Ken Burns JAZZ

Ken Burns JAZZ

Episode 1 Gumbo Study guide

http://www.gumbopages.com/food/soups/gumbo-de-savoy.html

Roux:

Just as it is in classical French cuisine, roux is a mixture of flour and fat, usually butter or oil. The proportion is roughly 1:1, but use slightly more flour than oil; maybe 1-1/4 cups of flour to 1 cup of oil.

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“Jazz Music objectifies America” Wynton Marsalis

Jazz is about group improvisation.

Jazz is nearly always rooted in the Blues.

Jazz reflects all Americans at their best.

Above all else, Jazz swings.

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People:

Jelly Roll Morton

Says he
“Invented” Jazz

“Duke” Ellington

Is he America’s
Greatest Composer?

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People

Benny Goodman

Taught the country
how to dance

Billie Holiday

Transformed mediocre
songs into great art

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People

Charlie Parker

Launched a musical revolution

Miles Davis

The most influential
musician
of his generation

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People

Louis Armstrong

Unrivaled genius

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Jazz was “born” in New Orleans

The most cosmopolitan and musical city in America in the 1800s

Two symphony Orchestras - one white and one Creole

Three opera companies

Slaves had to improvise

Congo Square

Musical Sources

West Indies

The American South

Creoles of Color

Many were classically trained

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Brass Bands

Minstrel music

The first form of American popular music

A national humor and national entertainment

“Daddy” Rice

Composed Jim Crow

1890s - two new styles of music

Ragtime

Blues

RAGTIME

Ragtime

Joplin played at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago 1893
27.5 million

Ferris Wheel, Chicago, 1893
50 cents
height = 250 ft.
2 revolutions

Actual
photo!

Ragtime

Ragtime is Piano music and does not contain “blue” notes

The blue notes correspond approximately to the lowered third and lowered seventh of a major scale and sometimes a lowered fifth.

http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/

It is intended to be played as written

RAGTIME - origin of the term

A mutation of JIGTIME (piano dance music from the early 1800s)

Flying a white flag or rag at houses where music was played

A contraction of RAGGED TIME or SYNCOPATION between the pianists left and right hands

Listening to Rags

Points to consider:

Form: AA BB A CC DD

16 measure sections

tempo not too fast

“BOOM-CHUCK” style left hand later became known as STRIDE

plenty of room for improvisation

PERFORMANCES (1&2)

Maple Leaf Rag, performed by Scott Joplin

piano roll made in 1916

played on a 1910 Steinway upright with footpump

This is the only evidence of how Joplin played

How did young pianists learned the Joplin Rags?

Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin), performed by Jelly Roll Morton

recorded June, 1938 for the Library of Congress

transformed Maple Leaf Rag into New Orleans style

the basis was rhythmic

embellished with a swinging intro. followed by ABACCDD with a hint of a tango in the first D section and a New Orleans stomp variation in the second D section

Morton believed that piano styles should follow band styles

PERFORMANCES (3)

Maple Leaf Rag (Scott Joplin), performed by William Albright

the structure is the same as used in marches -
AABBA (Trio) CCDD

John Philip Sousa’s 50 published marches had an impact on Joplin

SCOTT JOPLIN
(1868 - 1917)

Joplin was born somewhere in Texas,
between June 1867 and mid-January 1868

realized school was the way out

left home at age 14 but stayed in
school until he was 18

Smith College of Music in
Sedalia, Missouri

Joplin taught himself piano in a white-owned home
where his mother worked in Texarkana. In the
1880s he moved to Sedalia and attended Lincoln
High School. In 1896, he attended music classes
at George R. Smith College in town, a black
institution established by the Methodist Church.

SCOTT JOPLIN
(1868 - 1917)

1st instruments were guitar and bugle

First published in 1895

Moved to Sedalia, Missouri in 1897 - the center of ragtime

Sedalia music store owner and publisher, John Stark published his signature composition, “The Maple Leaf Rag,” in 1899. Sales that first year were slim (400 copies), but by 1909, approximately 500,000 copies had been sold.

We are the storm center of high-class instrumental rags. The whole rag fabric of this country was built around our 'Maple Leaf' 'Sunflower' 'Cascades' 'Entertainer' 'Frog Legs' Etc.

We have advertised these as classic rags and we mean just what we say. They are a perfection of type. They have lifted ragtime from its low estate and lined it up with Beethoven and Bach.

SCOTT JOPLIN
(1868 - 1917)

Maple Leaf Club (Maple Leaf Rag (1899) sold hundreds of thousands of copies)

"The Maple Leaf Rag" published in 1899

married Belle Hayden (1901-1903)

Studied with Alfred Ernst in St Louis

Alfred Ernst was the second conductor of the St. Louis Symphony

Scott Joplin House,
St. Louis, 1902

SCOTT JOPLIN
(1868 - 1917)

Between 1901 and 1905, Joplin composed rags, waltzes, ballads, marches, cakewalks, a ballet, and an opera

married Lottie Stokes (1909-)

became obsessed with his opera

Joplin contracted syphilis, and by 1916 his health had deteriorated

He was working on a ragtime symphony when he entered the Manhattan State Hospital, where he died on April 1, 1917 of "dementia paralytica cerebral" .

