The King of Pop- Michael Jackson

My final post will be on the King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson. He was a legend of the music world and no matter what he did in his personal life many have to agree that his music is phenomenal and will live on forever.

He was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana. His family was working class and at the age of 5 he joined his three brothers Tito, Jermaine, and Jackie in a singing group. Later when his other brother Marlon joined the group then they became the Jackson 5. They started small only playing at local gigs. When they began opening for other groups and finally got recognized by the Motown record label. They were signed to the label in 1968. They were relocated to Los Angeles and their first album was released in January of 1970. They were an instant success.

At the age of 13 Michael launched his solo career as he continued performing with the Jackson 5. For the next few years both Michael and the Jackson 5 kept a busy tour and recording schedule. They even had their own cartoon show during 1971 to 1973. Conflicts led to the Jackson 5 leaving the Motown record label in 1975. Jermaine stayed with the label and began his own solo career. After leaving Motown the signed on at Epics Records and younger brother Randy joined the new group called The Jacksons.

From there Michael’s music career took off. His songs reached the top of the pop charts and his album Thriller had 7 top 10 hits. His music video to his song Thriller pushed him over the edge. He was a household commodity and everyone wanted to listen to his music. He signed an endorsement deal with Pepsi-Cola. He was badly injured while filming a commercial for Pepsi-Cola and received burns to his face and scalp. After undergoing surgery to repair the damage many believe this was when he began his obsession with plastic surgery. Short after he left The Jacksons to focus on his solo career.

His solo career kept soaring to the top and as he kept producing number one hits, rumors of child molestation and many other things occurred. He married Lisa Marie Presley in 1994, but they got a divorce in 1997. Later that year he married Debbie Rowe and they had two children, Prince Michael Jackson in 1997 and Paris Michael Jackson in 1998. Michael later had a third child with an unknown woman. The child was named Prince Michael Jackson II, nicknamed “Blanket”. Rowe and Jackson divorced in 1999 and received custody of their two children. From then on his life was in the news, rumors floated around and he was charged with molestation.

Although his personal life was media frenzy, his music is what I will always remember and love. His music is the way he should be remembered not all the crazy stuff he did or was accused of doing. What he did does not matter anymore, since he died on June 25, 2009. We should now let the past go and just remember the days of a young Michael Jackson belting out A B C, it’s easy of 1 2 3. I choose to remember Michael before all the plastic surgery, back in the Jackson 5 and when his solo career was just taking off.

His music is some of my favorite. As a young child he could hit the highest notes and all the Jackson 5 was phenomenal to listen to. His music is just awesome; there is no other way for me to describe it. Some of my favorites are ABC, Thriller, I’ll be There, Man in the Mirror, and so many others. His music will live on forever and he is the King of Pop and forever will be.

For more information:

http://www.biography.com/articles/Michael-Jackson-38211

Pictures from:

http://static.gigwise.com/gallery/1-Jackson5.jpg

http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/michael-jackson.jpg

Folk-Bob Dylan

Born Robert Allen Zimmerman, Bob Dylan came into the world on May 24, 1941 in Minnesota. During high school he created his own bands and was greatly influenced by early rock stars. During college, while he attended the University of Minnesota, he began playing folk and country music in cafes. It was then he changed he began using the name Bob Dylan, “after the late Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.” In 1960 he dropped out of college and moved to New York to pursue his dream of playing folk music. While in New York Dylan befriend the legendary Woody Guthrie who was dying. They became good friends before Guthrie’s death. He wrote and produced a wide variety of albums over the years. Some criticized him when he changed styles and some of albums were not very popular and very few copies were sold. He took a lot of heat from his folk music fans when he began playing the electric guitar, and he never regained their support. After a near fatal motorcycle crash in July of 1966, he spent a year in seclusion recovering and when he left finally left his seclusion the next albums he wrote were country, and the not the famous folk that he was known for. He wrote a song after his split with his wife trying to win he back, although it didn’t work. He became a born again Christian, but that soon faded from his music as well. In 1989 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and in 1994 he returned to his roots and won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for his work World Gone Wrong. In 1997 he was the first rocker to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, which is considered the highest honor for a musician.


Like every great musician while his music life was booming his personal life was a roller coaster always going up and down. After a romantic relationship with Joan Baez, a key figure in the 60’s protest movement, he wrote many of Baez’s material into music. He married Sara Lowndes in 1965 and they divorced in 1977. They had four children together: Jesse, Anna, Samuel, and Jakob. His son Jakob is the lead singer in a rock band that is on the up and up.

Although Dylan in 68, he shows no signs of slowing down, he continues to tour and even released an album in April of 2009. He is a legend in the music world and will forever be remembered when he passes on.

I listened to some of his music as well to accompany this post. One of his most famous songs, that I had no idea h e had even written is Knocking on Heavens Door. I watched a performance of this song on YouTube and I love the harmonica around his neck. That just makes me laugh because my high school American History teacher loves Bob Dylan and has a poster of a young Dylan on his wall and I saw it every day in class. Dylan’s voice is not what many would consider the best. It is bluesier and sort of rougher. His political music is well written. Some many criticize h is music, by his words hold truth. I like his music it is a nice change of pace from the norm of what is popular today. His political and folk music is moving. All of his music that I have heard had a nice rhythm and beat to them.



