The Swing Era - 1940s

March 23, 2014

(Two people dancing to Swing music)

     Jazz was the type of music that played out throughout the 1920s and a little of the 1930s. Then, in the 1940s came a new type of music that was played throughout the 1940s. The 1940s were known as the Swing Era. Swing music was a spin-off of Jazz. What is swing music? Swing music is a style of jazz. Swing music is often arranged for a large dance band. It has a smooth beat and it's very flowing. 

Origin:

     Swing music was popular in America in the 1940s, but, that's not where it originated. Swing music can be traced back to African-American dances in the 1800s. Especially in the places where they danced to ragtime music. In the 1920s, bits and pieces of black dances started to come together in a part of New York City called Harlem. Dancing was important. These amazing dancers got together in a section of a ballroom known as the "Cats Corner." The name Swing came from a reporter who asked "Shorty George" Snowden what dance he was doing.  

Purpose:

     Swing music had a great impact in the 1940s. Swing music was way more upbeat than the regular music that Americans heard. Jazz and Blues were the two types of music that Americans usually listened to. Swing music was a great change. A new taste. Swing music was created for dancers to live and show people what they can do. Swing music is the type of music that can get people to unite and get together. Swing music is happy music. It's upbeat and lifting. People created all kinds of different dances to swing music, especially African-Americans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shzJafxvaq4 

Value:

     Swing music was the expression for the 1940s for many reasons. One main reason that Swing music was an expression for the 1940s is because it was a change. In the 1930s, America was all about the Great Depression. The 1940s were uplifting and happy. People were starting to get their lives back on track. The Great Depression just ended and people wanted a change. They wanted happy music, not sad music. Swing music showed people that happiness can happen. It got people to move. It expressed what everyone was thinking about, happiness. Swing music got you up and dancing. 

Limitations:

     What Swing music cannot tell us about the 1940s is what Americans thought while listening to this. We don't know what their reactions were when Swing music first came out. We don't know if Swing music was the most popular music in America at this time. Jazz and Blues were still common music in America in the 1940s. Swing music was very mainstream but was it popular? These are questions we don't know.

Citations:

http://www.jazzinamerica.org/jazzresources/stylesheets/9

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/swing-music

http://daffy.uah.edu/lindy/origins.html

Happy Days Are Here Again - 1930 Hits

March 22, 2014

(A very Popular record of the 1930s. "Happy Days Are Here Again!" by Jack Yellen)

     The 1930s, a very hard time for people America. A year before 1930, there was a stock market crash in 1929. This stock market crash caused an economic depression in the 1930s. Many people were forced to leave their jobs and homes. Even the agriculture was failing. Even though all this was happening, music was something that was a way to escape. Anyone with a radio could share their escape. Someone who used music as their escape was Jack Yellen.

 Origin: 

     

     Jack Yellen was born in Poland. He emigrated to the United States with his family when he was five years old. He was the oldest of seven children and was raised in Buffalo, New York. His passion for music started in High School. After high school, he went to the University of Michigan and graduated with honors. Jack did not have a career having to do with music after college. Right after graduating, he  became a reporter for the Buffalo Courier and continued with writing music on the sides. After a while, he became popular and wrote music for everything and everyone.

Purpose:

     

      On a day called "Black Tuesday," the song Happy Days Are Here Again was written. Black Tuesday was the most catastrophic stock market crash. It happened on October 29, 1929. This was the start of the Great Depression. The song was written as an irony. The Great Depression in the 1930s was a terrible time for many people. Happy Days Are Here Again was written to say that we aren't really happy. As you could see, Depression and Happy are complete opposites. That's where the irony is. http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/barbra+streisand/happy+days+are+here+again_20012757.html

  

Value:

     The song Happy Days Are Here Again was the expression of the 1930s because it was written just for the Great Depression. That's what the 1930s was all about, the Great Depression. The song was talking about the fact that happiness was never lost. Even with everything being taken away from everyone, happiness is the one thing that wasn't taken away. This song was the anthem of the 1930s.

          

Limitations:

      What this song can't tell us about this time period is that if people actually believed this song. We don't know if people were actually happy despite everything going on. There were multiple other songs being written about the depression. They were all sad songs so we don't know if people were actually happy with this song. This song was unusual to hear during the 1930s because everyone was going through a really hard time. I just don't get why people would be singing about happiness. 

Citations:

http://www.ecusd7.org/columbus/columbusstaff/rcanada/09kids/grant/musicinthe1930s.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-s-mcelvaine/black-tuesday-and-happy-d_b_337728.html

http://www.blacktuesday.org

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/barbra+streisand/happy+days+are+here+again_20012757.html

Louis Armstrong- Jazz Musician in 1920

March 7, 2014

(Louis Armstong, Singer/Trumpet player)

           Who is Louis Armstrong? Louis Armstrong is one of the most well-known jazz musicians of the 20th century. He was an icon to many people around the world. From his song "Star Dust" to his most famous one "What A Wonderful World, he inspired many people.

