See?
You won't say opera is black music, will you?
But she's an excellent singer nonetheless.

That's Miles' point as well as mine. Good music is good music no matter the colour of the skin.


Thanks 2elijah, I couldn't have found a better example

Spotlight for today: Jazz

Timeline

Before 1850

Folk music based on African forms.
White dance and band music.
Circa 1850

Plantation songs sung by slaves.
Minstrelsy was white music meant to copy plantation songs.
During the Civil War

Slave Songs of the United States published by William Francis Allen, Charles Pickford Ware and Lucy McKim Garrison.
Slave Songs of the Georgia Sea Islands published by Lydia Parrish.
After the Civil War

Prison songs.
Late 1800's

Blues develops and is complete by 1910.
1890's

Ragtime develops and is the most popular music in America between 1900 and 1911.
Early 1900's

Marching band music, Ragtime and the Blues begin to be fused into early Jazz roots.
1910 - 1920

Jazz is born in New Orleans via a combination of black and creole music.
1920's

New Orleans Jazz is the thing. The Jazz Age is born.
1930's

Swing is king and this is the only time that Jazz and popular are the same thing.
1940's

Bebop is born. It is later called simply Bop.
1950's

Hard Bop or Funk and Cool Jazz take over.
1960's

Modal and Free Jazz find followers.
1970's

Jazz fuses with one of its derivatives (Rock) to form Jazz-Rock or Fusion.
1980's

Contemporary Jazz age begins.
1990's

Hip-Hop and other forms emerge. Hard Bop revival


Overview The first 30 years

As a musical language of communication, jazz is the first indigenous American style to affect music in the rest of the World. From the beat of ragtime syncopation and driving brass bands to soaring gospel choirs mixed with field hollers and the deep down growl of the blues, jazz's many roots are celebrated almost everywhere in the United States.

The city of New Orleans features prominently in early development of jazz. A port city with doors to the spicy sounds of the Caribbean and Mexico and a large, well-established black population, the Crescent City was ripe for the development of new music at the turn of the century. Brass bands marched in numerous parades and played to comfort families during funerals. Also, numerous society dances required skilled musical ensembles. New Orleans was home to great early clarinetists Johnny Dodds, Jimmy Noone and Sidney Bechet. One of the first great cornetist, Joe "King" Oliver and his leading student and future star, Louis Armstrong hailed from New Orleans along with other influential musicians including Jelly Roll Morton.

Chicago became the focal point for jazz in the early 1920s when New Orleans musicians found their way north after clubs in the Storyville area of New Orleans were closed. Jazz began to gain wider notice as recordings made in the Windy City sold throughout America. Chicago was a magnet for musicians in the Mid-West. Famous musicians who received acclaim for their work in Chicago were Earl Hines, Johnny Dodds, Louis Armstrong and King Oliver.

New York City contributed to the richness of jazz in many ways. The first piano style to be incorporated into jazz was stride which developed from ragtime and was popular in New York. The city was also the center of the music publishing business. Also in New York, James Reese Europe experimented with a style of jazz that involved large orchestras. Many of his early recordings would be considered ragtime, though his later recordings in 1919 clearly show jazz improvisation. In the 1920s, New York City had two pioneering orchestras that would eventually greatly affect jazz history. Fletcher Henderson put together a band that first appeared at the Cotton Club in New York in 1923. Henderson's unit featured future jazz stars Coleman Hawkins and Don Redman but it wasn't until Henderson brought Louis Armstrong from Chicago to play with his group that the band began to develop into a full-fledged jazz group which would help to usher in the swing era.

Duke Ellington moved to New York from Washington, DC in the early twenties and began to develop the skills as an arranger and composer which brought to him the great fame he enjoyed throughout his career.

Another transplanted New Orleans pioneer, Clarence Williams, had a hand in organizing many early jazz and blues recordings in New York. In the late twenties, the jazz center of the United States moved from Chicago to New York City as many musicians did also.

During the twenties and thirties there were many groups known as Territory Bands playing jazz in smaller United States cities. In the late twenties, Kansas City's Bennie Moten Band acquired members of Walter Page's Blue Devils which were formed in Oklahoma City. This group later evolved into the Count Basie Orchestra. Some other cities with burgeoning jazz scenes were St. Louis, Memphis and Detroit.

As jazz evolved, highly arranged dance music became the norm. When white musicians like Benny Goodman added black arrangements for their scores, jazz began to move into the Swing or Big Band period. Large black and white jazz bands toured the United States filling the radio airwaves with swing, a term which became synonymous with jazz. Great African American bands during the swing era were Jimmy Lunceford, Chick Webb, Mills Blue Rhythm and Andy Kirk's Clouds of Joy. It was also a time when vocalists came to the forefront led by such favorites Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Fats Waller.