For more information:

http://www.biography.com/articles/Bob-Dylan-9283052



Picture from:

http://nicolasramospintado.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/bob-dylan.jpg

The Legendary- Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley

This week my post is about two of the most legendary musicians of the 20th century. Ask almost anyone is they have ever heard of them and the answer is yes. This week I will be exploring the history and music of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley.

Johnny Cash was born in 1932 in Arkansas. He was one of 7 children and as child he worked in the fields with his brother, sisters, and parents. During his hard childhood music was an outlet for the Cash family. His mother would sing folk songs and hymns. When he was 12 and starting playing the guitar and singing his mother saw the greatness in him and scrimped and saved to send him to singing lessons. After Cash went to three his teacher told him to leave and never take lessons again, his voice was so unique and perfect the way it was his teacher did not want to mar it in any way. After Cash graduated from high school he went to Michigan and got a job sweeping the floors at a GM plant, but that wasn’t for him and soon after he joined the Air Force. He was stationed in Germany where is listened in on Soviet radio frequencies. During his stay in Germany he and fellow servicemen formed a band and sang in the clubs. After Cash was discharged he settled in Memphis and married a girl he met during basic training in Texas, Vivian Liberto. He worked as an appliance salesman and formed another music group with some local mechanics. In July 1954 Elvis cut his first record and the mania began. Cash went to the same record company and soon he was cutting records there too. In 1957 his first record hit the sales rack; the father of two girls had just taken his first step into the music world. After his popularity gained he moved his family to California. His tour schedule was crazy; he was performing 300 nights a year. With the intense tour schedule Cash became addicted to alcohol and drugs. Vivian fed up with his addictions filed for divorce and left Cash and took their 4 daughters with her. Cash spiraled out of control and his addictions grew. It wasn’t until 1967 when he met fellow singer June Carter this his life turned around. She helped him beat his addictions and they married in 1968. They had one son. Cash’s career boomed after that, he recorded a lot of music and hosted a TV show. Cash underwent surgery when his body finally began to show the harm he did to it with all the drugs and alcohol. He was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He continued to record up until his death in 2003. June died in May of 2003 and Cash was quoted saying that that he had to have something to work on or he would have had no reason to live. He lived long enough to finish the album he was working on; he died after it was done. His music will live on forever. His affair with June Carter was made into a movie called Walk the Line. He still influences young musicians today and will forever be remembered as a legend.

Elvis Presley was born in 1935 in Mississippi. His twin brother was a still born at birth, so Elvis was an only child. He was a devoted child. He began playing the guitar at the age of 10 and won his high school talent show. After high school he worked odd jobs and cut his first record in 1954. From there his career boomed. He recorded countless music and appeared in numerous movies. His dance moves while criticized by some helped him grow in fame. His gyrating hips are legendary. Even when he was drafted to serve in World War II did not dampen his popularity. While serving in Germany during World War II he met a young teenager named Priscilla Beaulieu. After leaving in the army in 1960 he resumed his music career and movie career. His popularity began to wane, but in 1968 his first television special revitalized his popularity. In 1967 he married Priscilla and the next year they have a daughter, Lisa Marie. But by the 1970s his marriage was falling apart and they divorced in 1973 and Priscilla gained custody of Lisa Marie. After this his addiction to drugs and alcohol kept growing. After his last performance of his tour in Indianapolis, Indiana he went home to Graceland and died of heart failure in his sleep. He died on August 16, 1977 at the age of 42. His music and dance moves are legendary, fans from all over still travel to Tennessee to visit his home Graceland. He will forever be remembered.

I have heard both songs by Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley before. One of my favorites be Johnny Cash is Ring of Fire. His voice is so gravely and the song has a catchy beat to the song. This song is simplistic in the melody line, but it is still a great song. Sometimes simple is better than all the fast paced licks. I was first introduced to Elvis’s music when I saw the movie Lilo and Stitch. Since then I love his music. I’m not sure I could ever pick a favorite. His music is so retro. It is the early kind of rock and roll and it is simplistic in its style. His music is just great to listen to.



For more information:

http://www.biography.com/articles/Johnny-Cash-9240610?part=0

http://www.biography.com/articles/Elvis-Presley-9446466



Pictures from:

www.cmt.com/sitewide/assets/img/artists/cash_johnny/photo_gallery/folsom_prison_legacy_collection/johnny_cash_folsom_prison_01_1-x600.jpg

http://www.michaelarnoldart.com/elvis-presley-photograph.jpeg

Rock & Roll-Chuck Berry & The Beatles

This week is dedicated to those legends in Rock &Roll. I choose to write about Chuck Berry who many consider “The Father of Rock & Roll” and The Beatles are one of the most famous groups in the world and was classified as Rock & Roll in the 60’s. So here they are some legends in the Rock & Roll world.

