Readings for 3/3/09

The readings for 3/3/09 first dealt with the history of jazz and blues. Jazz and Blues are intertwined and blues is like the grandfather of jazz. Blues originated in New Orleans, Mississippi Delta, and Memphis, TN while jazz originated in New Orleans. Blues involved a compelling rythmic sound between that relied on patterns of call and response between singer singer and audience or singer and instrument. Jazz was primarily instrumental music that was impacted by the voice.Jazz and blues both dealt with the dim circumstances of life. Both genres of music involved improvisation of music on your instrument. The music is not as structured as say classical music where you read and play what is on the sheet music but inolves the feelings of the musician towards the music and how he allows himself to get caught up and absorbed in the rhythm and rich beats of the song. The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes is a poem about a musician playing the song Weary Blues all night. The song was very relaxed and low key. Some of the lyrics in the song was that "I got the weary blues, and can't be satisfied, I ain't happy no mo, and I wish that I had died". After playing the song all night the musician went up to his room and went to bed and slept very heavy like a man that's dead. The Blues I'm Playing by Langston Hughes is a story about Oceola and her benefactor Mrs. Ellsworth. Oceola was being taken care of by Mrs. Ellsworth because of her musical talent. Mrs. Ellsworth sponsored piano lessons and trips to Europe for Oceola so she could further develop her musical talent but Oceola kept going back to what pleased her the most which was playing jazz which frustrated Mrs. Ellsworth. Also Oceola had a boyfriend, Pete that Mrs. Ellsworth didn't approve of because she believed that it took some of Oceola's focus away from her music. In the end Oceola chose decided that she would juggle her impending nuptials to her boyfriend and her musical career but Mrs. Ellsworth wanted her to shoot for the stars as far as her music career could go without outside distractions. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) by Duke Ellington (1931) was a wondefully written jazz song. The song has a fast beat that makes you want to pat your feet and sing along with it. If you watch TV you have seen the song being used in commercials for years.