Transcript The History of Jazz

The History of Jazz
America’s original art form
Jazz Music
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Originated in the 1920’s
in New Orleans
Characterized by blue
notes, syncopation,
swing, call and response,
and improvisation
Picture is of Bourbon
Street in New Orleans
Origins of jazz
West African Folk Music
 European Classical Form and Harmonies
 New Orleans Marching Bands
 The Blues
 Influences of other styles of modern music
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Jazz Instruments
Styles ( Eras) Of Jazz Music
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1880’s to 1910
1910-1920
1920-1945
1943-1952
1955-1969
1970-1986
1987-present
Ragtime Music
1897 Harlem Rag
 1899 Maple Leaf
Rag
 1902 The
Entertainer
 1906 Frog Leg’s
Rag
 1919 Bohemia Rag
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Tom Turpin
 Scott Joplin
 James Scott
 Joseph Lamb
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Ragtime Music
1897 starts the
influence of Ragtime
 Ragtime predated the
availability of sound
recordings so its
popularity was by
word of mouth.
 Was distributed by
sheet music
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With industrialization,
railroad construction
its popularity quickly
spread
 Piano rolls and player
pianos play an
important role with
ragtime music
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Ragtime Music
Invention of the
phonograph helped
spread ragtime music
and helped the music
industry
 Stride piano is an
important aspect of
Ragtime music that
had a direct influence
on modern music
today
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Primarily written for
piano but towards the
mid 1910’s, some
songs were arranged
for different
ensembles thus
leading the way into
Dixieland music
Styles of Ragtime Music
Cakewalk-popular in
1904, music is
intended to represent
of dance contests
where the prize is a
cake
 Two-Step-Popular in
1911, dance craze
that was popular in
the early 1900’s
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Ragtime Songversion of ragtime
music that was
influential to Irving
Berlin, American
composer, influential
in early Hollywood
and Broadway
Styles of Ragtime Music
Classic Rag- Style
made popular by Scot
Joplin, main style of
ragtime music
 Fox-Trot- dance
style started in 1913,
became popular in
1920’s
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Stride Pianoemerged after WW1
fast paced moving
bass line, direct
influence on early
Rock & Roll
Ragtime Revivals
1950’s better recording devices were invented
so older songs were recorded on record and
published causing a revival in popularity
 1970’s- Joshua Rifkin recorded a series of Scott
Joplin music and won a Grammy, re-introduced
Joplin’s music to the public
 New York Public Library released a 2 volume
set of Scott Joplin music which introduced a new
audience to his music
 1974- the movie The Sting staring Robert
Redford and Paul Newman used Scott Joplin
songs as its theme songs.
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Scott Joplin
Father Of Ragtime
 1899 Maple Leaf
Rag
 Most Famous
Ragtime Song
 1902 The
Entertainer
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Scott Joplin
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Best known ragtime
musician and composer
Father of Ragtime music
1891-Part of a minstrel
troupe
1895 started selling his
music
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Worked as a pianist in
Maple Leaf and Black 400
gentlemen clubs
1899 Sold his most
famous piece Maple Leaf
Rag to John Stark
Boosted his popularity
and made ragtime
famous
Treemonisha- opera
based on ragtime music
The Maple Leaf Rag
Named after a bar
Joplin worked at in
Sedalia Missouri
 ragtime's biggest hit
 The success of the
Maple Leaf Rag
sparked a nationwide
ragtime craze.
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1899 Publication of
the Maple Leaf Rag
 becomes a nationwide
best-seller
 1903 The first
recording of Maple
Leaf Rag is made, in
Minneapolis
The Entertainer
1902 The
Entertainer
 Featured in the
1973 movie the
sting featuring Paul
Newman and
Robert Redford
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Helped to launch a
ragtime revival which
increased the
popularity of ragtime
music
 Song influenced John
Williams to write the
cantina song in Star
Wars
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Joseph Lamb
Influential
Composer
 1908 Met Joplin
 1908 Sensation
 1919 Bohemia Rag
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Joseph Lamb
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White influential ragtime
musician and composer
Self taught musician
Big fan and influenced by
Joplin
1908- New York, was
purchasing Scott Joplin music
in record store when he met
Scott Joplin
Introduced to John Stark
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Lambs music was published for
the next decade
1908- Sensation
1914- Cleopatra Nightingale
1919 Bohemia Rag
When popularity of Ragtime
faded, decided to work as an
accountant
1950’s revival had him come
out of retirement and start
performing again
James Scott
1902 worked for
Charles Dumars
and met Joplin
 1903 A summer
Breeze
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1906 Frog Legs Rag
James Scott
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One of the big three
composers of ragtime music
Born in Neosho Missouri
1902 worked in music store of
Charles Dumars as menial
labor
Showed musical ability so
Dumars published his music
A Summer Breeze in 1903
1906 moved to St. Louis
Met Scott Joplin and John
Stark
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1906 Frog Legs Rag
1914 moved to Kansas City
Married, taught music, directed
theater orchestra
Talking movies began so he
lost his first fortune. Wife died,
bad health
Continued to compose until
Starks retirement in 1922
Tom Turpin
Father of St. Louis
Ragtime
 1896 Harlem Rag
 First Politically
Powerful African
Americans in St.