Chuck Berry was born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis. He was raised in a working-class neighborhood. He was proud of both his African American and Native American ancestry. His early musical influences came from church, the radio, and school. He was sentenced to 3 years in a prison for young offenders for armed robbery when he was in high school. When he was released he worked miscellaneous jobs until he decided to go for a recording contract and he moved to Chicago. He was introduced around and got a recording contract and his first recording session happened in 1955 at the age of 29. His song was in the pop charts for 11 weeks and got as high as number 5, from then on the recorded better and more popular music and toured extensively. As he recorded more music his band took on a rock and roll feel that all the teens loved. At the peak of his popularity he was charged for allegedly transporting and under age female across state lines for immoral purposes. After two trials with racial overtones he was convicted and sent to prison. When he was released again he continued recording music and quickly climbed up the charts again. It was at the time that the British invasion happened and his music influenced some of its prime movers like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. In 1972 Berry finally got his first number one hit. In the 70s and 80s he recorded every now and then, but he toured a lot and most of the time his band comprised of local musicians. Chuck Berry experimented with a wide variety of genres of music. He was on the fore front of what was new and popular. In 1984 he was awarded the Grammy for lifetime achievement and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. His music is so wide that almost everyone can find a song they fall in love with. He inspired and helped shape so many musicians. Who knows how far music history would have been set back if Chuck Berry hadn’t been here to push the evolution of music with the creation of the genre Rock & Roll.

The Beatles were influenced Berry when they can to the US and were popular during the British invasion. While they were only together for 10 years they are still a big name almost half a century later. The Beatles went through many name changes and people joining and leaving before they became the foursome we know and love today. The group recorded their first song on October 5, 1962. From there the rest is history. They kept recording and by 1963 Beatle mania had hit everyone, they were no longer playing as back up bands and opener in clubs they were the main show. They were in the big time. They became so popular in American because people were ready for happy and fun after mourning the death of John F. Kennedy. They revitalized the waning interest in rock and roll as the big names left and faded from the lime light. The Beatles brought happiness back to Americans and rock and roll into the mainstream. Their rise to fame was so fast that they were blinded by the limelight and egos swelled. They were introduced to drugs and after their manager died from an overdose things went downhill. Ringo left the band because he felt left out and John and Paul fought about who would lead the group. They went up so high so fast that they lost who they really were; simple British boys who just wanted to play music. They will forever be remembered through their music and the many emotions people felt when listening to their music. They are rock and roll legends and will continue in their popularity even though they are no longer together.

I listened to some of my favorites by each of these artists since I had heard them both before. I love Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode after I heard it in a movie on TV. The beat and melody sets toes tapping and everyone can feel the rhythm. It is a light hearted and peppy song. The guitar and the piano together are really good. It’s just a good song to listen to. His other music is similar all face paced and peppy and light.

The Beatles are another favorite of mine when I want to listen to something not made in the last 10 years. Their music is similar to Chuck Berry’s music in stylistically. They are both rock and roll in genre, but The Beatles are mellower in their music. They Beatles aren’t as faced paced as Chuck Berry, at times their music sounds blue grassy. They also used other instruments than the classic rock and roll guitars, drum set, and keyboard. In some of their songs it sounds like there is a harmonica and in others it sounds like there are violins or something similar to that. There music is so innocent in context. There music is about life and not about drugs, sex and alcohol like so much of today’s music is. They are just nice to listen to on a beautiful fall day like today.


For more information:


http://www.biography.com/articles/Chuck-Berry-9210488?part=0

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Beatles-Biography/9B5665A6978FDF4B4825685D00067CE3

Pictures from:

http://radiorefuge.890m.com/images/berry3.jpg

http://thebeatlemania.googlepages.com/beatles-the-the-beatles-1192706.jpg/beatles-the-the-beatles-1192706-full.jpg

The Blues- Bessie Smith and B.B. King

This week I picked 2 blues artists to write about. I chose Bessie Smith one of the most famous blues singer and sometimes called The Empress of Blues and B.B. King who is a famous blues guitarist.

Bessie Smith was born in 1894 into poverty. She was one of 7 children. Her father died soon after Bessie’s birth and her mom and two brother died before she was 8. After her mother’s death a maiden aunt raised Bessie and her remaining siblings. At a young age Bessie realized her unique voice and sung on street corners for money while her brother played guitar. At the age of 18 she was working in a minstrel show that was not the best environment and led to her future alcoholism. In 1923 Bessie was discovered by a record company and over the course of 8 years recorded at least 160 titles. Her popularity grew fast and she sang with some of the best in the jazz world. Then the Great Depression hit and jazz and blues waned in popularity. It wasn’t until 1937 when America went crazy for swing music that Bessie regained her popularity. She was a very adaptable singer and quickly adapted to singing swing music to support herself. She did marry during her years of fame, but it ended in a bitter divorce in 1929 as she struggled with her addiction to alcohol. Bessie Smith lost her life at the age of 43 when she was in a car accident and died. Over 10 thousand fans attended her funeral. She had become the best selling recording artist of her time. She was referred to as “The Empress of the Blues” because of her phenomenal voice and success singing. She influenced the next generation of jazz singers, most notably Billie Holiday.