Origin:

       Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong was born on August 4th, 1901. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Armstrong was not born rich. He was born the opposite actually. He was born in the poor part of New Orleans. It was so poor, people would call it "the battlefield". His childhood wasn't all rainbows and flowers. His father was a factory worker and left his family once Louis Armstrong was born. Armstrong's mother turned to prostitution. This left him with his grandmother (mother's mother). Louis wasn't able to finish school. He had to begin working in the fifth grade. In 1912, Armstrong was arrested. He was sent to a home for troubled boys and there he was taught music and instantly fell in love. By 1918, Louis Armstrong was married to a prostitute, adopted a mentally disabled child, and was one of the most famous cornet players of Louisiana. On July 6th, 1971, Louis Armstrong died.

Purpose:

   The reason Louis Armstrong was original to jazz in the 1920s was because of the way he played. His musical presence, technical mastery, and imaginative abilities surprised jazz musicians of the 1920's. He was so incredible. He then became their principle model, leaving a huge print on the music. He played with an originality and passion in his musical inventions which inspired listeners and other musicians. Probably his most significant contribution was that he single-handedly turned jazz from an ensemble to a soloist's music. He became the model for virtually all jazz musicians. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2VCwBzGdPM

Value:

       Louis Armstrong was an icon to people for many reasons. One big reason was because the pain that Louis Armstrong endured in his 70 years of life, was unreal. He took that pain and put it into his music. He knew he had problems in his life, he knew that many others had worse problems, but that didn't stop him. He knew he had a purpose. He knew that his purpose was to play music and to entertain the world. He knew that his purpose was to do the one thing he loved, play music. He not only did it for himself, but for the world to see. He wanted to show everyone that no matter what happens, it gets better. He showed them to express themselves. He showed them to be unique.

Limitations:

     Louis Armstrong wasn't the only big jazz player in the 1920's. There were multiple others. Some include Charles Bolden, Fats Waller, etc. Many jazz players aren't as well known as Louis Armstrong. Their voices weren't as expressed as Louis Armstrong's was. Louis Armstrong was unique, one of a kind. That also means that many others were unique and one of a kind. Their voices just were't heard as much. Louis Armstrong was both mainstream and unique to the 1920s. He was defiantly more unique because his voice is something beautiful. It's something that cannot be copied. Louis Armstrong is one of a kind. 

Citations:

http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/tbacig/studproj/is3099/jazzcult/20sjazz/Armstrong_Poster.jpg

http://www.biography.com/people/louis-armstrong-9188912

Jazz in America from 1910

           March 6, 2014

                                                                                        New Orleans Jazz Group
(Standing, left to right: Buddy Johnson, trombone; Willie "Bunk" Johnson, cornet; "Big Eye" Louis Nelson Delisle, clarinet; Billy Marrero, string bass. Seated, left to right: Walter Brundy, drums; Peter Bocage, violin & leader; Richard Payne, guitar.)


        What is Jazz? The Webster dictionary defines it as American music developed especially from ragtime and blues and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre. In more simple words, jazz is music originating in New Orleans around the time of the 20th century. Jazz can go from having complex styles, to melodic freedom. Jazz can be interpreted in many different ways.

Origin:
       Jazz, as we said before, was originated in New Orleans about 100 years ago. That doesn't mean that the roots of jazz was all from New Orleans. The roots go as far as to Africa and Europe. Jazz got a lot of things from African and European music. From Africa it got rhythm and feel, "blues" quality, and tradition of playing an instrument in your own expressive way. From Europe, it got harmony and the instruments. Many of the instruments used in jazz were from Europe. For example, the saxophone, trumpet, and piano. The improvisation part of jazz came from both Africa and Europe. New Orleans was where it originated, but that doesn't mean their roots came from there too.

Purpose:
             Jazz was developed by slaves. They came up with their music as they were working on the plantations. Songs were later adapted by the indigenous people. At the end of slave trade, the slaves were free and as a way of expression, they also started doing music and the emergence of jazz music. Jazz was created to help people express their feelings. African Americans were going through a hard time and they created jazz to help express themselves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WojNaU4-kI&feature=share&list=PLFF9C1FAAF6B4321B&index=2

Value:
         African Americans were going through one of the toughest times in their lives. They were being used and abused. They were being discriminated. No one cared for them. Instead of putting their anger and sadness into violence, they put it into music. What other way to express oneself, than through the arts.  SInce jazz was created from different roots, different cultures, many people enjoyed it. The African Americans were not the only ones to use it. Jazz became the symbol to express ones emotion. From happiness, to anger, to sadness, jazz had it all. People shared their emotions. Jazz became an icon.

Limitations:
          Something that jazz cannot tell us about the 1910's, is what pain everyone went through. We don't know why jazz was created for expressing emotion. We don't know why it's called jazz. We don't know how jazz brought everyone together. Somehow this genre of music became a sensation. It united people all across the country. We just don't know how.

Citations:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/jazz

http://jazz.about.com/od/historyjazztimeline/a/jazzByDecade1910.htm

http://www.jazzinamerica.org/JazzResources/Timeline/1910/1919