Louis
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Tom Turpin
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Ragtime composer and
businessman
Opened saloon in St.
Louis which became a
meeting place for
musicians
First African American to
publish a ragtime song
“Harlem Rag” in 1897
Other famous song was
St. Louis Rag
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Owned several
businesses in St. Louis,
theater, saloons,
gambling houses
Was a deputy sheriff and
one of the first politically
powerful African
Americans in St. Louis.
His influence on local
music earned him the
nickname Father of St.
Louis Ragtime.
John Starks
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Was the publisher of the most
famous ragtime composition
from the 1900’s-1920’s
Money he earned by publishing
Maple Leaf Rag enabled him to
increase his publishing
company
Moved from Sedalia Missouri to
St. Louis and finally to New
York
He and Scott Joplin moved
together
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One of the first music
Promoters and Advertisers
persistently challenged the
musical (and racial) prejudices
that prevented true ragtime
from receiving its due.
Competed against Tin Pan
Alley Producers
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
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Was the popular music
publishing center of the world
from around 1885 to the
1920's
Before it was established,
publishers were scattered all
over the country
these early publishers played
important roles in the printing
and distribution of sheet
music. Most music publishers
also published church music,
music instruction books, study
pieces and classical items for
home and school use.
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After the Civil War, people
started to play the piano.
By 1887 500,00 young
Americans were learning the
piano
The demand for sheet music
was great.
Publishers decided to
consolidate in New York.
New York was becoming a
cultural center in the United
States.
Performers lived there, music
thrived there, musical trends
happened there
Tin Pan Alley
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Thomas B. Harms (Harms, Inc.
started in 1881)
Isadore Witmark. M. Witmark
& Sons published their first
sheet music I'll Answer That
Question Tomorrow in 1885.
Soon every major music
publisher in America had a
presence in what would
become Tin Pan Alley
Irving Berlin, Inc., Remick
Music Co., Robbins Music Corp,
and E. B. Marks Music
Company
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These visionaries concentrated
almost exclusively on popular
music, and the key to their
success was their use of
market research to select
music and the use of
aggressive marketing
techniques to sell the product.
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Song composers were
hired under contract
giving the publisher
exclusive rights to
popular composer's works
Tin Pan Alley
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The market was surveyed to
determine what style of song
was selling best
Then the composers were
directed to compose in that
style.
a song was actually
tested with both
performers and listeners
to determine which would
be published and which
would go to the trash bin
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music was becoming an
industry more than an art
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Song pluggers
(performers who worked
in music shops playing
the latest releases,) were
hired
Performers were
persuaded to play the
new songs in their acts to
give the music exposure
to the public
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Tin Pan Alley
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28th street between 5th
Avenue and Broadway. This
street (28th) became known as
"Tin Pan Alley.
the first to establish
themselves in the area known
as Tin Pan Alley was most
probably Leo Feist, a corset
salesman who had a penchant
for writing catchy lyrics
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In 1897 Feist rented a room at
1227 Broadway and with a
piano and a partner began the
music publication business
with his first song, Does True
Love Ever Run Smooth.
The name symbolizes the
sound of the many pianos
being pounded in publisher's
rooms which was characterized
as sounding as though
hundreds of people were
pounding on tin pans.
Tin Pan Alley
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vaudeville replaced the
minstrel show as the most
popular form of stage
entertainment
enormous amounts of money
were to be made from the sale
of songs popularized by these
shows
In the first two decades of its
existence, Tin Pan Alley
produced a succession of
songs, remarkable from a
commercial standpoint and for
their endurance in American
culture.
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Large numbers of songs from
this period became widely
known and are a part of our
traditions even today.
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Give My Regards To Broadway
(1904), Shine on Harvest Moon
(1908,), Down by the Old Mill
Stream (1910) and Let Me Call
You Sweetheart
Tin Pan Alley
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The lyrics of music from this
period suggest that the USA
was a peaceful, happy and
prosperous place.
The many songs about the
past describe warm memories
of happy and innocent times in
rural or small town settings.
The persistent image of one
of the happiest and least
troubled times in American
history has been derived
largely from these songs.
Compare those images to
today's music which is mostly
in an urban setting with very
disturbing and violent images.
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Tin Pan Alley was not about
love peace and happiness, it
was about selling songs.