PANDURITO said:

Opera shouldn't be included in this

Janfriend said:

Tell that to 2elijah

Janfriend said:

I have no intentions of doing the above, just exercising a little free speech. I like to think reasoned alternative viewpoints can come in handy on a discussion site.

I'm now busy schooling myself on all the artists being celebrated on this thread. Interesting stuff.

MARCUS MILLER
BASSIST/PRODUCER - Jazz Artist





www.myspace.com/marcusmillerband

"Primarily a bassist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, Marcus Miller has worked on hundreds of sessions -- crossing jazz, R&B, and rock -- and has released several solo recordings since his late '70s beginnings with Bobbi Humphrey and Lonnie Liston Smith. Despite the many hats he has worn -- improviser, interpreter, arranger, songwriter, film-music composer, bassist, clarinetist, saxophonist -- none of them have been put on for the sake of the whim. Never one to merely get his feet wet, Miller has been a utility player in the most extreme and prolific sense. "


Marcus has also expanded his music skills by writing music scores for movies such as, Above the Rim;the 6th Man; Siesta;Trumpet of the Swan; The Ladies Man;Everybody Hates Chris;King's Ransom;I Love;Head of State, just to name a few.
[Edited 6/8/07 10:42am]

When you get down to it, isn't every month "black music month"?

They should also include black metal:

PANDURITO said:

(Edited...since the original content of my post was deleted (?)
Well, I don't expect everybody to see opera as a form of Black music, but I would think if you're going to celebrate Black Music, it would have to include Black Artists. Actually, singers like the late great "Paul Robeson" sang "Negro Spirituals" which in my opinion was just a different form of "Opera". Mr. Robeson was famous for the song "Old Man River" which was considered a "negro spiritual". Negro Spirituals were songs sung during the days of slavery when they worked in the fields, which in my opinion is how the "blues" were born. Black Artists have made major contributions to this industry and many have gone unrecognized or haven't received the proper credit they deserve.

There is no limit to what genre of music Black artists are part of, and like any other artist, can share their creativity, style and uniqueness with the world. We look at artists like Prince and can associate him with different styles of music from rock, r&b, soul, blues, jazz, just to name a few, and it's no secret that his music is universal and able to reach the masses, and over the years successfully managed to cross various racial lines.

So since this thread is about the appreciation of Black Music, why can't we all just embrace,appreciate, celebrate and share the music, as I thought that's what this thread was about, and I agree with Janfriend that we should at least have some form of respect and act like adults and not destroy this thread.
[Edited 6/7/07 22:29pm]

Raze said:

Yep!

I think it's really bizarre that people can't just let the thread be what it is and celebrate black music month.....

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Because there are people in society that simply can't let things be and have to knock it, especially when it pertains to something they know nothing about. Fear of the unknown.

Afronomical said:

Eloquently stated. The fear of the unknown can be perceived as a threat of being conquered by the enemy or an individuals can inadvertently perceive it as a turn on once they get into the groove.
[Edited 6/7/07 15:11pm]

MsLegs said:

Off-Subject: HotLegs, welcome back!
[Edited 6/7/07 15:55pm]

Afronomical said:

What is t h e u n k n o w n?

GEORGE T. WALKER, Jr. (b. 1922)

African American Composer & Pianist
First African American Pulitzer Prize Winner in Music
website: http://www.geocities.com/...index.html



"George Theophilus Walker was born in Washington, D.C. June 27, 1922 of West Indian-American parentage. His father emigrated to the United States, where he became a physician after graduating from Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia. George Walker's mother, Rosa King, supervised her son's first piano lessons that began when he was five years of age. His first teacher was Miss Mary L. Henry. Mrs. Lillian Mitchell Allen, who had earned a doctorate in music education, became his second piano teacher.

Before graduating from Dunbar High School at age 14, George Walker was presented in his first public recital at age 14 at Howard University's Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel

He graduating at 18 from Oberlin College with the highest honors in his Conservatory class, he was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music to study piano with Rudolf Serkin, chamber music with William Primrose and Gregor Piatigorsky, and composition with Rosario Scalero, teacher of Samuel Barber. He graduated from the Curtis Institute with Artist Diplomas in piano and composition in 1945, becoming the first black graduate of this renown music school.

George Walker has published over 90 works for orchestra, chamber orchestra, piano, strings, voice, organ, clarinet, guitar, brass, woodwinds, and chorus. His works have been performed by virtually every major orchestra in the United States and by many in England and other countries.


In 1996, George Walker became the first black composer to receive the coveted Pulitzer Prize In Music for his work, Lilacs for Voice and Orchestra, premiered by the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting. In 1997 Marion Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC proclaimed June 17th as George Walker Day in the nation's capitol."
[Edited 6/7/07 16:28pm]

MsLegs said:

Speak on it, sistah!