B.B. King, born Riley B. King, was born in 1925 in Mississippi. His parents separated when he was little. He lived with his mother until she died. It wasn’t until a few years later that his father found him. King worked on a cotton plantation making $22.50 a week as a child. It was while working on the plantation that his love of blues was created and nurtured. King was quoted later that as he listened to his music then in 1988 that he could hear sounds of his childhood echoing back at him. He sang gospel in the church choir. Even though at the time blues was considered the devil’s music King still listened to recording of early blues musicians. His farm boss loaned him enough money to buy a guitar and take lessons. From there he grew into the famous blues guitarist he is today. He was soon making more money playing on the street corner on Saturday then he made all week at the plantation. He then decided to move to Memphis for the musical environment he dreamed of being a part of in 1948. King served a brief time in the army and afterward moved in with his cousin who was also a blues guitarist. While trying to copy his cousin’s style his own developed. King impressed a local blues musician and was given his own radio show and gigs at a local music establishment. His trio became very famous. They were the known as “the “Beale Street Blues Boy,” which was shortened to “Bee-Bee” and then to his famous initials.” After his growing popularity King decided he wanted to record his music. He recorded a lot of music over his lifetime. In the mid-1950’s he was performing over 300 times a year. He won many awards for his music and played with many other musicians. He played in prisons a lot and he won a Grammy for his recording of a concert at San Quentin. Over his lifetime he was married and divorced twice and had 15 children. He still performs many times a year and his music will live on forever.

I listened to some of B.B. King’s music. His guitar playing is phenomenal. As I watched the youtube videos I could see the joy spread across his face as he played. It was obvious to me how much he loves playing the blues. His music is nice to listen to. It sounds sad and bluesy just by the notes he uses and the rhythms. It is amazing to me how much emotion you can get from the different notes you play and how the rhythm and notes together can paint a picture. B.B. King truly is amazing in my mind and his music is good to listen to when you get in a mood for something sadder.

I also listened to Bessie Smith singing. Her voice is just perfect for the blues. It has a gravelly quality that is nice to listen to. Her voice like B.B. King’s playing expresses so much emotion and feeling. She was a great singer and will influence many young singers over the years. Again, she is good to listen to if you are in the mood for something sadder to listen to.



For more information:

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Sc-St/Smith-Bessie.html

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Jo-Ki/King-B-B.html

Pictures from:

http://www.freewebs.com/birmingham-schools-kick-racism-out/Site%20Pictures/bessie-smith.jpg

http://confessionsofafanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/cover__300rgb.jpg

Famous Jazz Singers- Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan

This week is focused on famous jazz singers. They helped add to the music with their singing through the emotions their voices could project. I will focus on two famous jazz singers, Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan.

Billie Holiday was born in 1915. At birth she was given the name Eleanora Fagan, but adopted the name Billie from one of her favorite actresses. Her parents were unmarried at the time of her birth; even though they were married later he never lived with them. As a child Billie worked at a young age cleaning a house of prostitution. It was then she first heart Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith’s music floating out the open windows. She moved to New York with her mother and applied to sing in a Harlem night club. When she sang on a recording for someone and more recordings in the following years she hit it big. By the late 1930s she was internationally known. Some Billie’s best work was recorded with tenor saxophonist, Lester Young. Though they never married they were labeled to soul mates and their relationship “is the stuff of legends.” Billie was arrested for illegal drug abuse and one time she even requested to go into rehab where she remained for a year and a day. Both of Billie’s husbands had no effect on her and could not keep her away from illegal drugs. By the 1950s Billie’s phenomenal voice had be strained by all the alcohol and marijuana. Her voice was unnaturally deep now and would sometimes crack during a performance. She died in 1959 from congestion of lungs complicated by heart failure. At the time she was under arrest for possession of illegal drugs. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000 as an early influence of rock and roll. Her life began terribly and when she had finally achieved greatness illegal drugs and alcohol destroyed what she had achieved. Her music is still listened to and loved today as the sad truth of Billie’s life reverberates throughout her music.

Sarah Vaughan was born in 1924 in New Jersey. Her parents were amateur musicians and she began learning the piano, organ, and singing in the church choir by the age of 7. After winning an amateur contest she was hired as a singer and back-up singer in an orchestra. A year later some of the group split to make their own group and Sarah went with them. In this new group she was greatly influenced by two of the musicians in the group, Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Her singer began to imitate those of the instruments. She only stayed a year with them before leaving and starting her solo career, she was 21 at the time. In the following years she sang in many genres and with a wide expanse of groups and people. She had perfect pitch and her voice was that of legends. While her professional life was so successful her personal life was that of many other famous people. She was married and divorced 4 times. She also had a daughter. One of the many awards she received during her long and fruitful career was the 1982 Grammy for best Jazz Vocal Performance. A few months before her death she began working on another album. The last song she would ever record was called September. She died of lung cancer in her Los Angeles home in 1990 at the age of 66. Her voice some would describe as a gift from God. Over the years she shared her special gift with so many and her repertoire was vast. She will always be remembered by her phenomenal voice.

This week I listened to Billie Holiday music. My favorite is her singing Strange Fruit. Her singing is phenomenal and expresses so many emotions and feelings just by the way she enunciates the words or the way she sings it. We voice sounds so smoky and is just perfect for blues songs and jazz. She was so great at singing and will forever live on in music history. Her voice is not an everyday thing. I also listened to some of Sarah’s music. My favorite of her music is You’re Not the Kind. Her voice is almost complete opposite of Billie’s voice. It is not rough or smoky at all. Her voice is so warm and rich. I can see how people said her singing sounds almost like musical instruments. Her range is simply amazing, to sing three octaves is unheard of and impossible for most singers. These two women were amzing singers and I am glad I had a chance to listen some of their music. Listening to them makes me wish I could sing like that.