There were no altruistic
desires on the part of the
publishers to solve the
problems of society nor were
they attempting to create a
happy world
provide musical
entertainment that allowed
people to escape the
realities of the hardships of
life and their own life's
troubles.
Tin Pan Alley
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the publishers of Tin Pan Alley
not only established an
industry that continues in
grand tradition but they also
are responsible for the
beautiful music and covers we
enjoy today
what remains of Tin Pan Alley
was put up for sale and the
buildings will most probably be
razed to make way for
"progress."
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The buildings, at 47, 49, 51, 53
and 55 West 28th Street, are
being sold as a group for hold on to your hat in these
cacophonous economic times a mere $44 million."
The Minstrel Show
The Minstrel Show
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a theatrical entertainment
consisting of songs, dances,
comic turns, etc., performed by
a troupe of actors wearing
black face make-up
troupe, company organization of performers and
associated personnel
corner man, end man - a
man at one end of line of
performers in a minstrel
show; carries on
humorous dialogue with
the interlocutor
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interlocutor, middleman - the
performer in the middle of a
minstrel line who engages the
others in talk
minstrel - a performer in a
minstrel show
The Minstrel Show
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The most popular musical
stage shows of the early and
mid 19th Century,
In the US they began in the
1840s
Both white and black
performers donned blackface,
and audiences of all colors
loved it.
minstrel shows were the first
form of musical theatre that
was 100% American-born and
bred.
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performing songs and skits
that sentimentalized the
nightmare of slave life on
Southern plantations
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By the end of the Civil War the
minstrel show had become
world famous and respectable
Between 1750 and 1843, over
5,000 theater and circus
productions included blackface.
The Minstrel Show
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Some of the most famous
songs in American history--
Dixie, Camp town Races,
Oh Susannah, My Old
Kentucky Home--began as
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minstrel songs.
Thomas "Daddy" Rice
caused a nationwide sensation
by donning burnt cork to
perform the song "Jump Jim
Crow" on stage.
"Jim Crow" turned out to be
more than a popular song. It
became the name of one of
minstrelsy's stock comedy
characters, and a by-word for
legalized racial oppression.
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three stock characters were
among several that reappeared
in minstrel shows throughout
the nineteenth century.
"Jim Crow" was the
stereotypical carefree slave
"Mr. Tambo" a joyous musician,
Zip Coon" a free black
attempting to "put on airs" or
rise above his station
The Minstrel Show
The Minstrel Show
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Dan Emmett, Frank
Bower, Frank Pelham
and Billy Whitlock
became the first troupe
to offer a full evening of
blackface variety
entertainment.
Most historians mark this
production as the
beginning of minstrelsy.
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Most of the entertainment was
improvised
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They insulted each other,
they baited each other,
they made mincemeat of
the language, they took
the audience into their
fun, and, in one night,
they added a new form to
show business in America
The Minstrel Show
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in the twentieth century,
several of the most famous
minstrels were actually black
me who wore makeup--the
most famous being Bert
Williams, who performed in
blackface into the 1920s.
The first talking picture, "The
Jazz Singer," (1927) was a
blackface film
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Minstrel shows continued to be
popular well into the 1950s,
High schools, fraternities and
local theater groups would
often perform minstrel shows
in blackface.
It became unpopular as
African Americans asserted
more political power in the
1950s.
The Minstrel Show
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The long-running radio series
Amos n' Andy featured two
white actors impersonating
contemporary black characters
that were direct descendants
of "Zip Coon" and "Jim Crow.“
Stephen Foster- American song
writer of Camp town Races,"
"My Old Kentucky Home," "O
Susanna
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Minstrel star Dan Emmett
composed the unofficial
Southern anthem "Dixie.
George M. Cohan and
Irving Berlin.
Al Jolson- most famous actor
who got his start in a minstrel
show
Jolson immortalized
blackface in several films,
including the talking
landmark The Jazz Singer
(1928).
The Minstrel Show
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Jolson said that blackface gave
him the emotional freedom he
needed to take risks as a
performer
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In the first half of the 20th
Century, he was billed as "The
World's Greatest Entertainer“
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last star of minstrelsy
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legend in vaudeville,
Al Jolson had dozens
of top selling
recordings
 Became the first
talking film star
 Was a popular
presence on network
radio.
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The Minstrel Show
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The bizarre minstrel show
might be easier to understand
in modern terms.
Think of white rappers, or
white rock musicians who play
blues-derived music.
When they imitate black
musicians, are they expressing
admiration, or are they just
stealing?
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Are they sincerely trying to
come to some understanding
of cultural difference, or are
they just engaging in minstrel
parody without the make up
Similarly, are black musicians
who play to a predominantly
white audience, particularly
those produced by Sean
"Puffy" Combs, doing
something similar to what Bert
Williams did?