PANDURITO said:

The very thing most people fear.

2elijah said:

Afronomical said:

And regarding black music?

PAUL ROBESON

Singer/Actor...among many other amazing contributions....



"In Princeton, New Jersey on April 9, 1898, Paul Robeson was born to a former slave, the Rev. William Robeson. His mother, a teacher, died shortly thereafter when he was only five years old. Three years later, the Robeson family moved to Westfield, New Jersey. In 1910, Robeson's father became pastor of St.Thomas A.M.E. Zion Church and the Robeson family moved to Somerville, New Jersey. Paul Robeson attended Somerville High School. There, Robeson excelled in sports, drama, singing, academics, and debating. He graduated from Somerville High School in 1915.

Robeson was awarded a four year academic scholarship to Rutgers University in 1915, the third black student in the history of the institution. Despite the openly racist and violent opposition he faced, Robeson became a twelve letter athlete excelling in baseball, basketball, football, and track. He was named to the All American Football team on two occasions. In addition to his athletic talents, Robeson was named a Phi Beta Kappa scholar, belonged to the Cap & Skull Honor Society, and graduated valedictorian of his class in 1919.

He went on to study law at Columbia in New York and received his degree in 1923. There he met and married Eslanda Cardozo Goode, who was the first black woman to head a pathology laboratory. Robeson worked as a law clerk in New York, but once again faced discrimination and soon left the practice because a white secretary refused to take dictation from him.

At this point in his life, Paul returned to his childhood love of drama and singing. He starred in Eugene O'Neill's "All God's Chillun Got Wings" in 1924, creating the starring role. While the racial subject matter of the play spurred controversy and protest, he went on to star in another play by O'Neill - Emperor Jones. Perhaps he is most widely recognized from the musical Showboat, where he changed the lines of the song "Old Man River". His eleven films included Body and Soul, Jericho, and Proud Valley.

His concert career reads like a world traveler's passport: New York, Vienna, Prague, Budapest, Germany, Paris, Holland, London, Moscow, and Nairobi. His travels taught him that racism was not as prevalent in Europe as it was back home. In the United States, he couldn't enter theaters through the front door or sing without intimidation and protest, but in London he was welcomed with open arms and standing ovations. Robeson believed in the universality of music and that by performing Negro spirituals and other cultures' folk songs, he could promote intercultural understanding. As a result, he became a citizen of the world, singing for peace and equality in twenty-five languages.

During the 1940's Robeson continued to have success on the stage, in film, and in concert halls, but remained face to face with prejudice and racism. After finding the Soviet Union to be a tolerant and friendly nation, he began to protest the growing Cold War hostilities between the United States and the USSR. He began to question why African-Americans should support a government that did not treat them as equals[/b]. At a time when dissent was hardly tolerated, Robeson was looked upon as an enemy by his government. In 1947, he was named by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and the State Department denied him a passport until 1958. Events such as these, along with a negative public response, led to the demise of his public career."

PANDURITO said:

My comment was a reflection upon a grander scale than just black music.

TonyVanDam said:

One thing that is clear in threads across all the forums, people are happy to have Hotlegs back on the scene!

2elijah said:

One of the most impressive and unbelievable men this world has ever held witness to.

NOEL POINTER
Jazz Violinist
(1957 - 1994)

In 1995, a foundation was created in memory of Mr. Pointer.
Here's a link to the myspace foundation page
www.myspace.com/npfoundation

Link to Noel Pointer Foundation website:
http://npsom.org


(CD Cover to Don't lose your heart)


(CD cover of "Phantazia")



Info from the Noel Pointer Foundation page:

"A native of Brooklyn, at the young age of 13, Noel made his solo debut, performing none other than Vivaldi with the world renowned Symphony of the New World Orchestra. Soon to follow were guest solo appearances with the Chicago Chamber Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra. While a student at New York City’s High School of Music and Art, Noel discovered jazz and soon began to occupy himself with this genre. Later, while attending college at Manhattan School of Music, Noel became reputable as a New York session musician. By age 19 his experience as a free lance musician included steady work in The Radio City Music Hall Symphony Orchestra, The Apollo Theatre Orchestra, The Westbury Music Fair Orchestra, The Love Unlimited Orchestra (US Tour), The Dance Theater of Harlem Orchestra, The Symphony of the New World, and the pit orchestras of several Broadway shows including Guys and Dolls and Dreamgirls.

From 1977-1981 Noel recorded seven solo albums, four of which reached the top five jazz albums listed on Billboard magazine's jazz charts. His debut album, Phantazia, won him the #1 New Male Jazz Act award in Record World magazine, along with several other top awards in prestigious trade publications, including Downbeat magazine.