For more information see:

http://www.notablebiographies.com/He-Ho/Holiday-Billie.html

http://www.bookrags.com/biography/sarah-lois-vaughan/

Pictures from:

http://www.austinlindy.com/Sound_of_Jazz_Cover.jpg
http://api.ning.com/files/DpI9-ez3TiGL3fBTQGjH4tTLROZ4RWaK6j1yvJSceP3eC8gyQiAg3vGYwyhEEjtmdxR9tArMNAFxs6nyYIHptJI1PHfVSEWh/Sarah_Vaughn.jpg

The Pianists part 2- Count Basie and Bill Evans

This week there are even more jazz musicians. I focused on two famous pianists in the genre of jazz. They are Count Basie and Bill Evans.

William “Count” Basie was born in New Jersey in 1904. He learned to play piano from his mother. In his younger years he played in some groups until he joined a group called the Walter Page Blue Devils. Basie was doing well in the group until he found himself stranded in Kansas City when the group broke up after a performance. After that Basie went from group to group, forming new ones when the old fell apart. He finally had his break when a wealthy jazz aficionado heard him and his band playing on a local Kansas City radio station. From there they added more members and moved to New York City and in January 1937 Count Basie recorded his first record. By the next year they were internationally famous! Over the following years members came and left and they toured the world. It was Basie’s simplistic piano style and the rhythm section that made them such a hit. In 1976 Basie suffered a heart attack and afterwards when seen performing on stage in an electric wheelchair. He died in 1979 from cancer. He received many awards during his life including numerous Grammy Awards. His music is still listened to and loved today.

Bill Evans was also born in New Jersey, but he was born in 1929. He was classically trained on the piano and also studied other instruments. He went to college and received multiple degrees. After serving in the army a short while he performed in dance halls. It was in the dance halls that he was discovered. After that day he recorded numerous albums, performed with other well known jazz musicians of the time, and toured the world. He gave performances to pack houses everywhere. Evans had found his niche in the jazz world by playing in trios with a bass player and drum player. It was in this setting that a lot of his music was composed. His last trio formed in 1978 helped to energize him since he seemed to be sick all the time. Even though his health was getting worse Evans refused to slow down and kept up a rigorous performance schedule. It wasn’t until he finally had to cancel an event. He was taken to the hospital on September 15, 1980. It was there that he died from a bleeding ulcer, cirrhosis of the liver and bronchial pneumonia. He “was a prolific and profoundly creative artist.” He also received a few Grammy Awards and will forever be remembered in the history of jazz.

I listened to both artists work this week, like normal. I listened to Count Basie’s Orchestra playing Every Day I Have the Blues. I like the groove of it, also the fact that there is a singer. Sometimes it is just easier to listen to music if there are words to follow and relate with. I like Basie’s music. It is nice and easy to listen to and has a good beat that makes my toes start tapping. His simplistic piano adds to the overall music in a positive way. I also listened to Bill Evans’s Waltz for Debby. It has a catchy melody to it. It is similar to classical music at points before the swing beat comes back and the jazz style reemerges. His music is also nice to listen to and relax. These pianists are very talented and their music is so great to listen to and I like them a lot.



For more information:

http://www.billevanswebpages.com/billbio.html

http://www.swingmusic.net/Count_Basie.html

Photos from:

http://library.umkc.edu/spec-col/ww2/PostWarWorld/images/basie.jpg

http://myromancemovie.com/images/Bill_Evans.JPG

The Pianist and the Bassist- Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus

Jazz musicians continue this week as I listened to music by some famous jazz pianists Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus.

Duke Ellington was born in 1899 in Washington D.C. to a secure middle-class family. His family encouraged Ellington to develop and express his musical side and he started playing the piano at the age of 7. During high school he became engrossed in his musical studies. He received an award to attend music school, but he decided not to go and instead went to New York and began performing in nightclubs. He began performing professionally at the age of 17. He led a sextet that grew into a 10-piece ensemble. Ellington had a gift for enthusing his performers to perform their best and showcasing his soloists’ special talents. The solos of his trombonists and trumpeter influenced his “jungle style” in Ellington’s early works. As Ellington’s group grew in fame he had the best of the best in his band and they traveled all over the world. They toured Europe, Asia, South America, West Africa, Australia and North America. Over the years Ellington produced a wide variety of music that was simply amazing. He led the band up until shortly before his death. He was such a great band leader that he had a member in his band for 47 years. He is one of the great jazz musicians and band leaders of all time.

Charles Mingus was also a pianist, but was also a bassist. His musical taste was influenced by church music. He was trained in classical music and composition. His other great influence was listening to the greats of jazz. He toured with some of the greats in the jazz world. He settled in New York and played in some of the up and coming jazz bands and he developed into a great bandleader as well as a phenomenal pianist. He also founded the “Jazz Workshop” which was a group that let young musicians record and perform their music. Over the years Mingus composed over 300 scores and recorded over 100 albums. Mingus traveled extensively throughout Europe, Japan, South America, Canada, and the United States. He stopped touring 1977 when he was diagnosed with a rare nerve disease and was confined to a wheelchair for the final years of his life. He still composed music up until the end even though he couldn’t write or compose at a piano. His final works were sung into a recording device. When Mingus died he was mourned by many. His music is still listened and admired today.