Vaudeville
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In the 1880’s after the
Industrial Revolution, people
started to concentrate in cities
and towns instead of rural
communities
Looking for higher paying jobs
and more opportunities of
success
Worked hard and long hours
and wanted to be entertained
after hours
variety shows were too coarse
for women or children to
attend,
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minstrel shows were already
declining in popularity
In a world where
phonographs, film, radio and
television did not yet exist,
something new was needed to
fill the gap.
Vaudeville also tried to bridge
a social gap that had divided
American audiences
Vaudeville was developed by
entrepreneurs seeking higher
profits from a wider audience.
Vaudeville
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Tony Pastor-Invented
Vaudeville in 1881
music and comedy" designed
for family audiences
Pastor showcased the finest
talents on the variety stage,
giving crucial opportunities to
future stars
Pastor never expanded beyond
his small theatre near Union
Square.
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A place families could call
home for their entertainment
Pastor's "clean" variety show
was an instant success,
drawing an enthusiastic
audience from all age groups
and classes – including some
of the most influential people
in New York.
Vaudeville
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Benjamin Franklin Keith
and Edward F Albee made a
quick fortune with
unauthorized productions of
Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.
started build a chain of ornate
theatres across the
northeastern United States
they instituted a policy of
continuous multiple daily
performances, which they
called "vaudeville."
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vaudeville spread through the
United States, major theatre
chains or circuits were built
By 1907 Vaudeville was
earning $30 million a year
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A successful act toured for
forty or more weeks a year,
doing "one nighters," splitweeks or weekly stands
depending on a theatre’s size
Vaudeville
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In 1919, when the average
factory worker earned less
than $1,300, a small time
circuit performer playing a
forty-two week season at $75
per week earned $3,150 a
year.
The most celebrated vaudeville
house of the early 1900s was
New York's Victoria
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The Orpheum Circuit- The
Palace Theatre
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An act could be anything
that was inoffensive and
entertaining. A
performer's gender, race
and appearance were no
barrier to success,
While singers and
dancers were part of
every bill, the specialty
acts set vaudeville apart
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Vaudeville
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mind readers
instrumentalists
escape artists
flash acts - any "showy" act
boasting its own lavish set, a
large chorus, special effects,
etc.
high divers
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quick-change artists
strong men
living statuary
contortionists
balancing acts
freak acts - anyone acting
crazy or silly - eccentric
dancers, etc.
Vaudeville
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Houdini
Hadji Ali would swallow water
& kerosene, then spew
kerosene onto open flames,
followed by the water to put
the flames out. Not pretty, but
audiences were fascinated.
W.C. Fields
Will Rogers
Babe Ruth
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Douglas Fairbanks
Judy Garland
George Burns
Abbot & Costello
The Three Stooges
Kate Smith
Mickey Rooney
Vaudeville
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As stars got more popular they
went on to bigger projects
Movies started to gain
popularity
audiences tastes changed and
vaudeville theaters started to
change over to movie theaters
1930’s talking movies
Great Depression
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vaudeville singers and comics
found a new home on radio,
where "variety shows" offered
something like audio vaudeville
Vaudeville led to the
immergence of family friendly
entertainment on radio,
television, and movies
Ed Sullivan Show
Leave it to beaver
Carol Burnet show
Vaudeville was precursor to
Broadway and Motion Pictures
TOBA
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Theater Owners and Booking
Agency
Black version of Vaudeville
vaudeville had black and white
performers sharing the same
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stage as early as the 1890s
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Most southern states did not
allow blacks and whites to sit
in the same theatre
the only venues below the
Mason-Dixon Line that
welcomed "colored" customers
in the early part of the 20th
Century
offered all-black bills for allblack audiences
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It was the only way they could
reach the appreciative black
audiences of the deep South
Mason Dixon Line
TOBA
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Ethel Waters - who went on
to Broadway and film stardom
Ma Rainey - jazz vocalist
Bert Williams - Ziegfeld
Follies star
Bessie Smith - jazz vocalist
Bill "Bojangles"Robinson tap dance legend
Many jazz artists got their start
in TOBA
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black audiences saw the same
kinds of acts found in standard
vaudeville
Faded in popularity due to the
Great Depression
Jim Crow Laws
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1865- Period called
reconstruction Government
provided civil right protection
for African Americans
1877- End of reconstruction
and withdraw of federal troops
from the south
Legislature of the south passed
the Jim Crow Laws
Prohibited African Americans
from using same facilities as
whites
Supported racial segregation
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Jim Crow comes from minstrel
song called Jump Jim Crow
written in 1828 performed by
Thomas Dartmouth “Daddy”
Rice
1896-Plessy vs. Fergusonresulted in 58 years of legal
discrimination
1954 Brown vs. Board of
Education - Thurgood Marshal
1954- Supreme court
overturned Plessy vs Ferguson
1964-Modern Civil Rights Act