May 19, 2004 09:35
Katie Rowe
5/18/04
PD 3
1. Jazz
There are many types of Jazz: Blues, Be-bop, Cool, Swing etc. Common Jazz instruments are the guitar, saxophone, drums, and bass. Jazz can either be up-beat or mellow, and is usually played in clubs. It was vitalized by the Harlem Renaissance in the early 1920’s. It was mainly used and played by the African American population, and became a staple in the American entertainment diet.
Scott Joplin: A famous Jazz artists who followed in Fred Stone’s footsteps who published “Maple Leaf Rag”. After being turned down by two publishers, John Stark publishes it, and “Maple Leaf Rag” sold over one million copies within a year.
2. Blues
Is also another type of Jazz, whose lyrics are somewhat depressing and
melodramatic. It became popular in the early 1900’s and is still popular today.
Main instrument was the Horn.
W.C. Handy: Blues went into full tilt in the 1914 when W.C. published “St. Louis Blues”. It was a popular hit, and started Europeanization of the Blues.
3. Boogie
Also called Boogie Woogie, another type of Jazz, and related to Blues. Boogie was more upbeat, a tune you could dance to, and was very popular in the 1920’s through the 1950’s. It was played mostly on the piano.
Jimmy Yancy: He was a noted pianist and influenced many young artists. He ended every song in an E Flat, which gave a defining finish to every performance.
He played lightly and rapidly, rather then with a defining “bang” on the keys.
4. Country
Began in the early 1920’s and is popular through today. It’s started out as the Honky Tonk sound of the south. Bars in Texas and Oklahoma were packed with people wanting to hear the country twang of steel guitars and drums. It morphed into the Nashville sound in later years.