This week I listened to Duke Ellington’s C Jam Blues and Take the “A” Train. In C Jam Blues I like the way the soloist all jive together and they fit together very well. It is great to hear good musicians jive together. In Take the “A” Train I love how well he plays. It sounds great and is nice to listen to when you are trying to relax. He is a great musician to listen him just soloing and it is also great to listen to his groups performing because of how he brings outs the best in all his soloists.

I also listened to some Mingus music to go along with this post. I listened to a solo done by Mingus. He has a good groove and sounds so cool. He also plays well in a big band setting. His playing is so cool, the things he can do just surprise me. It makes me wish I could play a bass at all and as well as Mingus. All of his music I listened to was phenomenal.

Duke Ellington and Charles Mingus are two greats in the jazz world. If you like jazz at all I would recommend listening to these two artists.

For more info please see:
http://www.biography.com/articles/Duke-Ellington-9286338
http://www.mingusmingusmingus.com/Mingus/index.html
Pictures from:
http://rhapsodyinbooks.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/duke_ellington_03.jpg
http://www.africanafrican.com/negroartist/JAZZ%20IMAGES3/slides/charles%20mingus.jpg

The Saxophonists- Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane

So, this week I am continuing with famous jazz musicians. This week’s musicians are saxophonists, Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane.

Ornette Coleman was born on March 9, 1930 in Forth Worth, Texas. He started playing alto and tenor sax as a teenager and had gigs “in dance bands and rhythm-and-blues groups.” His style was unorthodox and was rejected in Los Angeles. He kept working on his unorthodox sense of harmony while working as an elevator operator and playing on a plastic saxophone. In the late 1950s Coleman formed his own quartet so he could solo as he wished. After recording two albums he moved to New York where his radical style for improvisation was still not accepted. In the 1960s Colman taught himself to play violin and trumpet in unorthodox ways. By the 1970s he was performing erratically and preferred to spend his time composing music. He continued to play in many different groups in the coming years and traveled the world giving performances. In 2005 Coleman recorded a live performance in Italy of a song called Sound Grammar. It was said to reflect back on his music of the 1960s and he was “awarded the Pulitzer Prize for music in 2007.” Coleman influenced other saxophonists and other jazz soloists. His music still influences young musicians today.

John Coltrane was born on September 23, 1926 in Hamlet, North Carolina. His father played several instruments, so Coltrane learned to play the clarinet and E-flat horn. In high school his music interests changed and he learned to play the alto sax because of his change in music. He continued his music education in Philadelphia while he went to school and worked at a record company. He was called to service during World War II and served in Hawaii in the U.S. Navy Band. After the war he played tenor sax in a band. He played with different groups, but it wasn’t until he performed with Miles Davis in 1958 that his own musical awakening began. By 1960 he had formed his own quartet. It was with his group that his musical brilliance came out. He recorded many of his most famous songs during this period of time. John Coltrane died in 1967 after liver disease claimed his life, still years and years after his death his music still lives on in motion pictures and TV shows. His music is referenced in many film projects, such as Mr. Holland’s Opus. I still remember watched that movie in 9th grade Life and Careers class. Even though he died at the age of 41 his music lives on and on. Good musicians who have the talent to influence others decades after their death are the best of the best. John Coltrane is one of the best of the best. His music received many awards after his death, including Grammy Award for Best Jazz Soloist Performance for his album “Bye Bye Blackbird” and in 1997 was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.

I listened to some of Ornette Coleman’s music. It is interesting to say the least. His style is not something I would want to listen to all the time. It sounds like a bunch of annoying squawks and there is so much dissidence that I had to stop listening to it before I ripped my hair out. It sounds like a bunch of chaos as they all solo at the same time. I guess I just prefer musicians who play the correct chord changes and solo one at a time with a good groove going in the background.

I also listened to some of John Coltrane’s music. He is so much better after listening to Coleman. His music is more structured and actually has a melody instead of random notes and runs everywhere. I listened to one of his more famous pieces May Favorite Things. This song was used in the movie The Sound of Music. I like the jazzy feel of it while I follow the melody and words I learned from the movie. His music is nice to listen to. Plus saxophones are bomb. Yeah, I play the alto saxophone.

These two men changed the way jazz was played, listened to. In brief they helped to revolutionize jazz music.



For more info see:
http://www.biography.com/articles/Ornette-Coleman-9253139
http://www.johncoltrane.com/biography.html

Pictures from:
http://www.born-today.com/btpix/coltrane_john.jpg
http://home.att.net/~dawild/oc.gif

Jazz Trumpeters- Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis

The next few weeks I'm going jazz. This week is dedicated to two phenomenal trumpeters, Louis Armstrong and Miles Davis.