He was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery in New York City.

Joplin composed 40 rags and about 24 other works

Treemonisha

Joplin’s opera Treemonisha

financial and mental drain

failed in 1915 performance

called a “Ragtime” Opera

Joplin said “ragtime is an invention that is here to stay”

Performance by the Houston Grand Opera

VIDEO

Treemonisha

Midi site

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Bayou/2314/treehome.html

Treemonisha site

http://www.midcoast.com/~bog/treemonisha.html

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1890s - two new styles of music

Ragtime

Blues

THE
Blues

Work Songs

devised in the United States in the 1600’s

plantations and prisons

told a simple story

heavy accents

call-response

good work-song leaders were in demand

Work Songs: Huddie Ledbetter

Huddie Ledbetter - “Leadbelly”
1885? - 1949

Work Songs:
began in 1600s on
plantations and in
prisons

call-response

advent of the
phonograph

The Phonograph

Edison 1877

Cylinder

Berliner 1887

Disc

Huddie Ledbetter - vocal, guitar

Two harmonies each verse

I (tonic) and V (dominant)

Simpler than 12-bar blues

“Juliana Johnson” ca. 1941
(Intro. To Jazz Disc 1) performed by Leadbelly

0.00 Beginning; two chords per beat

0.13 “gonna leave ya”

0.24 “done got married”

0.34 “I married Marty”
all -phrases end with a short grunt where the workers pull together; spoken fill

0.43 “Marty promised”

0.52 “Goodbye Juli”

1.02 “Gonna leave ya”

1.17 fade-out, end

“Leadbelly”

b. Mooringsport, LA, 1885

Attended “sukey jumps” and “breakdowns”

Self-taught on accordion

Age 15 worked as a field hand

Habitual pursuit of women

Many scrapes with the law

In and out of prison

“Leadbelly”

1918 Sugar Land Penitentiary (Texas)

1932 Angola State Penitentiary (LA)

1935 worked for Lomaxs

1937, 1940 jail

1940 performed and toured with Josh White; Big Bill Broonzy and Woodie Guthrie

made many recordings

Huddie Ledbetter (1885-1949)
“Leadbelly”

“Leadbelly”

popularity began to fade during WWII

played in Paris in 1949 for 30 people

died in NYC on December 6, 1949 of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

video - “Leadbelly”

The Blues Timeline

Country (or Rural) Blues:

1890 - 1930 (most active period)

City Blues:

1912 - 1941 (most active period)

Rhythm and Blues:

1948 - present (most active period)

Rock and Roll:

1952/3 - present (most active period)

The Blues

Work Songs

devised in the United States in the 1600’s

plantations and prisons

told a simple story

heavy accents

call-response

good work-song leaders were in demand

Country Blues

blues is one of the foundations of jazz

country blues were developed at the same time as the work song

earliest blues songs were sung by itinerant male singers in the South and Southwest

informal, unrestrained, improvised

songs were basic:

sex

love

poverty

death

developed into a 12-measure (bar) format containing 3 equal phrases

5 major characteristics of Country Blues

1. Unsophisticated lyrics and uncomplicated chords

2. Uses blue notes and personal inflection in the vocal line

3. Free from any traditional rhythmic restrictions

4. Relies on only a few harmonies per verse

5. Conveys a feeling of simplicity and personal identity

Unsophisticated lyrics and uncomplicated chords

blue notes

bending notes away from their original pitch

based on African tonal scales

fundamental blues scale contains only 7 notes

singers also growl, slide, swallow the sound

freedom from traditional rhythmic restrictions

take many liberties with the rhythm

add or drop a beat

Free to sing as the lyrics move the singer

pronounced harmonic and textural repetition

repetition gives the blues its solid structure

the three chords (I-IV-V) creates three equal phrases

1st phrase introduces a statement

2nd phrase repeats the first

3rd phrase answers the first two

three phrases combine to make one verse

feeling of simplicity and personal identity

vocal inflections (fills between phrases)

often called primitive or undeveloped

Technique still used by Ray Charles and B. B. King

“Hellhound on my Trail”
Intro to Jazz disc 1 track 2 performed by Robert Johnson

I got to keep movin’. Blues fallin’ down like hail.

I can’t keep no money with a hellhound on my trail.

If today was Christmas eve, and tomorrow Christmas day,

I would need my little sweet rider just to pass the time away.

You sprinkled hot-foot powder all around my door.

It keeps me with a ramblin’ mind, rider, every old place I go.

I can tell the wind is risin’, the leaves tremblin’ on the tree.

All I need is my little sweet woman to keep me company.