With all his great prestige, Noel had a fondness for audiences in inner-city communities, where he loved to perform and bring his melodic sounds of jazz. He also immensely enjoyed working with children and families. Almost immediately after his untimely death in late 1994, The Noel Pointer Foundation was established in early 1995."
[Edited 6/7/07 17:53pm]

Thanks to "Janfriend" for starting this thread.

Afronomical said:

He had brillant vocal abilities.

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

It's good to be home.

MARIAN ANDERSON
Singer (Classical/Negro Spirituals)
(1897?-1993)




(This is long, but an interesting read)

Marian Anderson was born on February 27, 1897, Philadelphia, Pennsylvannia and according to her birth certificate. (Throughout her life she gave her birthdate as February 17, 1902.)

"Marian Anderson was the oldest of three daughters born to John and Anna Anderson. John was a loader at the Reading Terminal Market, while Anna had been a teacher in Virginia. In 1912, John suffered a head wound at work and died soon after. Anna and her three daughters moved in with John’s parents, while Anna found work cleaning, laundering and scrubbing floors.

As a child Marian Anderson sang in church choirs, and the age of ten she was called "the baby contralto". Later, her church, The Union Baptist, set up a trust fund, and then she could extend her studies for training her voice.
She used to sing pieces of classical music and negro spirituals, in her concerts. In 1922, she made her debut in New York. During the 1930s, she toured widely in Europe. So, she made her debut in Paris in 1935.

When she was 15 years old, Marian began voice lessons with Mary Saunders Patterson, a prominent black soprano. Shortly thereafter, the Philadelphia Choral Society held a benefit concert, providing $500 for her to study for two years with leading contralto Agnes Reifsnyder. After she graduated from high school, her principal enabled her to meet Guiseppe Boghetti, a much sought-after teacher. When he heard Marian audition, singing "Deep River," he was moved to tears.

Marian attended William Penn High School (focusing on a commercial education course to get a job) until her music vocation arose. She transferred to South Philadelphia High School, focusing on music and singing frequently at assemblies, and graduating at age 18. She applied for admission to a local music school, but was coldly rejected because of her color

Marian returned to the U.S. for more concerts and then, in 1933, returned to Europe again through the Rosenwald Fund. From September 1933 through April 1934, she performed at 142 concerts in Scandinavia alone, even singing before King Gustav in Stockholm and King Christian in Copenhagen. She received a rare invitation to sing from Jean Sibelius, a 70-year-old famous Finnish composer. He was so moved, he dedicated his song "Solitude" to her, and saying,
"The roof of my house is too low for your voice."

She followed those concerts with appearances throughout Europe. This tour concluded in 1935 with an international festival in Salzburg called the Mozarteum. Arturo Toscanini, a very prestigious conductor, heard her sing and told her, "Yours is a voice such as one hears once in a hundred years." Another famous impresario, Sol Hurok, also heard her sing shortly after that and made a contract with her for American concerts

Throughout her life, Marian had experienced racism, but the most famous event occurred in 1939. Hurok tried to rent Washington, D.C.’s Constitutional Hall, the city’s foremost center, but was told no dates were available. Washington was segregated and even the hall had segregated seating. In 1935, the hall instated a new clause: "concert by white artists only." Hurok would have walked away with the response he’d received, but a rival manager asked about renting the hall for the same dates and was told they were open. The hall’s director told Hurok the truth, even yelling before slamming down the phone, "No Negro will ever appear in this hall while I am manager."

The public was outraged, famous musicians protested, and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigned from the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), who owned the hall. Roosevelt, along with Hurok and Walter White of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), encouraged Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes to arrange a free open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for Easter Sunday. On April 9, Marian sang before 75,000 people and millions of radio listeners. About her trepidation before the event, she said:

"I said yes, but the yes did not come easily or quickly. I don’t like a lot of show, and one could not tell in advance what direction the affair would take. I studied my conscience. As I thought further, I could see that my significance as an individual was small in this affair. I had become, whether I like it or not, a symbol, representing my people."

Several weeks later, Marian gave a private concert at the White House, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt was entertaining King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of Britain.

In 1957, she toured India and the Far East as a goodwill ambassador through the U.S. State Department and the American National Theater and Academy. She traveled 35,000 miles in 12 weeks, giving 24 concertsIn 1958 she was appointed a member of the US delegation to the United Nations.

Her final concert was at Carnegie Hall, New York, in 1965.Some of her negro spirituals are "Deep River," "My Lord," "What A Morning," "Lord, I Can’t Stay Away", and "Crucifixion."
[Edited 6/7/07 17:37pm]

2elijah said:

Oh I respect and appreciate you contributing to this thread with Black Artists. It's just not every black artists performs or creates black music and that would just be fuel for some people here