Miles Davis grew up in well to-do East St. Louis. He made a trip to New York saying he was attending Julliard Music School, but his real purpose was to hook up with other jazz musicians. Over the years he formed many different groups and help to revolutionize jazz. He was always trying something new and always had the best up-and-coming young artists. He went through his own trial and tribulations of drug abuse and other things. He was always up to trying something new and formed the first professional nonet, a group of nine musicians. He did not discriminate when choosing musicians for his group, as long as they could play well that was all that mattered. He had a skill for meshing many different styled musicians and making it work. His solos are not fast licks in the upper octaves, but rather lower notes at a slower pace and with the spacing of his solos. Also, many members of his bands went off to form their own groups. One blogger comments that very “few trumpet players could match the quality of his tone and no one has changed jazz as many times or spawned as many jazz leaders as Miles Davis.” I agree wholeheartedly with that statement.

The next trumpeter is Louis Armstrong. He grew up poor in New Orleans. He first learned to play the cornet while in reform school after shooting a gun in the air on New Year’s Eve at the age of 12. After he was done with that he was back to selling stuff and working to survive. It wasn’t until he met Joe “King” Oliver, who acted as his mentor and taught his how to play the cornet better. Over the years he played in numerous groups, went through numerous wives and traveled the world. When he went to Chicago as a young man early in his career his New Orleans style of playing was all the rage and other bands from New Orleans traveled to Chicago to bask in the craze. Louis Armstrong was known as “America's Ambassador” since he traveled across the country and the world wowing audiences with his band. Because of his great influence of the jazz work ever since 1974 high school jazz bands throughout the country have been honoring their most outstanding jazz students with the Armstrong Jazz Award. Every year, at my high school and many others, at the final band concert of the year the Armstrong Jazz Award is given to a senior who has displayed their love of jazz music and their skill at playing. Louis Armstrong lives on with this award and through his music.

I listened to both of these artists this week. Davis likes to have silence when he solos instead of playing as many notes as he can as fast as he can and as high as he can. Just listening to some on his pieces I am awed at his skill and love of the music. I love to listen to jazz music, but failed at the playing part and was terrified of soloing.

Louis Armstrong’s music also is quite phenomenal. One of his most famous songs is What a Wonderful World. I had heard this song many times, but had no idea that the great Louis Armstrong was its creator.



For more information:

http://www.redhotjazz.com/louie.html

http://www.miles-davis.com/timeline

http://airjudden.tripod.com/jazz/milesdavis.html

Pictures from:

http://eleetmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/miles_davis1.jpg

http://alexpantarei.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/louisarmstrong.jpg

SOUSA: THE MARCH KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who has knows anything about marches knows who the March King is, John Philip Sousa. Sousa was born on November 6, 1854 in Washington D.C. His father was a trombonist with the United States Marine Band. His music talent was nurtured when it became apparent at a young age that he was gifted. He organized and led his own ‘quadrille orchestra’ at the age of 11. He was active in all sorts of music groups and was tutored by many as he grew and his musical abilities grew. He directed theater orchestras and became determined to compose orchestra music for the theater. Since he worked as a director he became adept at changing and tweaking music to fit the band and performance venue and it was then his composing career began.

At the age of 25 he accepted the position as Director of the United States Marine Band. It was during his legendary 52 year career as director that he became famous. He wrote well over 100 marches during him years. His musical El Capitan “is believed to have been the first musical by an American composer to enjoy a successful run on Broadway.” His musical genius for composing military marches in legendary. Who know what he would have created if did not accept the position as Director of the United States Marine Band and stayed in the theater world. One of his major music influences was Mozart, another famous child prodigy and composer.

This week I did not listen to as much of Sousa’s music because I have played some of them in band class. I love Sousa’s piece The Stars and Stripes Forever. I like the face paced beginning and the loud and soft changes and how it is so energetic and yet difficult to play at points. I also like how the listener feels like the music is speeding up, even though it really is not. Who doesn’t love a good loud ending with a lot of crashes and booms? The piccolo solo is so amazing to listen to and surprising that anyone could play it. I had the pleasure of listening to the President’s Own Band and they had at least 6 piccolos playing in unison the tricky licks and it was just phenomenal to listen to.

Another of my favorite Sousa pieces that I also am playing is Presidential Polonaise. It is less march like than many of Sousa works, but you hear the classic Sousa touches of fast paced music with a lot of dynamic contrast. It is in the classic march style with the loud faster beginning and then the quieter trio and then it becomes louder and returns to the main melody line. This song is more or a dance, but it sounds so cool. It still surprises me that with the tricky licks Sousa writes that we can still play them separated and cleanly articulated.

If you like Sousa more famous pieces try looking for some of his less know pieces and experience the brilliance of Sousa.

For more info on his history check out:

http://www.8notes.com/biographies/sousa.asp

http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/John_Philip_Sousa_24864/24864.htm

Pictures from:
http://www.marineband.usmc.mil/imgs/sub/library_archives/1892palacehotel.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/JohnPhilipSousa-Chickering.LOC.jpg

The Classics: Take 2

So continuing with some of the classic artists, this post will be about two child prodigies, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Mozart was born in 1756 in Austria. He grew up in a very musically inclined family and composed his first song at age 5. By age 6 he and his elder sister were traveling Europe and performing. At age 9 his first song was published, over the following years he traveled Europe performing and wrote countless songs. He died in 1791 at the age of 35. In his short lifetime he produced over “20 operas, about 14-15 masses, 30-40 concerts (piano and violin), 50-60 symphonies, and 20 sonatas.” His music is still performed and listened to today.