Robert Johnson
1912 (?) - 1938

born in Copiah County, Mississippi

Mother: Julia Majors; Father: Noah Johnson

Mother already had 9 children by her husband, Charlie Dodds

known as Johnson, Dodds or Spencer

grew up near Robinsonville, Mississippi

attracted to blues musicians

played blues harp (harmonica)

learned guitar in six months (bargain with devil?)

played “slide” (broken bottle)

teamed up with Johnny Shines for two years

1936; Earnie Oertle, American Record Company

five recording sessions - 29 blues masterpieces

received several hundred dollars

dies in 1938, poisoned, age 26

VIDEO - THE SEARCH FOR ROBERT JOHNSON

City Blues

12-bar format

beginnings in minstrel and vaudeville shows

sung from a stage

accompanied by other performers

sung mostly by women

refined and sophisticated

Country Blues City Blues

Sparse, usually a single guitar

Quite free

Earthy, dwelling on hardships of the downtrodden

Undeveloped, but highly expressive

Several instruments and/or piano

Rigidly controlled by
12-bar structure

Sophisticated, mature observations on love, verses carefully constructed to fit rhythm and meter

Refined and carefully considered material

blues dialogue

a distant relative of call and response

Bessie Smith sings verse

Armstrong plays background and fills

vocal part is written out

fills are improvised

somewhat different than usual 12-bar blues

12 - 12 - 16 - 12 (AABC)

no rhythm instruments - no drums or bass

.00 Introduction of one chord

.05 1st chorus, 1st phrase: vocal

.15 Cornet answers and continues as accompaniment, filling after each phrase

.20 2nd phrase: relaxed lay-back style

.35 3rd phrase: completes 12 measures; the fill is built on an expanding interval

.50 2nd chorus, 1st phrase: same melody, dialogue continues; the cornet helps define the harmony and supplies the rhythm between the vocal phrases

1.32 3rd chorus, 1st phrase: new chord progression

1.46 2nd phrase

2.00 3rd phrase

2.14 4th phrase: completes 16 measures

2.36 4th chorus, 1st phrase: cornet harmonizes with the vocal part, voice becomes more aggressive, using a slight throat-growl effect

3.05 end

Bessie Smith
(1894? - 1937)

born April 15, 1894 or 1898

discovered by Lonnie and Cora Fisher or Ma Rainey

made 160 phonograph records between 1923 - 1933

thought by John Hammond
to have been the greatest
American Jazz Artist

John Hammond

John Hammond 1910-1987

John Hammond was responsible for discovering

Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Pete Seeger, and Bruce Springsteen.

He was credited as a major force in integrating the music business.

One of the most important figures in 20th century popular music.

father died when she was very young, mother when she was 9

sang on street corners to support the family

age 18 professional dancer

met Ma Rainey - the “Mother of the Blues”

moved from chorus to featured singer

vaudeville and minstrel for 11 years

booked by the Theater Owners’ Booking Association (TOBA)

first records produced by Frank Walker

Walker headed Columbia Records “race” department

recorded “Down-hearted Blues” and “Gulf Coast Blues” in 1923 - sold 780,000 copies in 6 months

contract with Columbia for $20,000 per year

made $2500 per week for personal appearances

1923 married Jack Gee

1928-1930 career on the downslide

economy

talking movies

blues not as popular

TOBA folded

voice deepened and roughened

1930 contract with Columbia cut in half

1931 dropped by Columbia

left Gee and moved in with Richard Morgan

easily converted to the new swing style

great back-up musicians

Jack Teagarden (trombone)

“Chu” Berry (saxophone)

Benny Goodman (clarinet)

died on Sept. 27, 1937 in Clarksdale, Miss. following a car accident

buried in an unmarked grave in Sharon Hill, Penn.

in 1970 a marker was placed (paid for by Janis Joplin, John Hammond and others)

Ma Rainey 1886 - 1939

Ma Rainey
1886 - 1939

born Gertrude Malissa Nix Pridgett in Columbus, GA

cabaret singer

husband, Pa Rainey, member of Rabbit Foot Minstrels

recorded for Paramount in 1923

one of the most popular city blues vocal stylists

no recordings after 1930

died in Rome, GA 1939

Ma Rainey

The Blues Continues

interest began to decline in 1935

served as basis for

rhythm and blues (R & B) 1940’s

rock ‘n’ roll 1950’s

rock groups 1960’s and 1970’s

recent country western, fusion and contemporary gospel styles

Human misery continues to be the theme

boosted in the 1950’s and 1960’s by Chuck Berry and Fats Domino as well as The Drifters, Bill Haley, and Elvis

Muddy Waters 1915-1983
(McKinley Morganfield)

born in Rolling Fork, Miss. April 4, 1915

played harmonica and sang

discovered by Alan Lomax

first recordings for the Library of Congress and later for the Aristocrat label

his recording “Rollin’ Stone” inspired Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” which led to the naming of the British rock group and the title of a periodical

not able to make the transition to pop

B. B. King 1925 -

the musician who most influenced rock guitarists

Riley B. King (“Blues Boy”)

“Lucille”

cannot sing and play at the same time

call-response technique

most famous disciple is Eric Clapton

VIDEO - BB KING LIVE AT NICKS