American jazz served as the foundation for rock and roll music
American jazz served as the foundation for rock and roll music. American jazz is explored in the Discussion this week.
Select one jazz composer that is not covered in the course text. (These are some in the text: Scott Joplin, Sippie Wallace, Original Dixieland Jazz Band, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton.) Write the post from the perspective of the chosen composer. Discuss the style of his or her music. Explain how this composer influenced the development of jazz. Also show how his or her contributions have impacted popular American music.
Write from the composer’s perspective–using first person voice. Do not just include a biography of the composer. The focus is to be on the style of music, contributions to the evolution of jazz music, and the impact this composer’s music has had on popular American music. Include a YouTube link featuring a performance of the composer’s music. Write in your own words. Cite all sources/provide links to your source
Heard that sweet, smoky sound? That’s the Ellington touch.
They call me Duke. Duke Ellington, the Duke of Swing. Now, I may not be the first name that pops into your head when you think jazz, but let me tell you, my band and I cooked up something special. We took that New Orleans jazz, all hot and wild, and gave it a whole new dimension.
We were all about that smooth, sophisticated sound. We had a bigger band, a whole orchestra really, with sections for saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and don’t forget those swingin’ clarinets. We wove melodies in and out of each other, creating these rich textures that hadn’t been heard before [1]. Listen to “Take the ‘A’ Train [invalid URL removed]” – that’s the Ellington sound in a nutshell. It’s catchy, it’s classy, and it’ll get your feet tappin’.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. See, back in the 1920s and 30s, jazz was seen as this wild, rebellious music. We, the African Americans creating it, weren’t exactly seen as the classiest folks. I wanted to change that. I brought a sense of elegance and composition to jazz, proving it could be enjoyed by everyone, not just in smoky backroom clubs. We even played at fancy concerts halls, you know, rubbing shoulders with the high society folks [2].
They say I influenced the greats – Count Basie, Miles Davis, even those rock and rollers you kids love so much. My emphasis on melody and composition laid the groundwork for all sorts of musical innovation. Listen to some of those early rock and roll tunes, that walking bass line, the horn sections – you hear a bit of the Ellington right there [3].
So next time you hear that cool saxophone solo or a catchy melody with a touch of swing, remember, it all started with a dream, a piano, and a whole lotta Ellington style.
Sources:
- The Jazz Style of Duke Ellington [invalid URL removed] Britannica
- Duke Ellington Biography Biography.com
- The Influence of Jazz on Rock and Roll [invalid URL removed] Masterclass
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