Blues

1
Blues

• Evolved from African-American work songs and
  spirituals
• Based on "folk holler" (slaves would holler to
  the empty fields) spirituals
• Lyrics often speak of the agony of desertion,
  betrayal and unrequited love (love not returned)
• One form "levee camp blues" or labor songs.
  Sung during hard, strenuous work

2
Blues

• African vocals with white man's guitar added
• Pattern (12-bar blues) like in Hound Dog
• Bars - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
• Chords I IV I V IV I
• Combination of black melody rhythm with white
  harmony and meter
• Form can change. This is basic framework to
  start with. Musician would improvise with this
  structure in mind.
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vXhULlN_6vfIfeature
  fvwrel

3
Jazz

• Jazz music originated with slaves.
• In the African tradition, they had a single-line
  melody and a call-and-response pattern, but
  without the European concept of harmony.
• In the early 19th century an increasing number of
  black musicians learned to play European
  instruments.
• Another influence came from black slaves who had
  learned the harmonic style of hymns and
  incorporated it into their own music as
  spirituals.

4
Jazz

• Begin with a basic melodies and musicians take
  turns improvising or taking a solo on the
  melody.
• Melody
• Improv

5
Jazz

• Syncopation shifting the accent to the weak
  beat or off-beat

6
Jazz

• Syncopated rhythms reflected African speech
  patterns, and the African use of pentatonic
  scales led to blue notes in blues and jazz.
  (lowered 3rd, 5th, 7th)

7
Ragtime

• Based on the military two-step march
• Rhythms are "ragged" and syncopated (putting
  emphases on weak beat)
• Mostly played on the piano

8
Ragtime

• Most famous ragtime composer Scott Joplin
• Called "King of Ragtime"
• Moved from South to urban North
• Songs "Maple Leaf Rag" "The Entertainer"

9
Famous Jazz Musicians

• Louis Armstrong (called the Great "Satchmo")
  "Potato Head Blues," "West End Blues," "St. Louis
  Blues"
• Duke Ellington "Caravan," "Take the 'A' Train"
• Miles Davis "So What"
• Jazz influenced Gershwin "Rhapsody in Blue"

10
George Gershwin

• Born in 1898 in Brooklyn, NY to Ukrainian Jewish
  immigrants
• Birth name Jacob Gershovitz
• Began musical training at 13
• His first song was published when
  he was 17 it earned him 5.

11
George Gershwin

• Teamed up with his brother, Ira, in 1924 to write
  musical comedies for Broadway
• Went to Paris to study with the same teacher
  Aaron Copland took from. She denied giving him
  lessons because she feared that rigorous study
  would ruin his jazz-influenced style
• While in Paris, he wrote An American in Paris
• Died of a brain tumor at the age of 38

12
Gershwins Music

• I Got Rhythm
• Rhapsody in Blue (rhapsody an instrumental
  composition of irregular form often incorporating
  improvisation)

13
Jazz Music today

• Glenn Miller Orchestra
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vRzMHMWjVZc0
• Ray Charles http//www.youtube.com/watch?vCIqWwiC
  1BFIfeaturerelated
• Many, many more.