. This competitive music is how Chuck Brown and Soul Searchers earned their respect. In fact, in 1978 Chuck Brown big hit “bustin’ loose” was when go-go went big in the Washington, Dc metro area.

“Duke Ellington’s composition was a musical history of African Americans, ‘Black, Brown, and Beige”(Pop Culture of 20th-Century America). He took jazz in a new direction. Duke wrote more elaborate pieces of music that mixed classical and jazz music together. The popularity of jazz led younger black musicians to break into new techniques. Soon after jazz became popular, African American musicians soon became very successful. Playing to audiences of all races. During the depression, big jazz bands gave an upbeat and lively beat for dancing. People often danced to it to forget the

Blues can be called as the generational origin of Jazz. Blues is a kind of jazz that was evolved from style of music and musical form, originated on the American South (Mississippi Delta). Guitar, piano and harmonica (mouth harp) were considered as major instruments of early blues songs. Lyrics were especially related about daily life, sex, love, and money. Blues pieces often express sadness and melancholy. Along with this, Jazz music is a type of music which was originated by interaction between black and Creole musicians and is characterized by improvisation and syncopation, emerging in the beginning of 19th century. Drum set, cornet or trumpet, trombone, clarinet were major instruments played with jazz songs. The Blueberry hill and Cross

James Brown was known for many nicknames such as ‘’Soul Brother Number One’’, ‘’the Godfather of soul’’, ‘’the Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Mr. Dynamite” and even “the Original Disco Man.” As a child Brown picked cotton, danced for spare change, and would even shine people shoes. At the age of 16, Brown was caught and convicted for stealing, and he landed in reform school for three years. While incarcerated, Brown met Bobby Byrd, leader of gospel group that performed at his prison. While Brown tried semipro boxing and baseball, but a career-ending leg injury inspired Brown to pursue music fulltime. Brown joined Bobby Byrd in a group that sang gospel in and around Toccoa, Georgia.

Due to the reputation of Herbie Hancock, there are publications about him, ranging from books, journals, interviews to dissertations. Topics of these literatures cover almost everything about him from Herbie Hancock to his language of music.