Beethoven was born in 1770. He too was exposed to music at an early age and performed publicly by the age of 7 and half. His father said he was 6 at the time so Beethoven always thought he was younger than he really was. Before the age of 12 he had published his first work. His father was an alcoholic and Beethoven slowly replaced his father as the bread winner of the family. He traveled to Vienna to further his musical education and wrote many pieces over the years. He died in 1827 at the age of 55 after getting a cold. His funeral was attended by “between 10,000 and 30,000 people.” He was a great musician and his music also is still known today.

I listened to music by each composer to get a feel of their work. A favorite of mine by Beethoven is Ode to Joy. I learned to play it as a child when I studied piano briefly and it will always be a favorite of mine. I love the rise and fall of the melody and how the same lilting phrase is repeated a couple times, then changes and becomes more. Here is a humorous rendition of the song by the Muppets Meep Meep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpcUxwpOQ_A&NR=1

I listened to Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21. I liked the beginning of it because it reminded me of music out of Pride and Prejudice. Overall it was a nice piece, but after so long I get bored of music with no words unless I’m the one playing it. It was a beautiful piece that would really cool if I could play it myself.

From last week’s composers I listened to the Prelude of Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1. It also reminds me of Pride and Prejudice. It’s a great piece to listen too. I like just listening to the prelude because it was short enough that I didn’t lose interest. It is another great piece of music.

The final song is listened to was the Overture from Handel’s Messiah. It was quiet and slower at the beginning, but then it picked up and was nice to listen too. The soft and loud points of the recording were great and make me wish I did half of what they did when I perform music. It was another great piece, one that is still being performed today and will forever be performed.

I only listened to one song and a few renditions of that song by these four composers. They all have countless songs out there and countless renditions so if you like one on the composers check out his other music for more you may like.




More info at:

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-29-2005-64987.asp

http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Bio/BiographyLudwig.html

Pictures from:


http://www.1902encyclopedia.com/M/MOZ/mozart-01.jpg

http://robertarood.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/beethoven.jpg

The Classics 1

Music has been around since the dawn of time and people who have influenced music are numerous. Some of the very first are from the baroque period of music and the 18th century. There were two great musicians from this time period. They were Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.

Bach was born in Germany in 1685. He came from a musically inclined family. He could sing very well, his father taught him to play the violin, and he learned to play the organ like his brother. When Bach’s parents died in quick succession he went to live with his brother. It was then he learned keyboard instruments form his brother who was an organist. At the age of 18 he was hired as an organist. When he was 20 he went to visit another church and hear its organist. He was so impressed he stayed 4 months and when he returned he began to write his own organ preludes. Bach moved from church to church until he obtained a job as court organist to Duke Wilhelm Ernst. After obtaining this job his output of music increased greatly. He became very popular with the royalty that he was offered another job with Prince Leopold. It was during this time of his life he created instrumental works and was in great demand. When he later moved again he created a lot of choral music.

Bach’s music did not directly influence his predecessors in music. By the 19th century his music was rediscovered and was found to be a great resource to train young musicians and became the core or classic music. His music is still studied today because of the harmonization Bach used. He understood in music in a way that no other musician ever did. He died at the age of 65. He was totally blind the last year of his life. His sons followed in his musical footsteps. Bach was married twice and fathered 20 children.

Handel was also born in Germany in 1685. Handel was a master of 18th century opera. He composed his first opera at the age of 19. He traveled to the center of German opera and from then went on a sojourn to Italy to further study his new obsession of opera. After Italy we went to England and continued to produce more operas and oratorios. He became “one of the most important practitioners of late Baroque opera seria.” His opera Messiah became well known and put him into the main stream. Every small town had a performance of his oratorios. Messiah “remains one of the most widely performed pieces in the entire classical repertoire.” Unfortunately, it does not lead performers to investigate Handel’s other works.

Both Handel and Bach influenced the flow of music during the 18th century. Even if their genius wasn’t properly appreciated until later years they still influence music today. Most beginning instrumental books have a selection or two by Bach and Handel. They are some of the greats of classical music. Their music has survived over 300 years and will continue to survive and inspire young composers as new music in created.



For further information and readings visit:

http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102084300

http://www.8notes.com/school/history/Handel.asp

http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ba-Be/Bach-Johann-Sebastian.html

Pictures from:


http://www.justonic.com/images/bach.jpg

http://z.about.com/d/musiced/1/0/o/8/handel.jpg

Hi, my name is Erin and this blog was created for my English class. During this semester I will be posting about musicians and composers who changed and greatly influenced music and how their influence is still alive in today's music. The musicians/composers will be from all genres and types of music and all different times periods. There will be some classical composers from the 1500s and some more modern like Ray Charles and Lead Zeppelin. I will also include some jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and other greats such as them. There will also be a post on the March King, John Philip Sousa!!! That was my inner band geek coming out. I hope to cover a wide range of musical legends on this blog. Hope you enjoy reading what I write about some of the world's greatest and most influential musicians!!!