Essay about Jazz and Culture - 1460 Words

Jazz and Culture Never is the inadequacy of language more apparent than when trying to discuss or describe music. There is a colloquial axiom that suggests that talking about music is like dancing about literature. What words are sufficient to explain your favorite album to a person who cannot hear? There are none. James Baldwin, in his story â€Å"Sonny’s Blues,† does as well as anyone can: â€Å"Creole began to tell us what the blues were all about. They were not about anything very new. He and his boys up there were keeping it new, at the risk of ruin, destruction, madness, and death, in order to find new ways to make us listen. For, while the tale of how we suffer, and how we are delighted, and how we may triumph is never†¦show more content†¦The two New Orleans subcultures combined African rhythms and European harmony to create a distinctly American form of music. As Weinstock notes, â€Å"The multiplicity of ethnic, cultural and musical conditions needed to spaw n Jazz was †¦ unique to the United States, and specifically to New Orleans. The necessary philosophical impetus for Jazz,†¦democracy and freedom of individual expression supported by group interaction, are also American institutions.† And so, in 1895, a cornet player and bandleader named Buddy Bolden began playing improvisational music that was unlike traditional Western music because it was not transcribed before it was performed. Jazz relies heavily on improvisation, often by several musicians improvising simultaneously, and many of the best of the early jazz musicians could not even read sheet music. Musicians like Freddie Keppard, Bunk Johnson, Clarence Williams and other African-American and Creole musicians in New Orleans were some of the first who played this free-form polyphonic music. A second wave of musicians that included Joe â€Å"King† Oliver and Jelly Roll Morton, who claimed to have invented jazz in 1902, built on what those before them had started and began playing more complex and faster on-the-spot compositions. Their up-tempo playing became known as â€Å"Hot Jazz.† King Oliver, thoughShow MoreRelatedJazz And Jazz Culture1273 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is culture? What is African culture? What is Jazz music and where did it come from? How can one culture, in a sense, impact the musical landscape of the whole Western world and eventually assimilate into ‘pop’ culture? If we want to truly understand jazz and it’s concepts, we have to navigate through history and explore it’s roots. Simply put, jazz is African American music, and the genre, as we know, formed in New Orleans. However, the origins of jazz started well before then, in Africa. TheRead MoreJazz Influence On American Culture2034 Words   |  9 Pagesstyle of music that was created in the 20th century, Jazz has had a major impact on American culture. Originating from work songs African American slaves used to sing on plantations, the foundations of jazz first began as a three piece music group using instruments like the Fiddle, Banjo and the drum. These instruments formed a style known as Ragtime, which can be recognized as one of the first styles that marked the birth of jazz. Although jazz grew out of a lifestyle shaped by plantation life, overRead MoreJazz in the Culture of Nazi Germany Essay1185 Words   |  5 PagesDifferent Drummers: Jazz in the Culture of Nazi Germany by Michael Kater There has only been one moment in history when jazz was synonymous with popular music in the country of its origin. During the years of, and immediately prior to World War II, a subgenre of jazz commonly referred to as swing was playing on all American radio stations and attracting throngs of young people to dancehalls for live shows. But it wasnt only popular amongst Americans; historian Michael H. Kater, in his bookRead MoreJazz Has Been A Part Of American Culture Throughout History1372 Words   |  6 PagesJazz has been a part of American culture throughout history that is still being explored today. Jazz has a rich history that goes back many years. Jazz has also developed into many different styles that trace to places all around the world. There have been many jazz musicians throughout the years. Jazz music has a very complex, but good musical tune and instrumentation to it. Jazz had started, when musicians came to New Orleans to play, most of the people that came to play were former slaves ofRead MoreEssay on How Did American Culture Change During the Jazz Age?1140 Words   |  5 PagesWhat was the Jazz Age in America? Also known as the Roaring Twenties’, it was when American ways were beginning to modernize. Before the stock market had crashed and the Great Depression started, culture was booming in America. Dance was changing rapidly and new styles of dances were being created. Women began to wear shorter clothes, cut their hair, and some even had jobs, while the Flapper girls gave other young women an outlook of freedom. People began to go see films and movie stars became famousRead MoreThe Meaning of Jazz in African American Culture Particularly in Harlem During the 1950’s2384 Words   |  10 PagesThe Meaning of Jazz in African American Culture Particularly in Harlem During the 1950’s In the Baldwin’s story, Sonny’s Blues, the author portrays African -Americans in the urban life. Even though he writes about reconciliation of two brothers, who are trying to overcome their differences and to come to understand each other, the story shows the meaning of Jazz in African American culture, particularly in Harlem during 1950. The urban life in Harlem has being described by many authors, includingRead More Jazz Essay1045 Words   |  5 PagesJazz John F. Szwed resides in Connecticut, and he is currently a professor of anthropology, African-American studies, music, and American studies at Yale University. He has written seven books on music and African-American culture and numerous articles and reviews on similar subjects. Szwed has received honors including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Rockefeller Foundation Humanities Fellowship. Knowledge of jazz has fallen far behind its development. Most people do not know the facts onRead MoreThe Spread of Jazz and the Effects on Society1288 Words   |  6 Pagesopportunities for black performers; revisionist histories abound, especially in the development of jazz music, as the invaluable contributions of the black artists preceding the jazz movement often had their story rewritten to assert the development of jazz music by white artists instead. Despite these challenges, the growth and spread of music in this era was ultimately a positive influence on black culture. In addition to priming the nation for the eventual slow acceptance of race, music afforded blacksRead MoreNotes On Dance Appreciation Da 101-011152 Words   |  5 PagesCatherine Baggs Jazz and Tap Dance There are various types of dances. However, in many forms, tap and jazz dances are very popular because they include diversified styles. In the 19th century, these dancers began to form and develop in the United States. Unlike the other dances, tap dance and jazz dance are blended from different dance forms. They are considered as the arts, and reflect American cultures as well. There are some ethnic dances that contribute to the development of tap and jazz dances. TapRead MoreJazz Music : An Ultimate Value Of Art1018 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Jazz music is America s past and its potential, summed up and sanctified and accessible to anybody who learns to listen to, feel, and understand it. The music can connect us to our earlier selves and to our better selves-to-come. It can remind us of where we fit on the timeline of human achievement, an ultimate value of art.† -Wynton Marsalis. Jazz was born in the United States, to be precise it was born in New Orleans. Jazz has a big part in the world’s history and is a part of their culture