2 - Hillbilly, Big Band, Blues Flashcards
Who listened to jazz in 1920s? What changed?
the small hot combos lead by louis armstrong, ragtime influenced stuff was listened to by African American listeners and white jazz connoisseurs, so wasnt a huge audience
changed = 1930s popular music and real jazz combied into swing!
Why called swing?
- rhythm is spontaneous, more danceable
- groove, bounce, spurs you to move!
- 4/4 time signature easy to dance but 6/8 in there to make it more interesting
What were some of the differences identified between swing and classical jazz?
classic
- “sweet”
- Guy lombardo, sammy kaye
- whites with mind, calculation, feminity
swing
- “hotter”
- count basie, duke ellington, benny goodman
- black musicians with body and natural spontaneity
How does race further tie into jazz at this time? defining factor?
black band leaders had a bit more of a lively presence and fsaster, spontaneous (relates to ragtime and how TPA songs were adjusted by af amer groups by not adhering to the paper music)
white band leaders were more even beat, composed, structured, proper
defining factor: RHYTHM
How did the race dochotomy shift?
ragtime and golden era pf jazz and TPA gave rise to “prchestrated” jazz style that both black and white musicians liked, wanted to grow with their own innovations
Why did race and hillbilly music come in? Who advertising to?
realzied the differences between black and whte music creation and listening, so figured why not create distinct categories of music for those and market them to them!
To the two diffferent southern groups
People migrating to train for war and because of other war related things so can target those groups specifically
What was hillbilly music like? Song names?
brought populat songs from the time and added their own personality and flair
yodelling, banjo, harmonica and spoons, fun lyrics, more about the story/lyrics than the groove/rhythm
names were often humorous
When was the term race record first used? What did this music sound like/influenced from?
first: Ralph Peer 1892-1960
sound: influences from jazz, gospel, blues, string, jug and washboard
What is blues?
- describes a feeling: ive got the blues
- style: intensified speech, narrow range, rough, inflected timbre, gritty, imperfect texture
- BLUES FORM: 12 bar chorus, AAB text, base chord for first bar, second starts with 2 higher beats, 2 back on base chord, then 3rd bar is 1 beat highest beat (climax), next beat is the 2nd chord, then resolves last 2 beats to base chord
Who is Mamie Smith? Songs? what impact did she have?
QUEEN OF THE BLUES
songs: crazy blues, its right here for you, if you dont get it taint no fault of mine
impact: enough success as af amer recording artist to open it up for more to follow, created blues marketed to and for af amer, by an af amer!
Where was classic blues performed? Who?
high class nightclubs! more performance aspect
- Alberta Hunter
- Ethel Waters
- Gertrude “Ma” Rainey (rougher style)
- Bessie Smith (rougher style)
Who was the Mother of the BLues? Empress of the BLues? Where did these two develop their singing styles?
mother = gertrude ma rainey
empress = bessie smith
d: in rough and tumble black vaudevill and tent shows - ORIGINAL kind of vocals, indiviaul
Who was Bessie Smith? Where born, style/voice? Why impactful?
Empress of the BLues!
- most important and influential of female blues singers from early 20th century
- born tennessee
- blues singer style, even when performing vaudeville numbers
— majestic voice
- cenrepiece of Columbia;s race record lables
impact bc she was a leader! people looked to her to say what they could not, asked her to sing and soundtrack the events/state of their lives
Who was WC Handy? Instruments, accomplishments, influences? biggest hit?
Father of the Blues!
- most innfliential of classic blues composers
- dad was conservative pastor who forbade him from learning guitar so he played cornet isntead
- went to college ad became schoolteacher
- cofounded first af-amer-owned publishing house
- music influenced by both TPA and af amer folk
hit: St Louis Blues 1914
