Born in 1890 in the heart of the south of New Orleans, Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe better known as “Jelly Roll Morton” was respected as one of the first Jazz composers and “Godfather” to this amazing genre.

Early Life and Childhood

Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe was born on October 20, 1890, although there is talk that he was born five years earlier. His parents were of a Creole background being a mix French, Spanish and African descent. He later took his stepfather’s last name, Morton. By age 8 he was introduced to the guitar and by age 10 he had taken up the piano. It was the piano that he grew a strong interest for and into his early teens he was found playing keys in the local brothel. These establishments are credited to giving him his nickname, “Jelly Roll” Morton (Britannica, 2018).

Jelly Roll Morton originally played ragtime tunes in the infamous Storyville neighbourhood of New Orleans. Here combined the styles of ragtime, minstrel, and the core of dance rhythms which ultimately became the birth of jazz. Michael Campbell from Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On mentions that Morton’s music was more syncopated compared to his ragtime peers.

An aspect to Morton’s life was his big and loud personality. With his hunger for fame and loud ego he began claiming that he was the creator of jazz. While this statement is debatable, one thing we can agree is that Morton contributed to many jazz discoveries including the development of early jazz to eventually orchestral jazz. He can also be credited with becoming one of the first to put jazz to paper.

It was in 1917 that Morton moved west towards California to pursue a career in music which lasted roughly five years and where he published his first work, “Original Jelly Roll Blues” (Encyclopedia, 2004).

Over the years Morton moved to Chicago. It was here that he formed Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers. The band grew in success and they created a new wave of stylish music, the swing. The band lasted four years.

Later in life, Jelly Roll Morton’s popularity dwindled and his downfall marked the end of an era. He eventually passed away on July 10, 1941 in Los Angeles, California.

Some of his hits include, “Black Bottom Stomp,” “King Porter Stomp,” “Shoe Shiner’s Drag” and “Dead Man Blues.

Many years after his passing, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1998 and awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 for his contributions to jazz and his influence on the jazz scene (Biography, 2014).

What challenges if any, did he face, and how did he overcome these challenges?

At periods in Morton’s life it was evident he had a dynamic and inconsistent lifestyle. He been known throughout his career to be a man of many occupations including a nightclub owner, gambler, and vaudeville comic. This being said, I think Morton may have struggled with his identity and the ability to be taken seriously. At the end of the day, it was his passion for the keys and sheer talent for composing jazz music that caught everyone attention.

His ego and temptation to brag set him apart from the others, making more enemies than friends and not giving him the best reputation. Morton struggled to fit in and was characterized as being hard to work with.

Some of Jelly Roll Morton’s most notable jazz pieces are “Dead Man Blues.”

Before hearing instrumentals in “Dead Man Blues” we are introduced to text. It appears there are two men having a conversation relating to church bells in the afternoon which we assume signifies a funeral of the “Dead Man.” Morton was known to incorporate minstrel aspects to his music and I believe it is evident here with the theatrics and playful language between these two gentlemen. Some of the instrumentals if you listen closely is the piano (Jelly Roll Morton), clarinet, banjo, drums, trombone, and even the cornet with a more mellow tone which is distinct from the trumpet.

The piece starts out quite melancholy which addresses the funeral and uses a slow tempo with long pulses from the trombone. Shortly after, the somber tones are replaced with a swing-like, playful, tempo where all the instrumentals unite and I feel marks an end to the funeral.

At first, we are introduced to a clarinet solo and then the cornet. I like to think these two instruments are having a conversation with one another just like the two gentlemen at the beginning of the piece.

I enjoy listening to “Dead Man Blues” by Jelly Roll Morton because I believe it to be unique with many different elements.  With the conversation at the beginning, to the slow and somber musical introduction, and eventually the body of the piece being a swing-like jazz rendition. Somehow, through Morton’s expertise, he manages to get away with adding an upbeat swing with the solemnness of a funeral and is a reason why I enjoy this piece.

Another song Morton is well-known for is “Shoe Shiner’s Drag.”

I enjoy this piece for a few distinct reasons. The relaxed tempo encourages one to tap their foot and makes it easy to dance. A vibrant cornet starts the song off which I find sets the tone for the rest of the song. Morton must have enjoyed using the glissando because they are continuously used throughout as they add drama. Overall, my interpretation of “Shoe Shiner’s Drag” is of a young shoe shiner getting through their mundane day as it seems to be reflected in the relaxed tempo.

The last piece I have chosen is Morton’s, “Original Jelly Roll Blues” which is said to be one of his first pieces of Jazz work. My reason for choosing this song not only comes from the understanding that it was ones of his firsts but also that it was recorded in Chicago, which is said by some to be one of the best places for Morton’s music career. This song is interesting to listen to because I feel it shows the starting point for Morton and as we go through his music over the years we can see the evolution. I find this piece to be less “risky” compared to his other songs.

Have a listen yourself!

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Biography. “Jelly Roll Morton Biography.” Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/people/jelly-roll-morton-9415945 (Accessed July 17, 2018).

Campbell, Michael. Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On. Nelson Education, 2012.

Encyclopedia Britannica. “Jelly Roll Morton: American Musician.” Britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jelly-Roll-Morton (Accessed July 17, 2018).

New Orleans Official Guide. “Jelly Roll Morton.” New Orleans Online. http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/music/musichistory/musicgreats/jellyroll.html. (Accessed July 15, 2018).

#M6Q1

The Elvisulization chart made by Spotify, uses the influence of Elvis Presley to identify and create links between many different artists. The root of the chart is Elvis and the connections made between him and other artists are the result of Elvis’ direct influence; for artists that are further along the chart, the influence of Elvis on them may be indirect. These artists, who were indirectly influenced by Elvis, may appear to have a musical style that is far different from Elvis’ and so the very existence of the connection to him may seem farfetched, but upon digging deep into both artists, a connection or a string of connections may be found in the form of style of music, way of performing, and fashion. For an example, we will follow the line on the chart that goes from Elvis Presley to the Bee Gees to Michael Jackson and then ends on Pharrell Williams.[1]

Elvis Presley

As many of us know, Elvis Presley was, and still is, a very influential person; even today, there are many artists who look up to him. Elvis was born January 8, 1935 and died August 16, 1977. Growing up, he listened to pop, country, church gospel, all-night gospel, and black R&B.[2] Listening to all these different genres helped Elvis create a unique sound which resulted in a new era of music, one which would influence future artists such as the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, and Pharrell Williams.

Bee Gees

The Bee Gees were a trio of brothers that were heavily influenced by the rock genre—this already suggests that Elvis, commonly referred to as the “King of Rock and Roll,” had a great influence on them.[3][4] To see this clearer, one may look to the 1970s where the Bee Gees turned their attention to dance-oriented music, which is similar to Elvis.[5] Regarding the style of singing, Elvis had a romantic way of singing to his fans which is also evident in the Bee Gees. Yet another influence of Elvis on the Bee Gees can be found in their fashion styles. Elvis was known for his iconic attire: a white jumpsuit that had white bell bottoms and revealed some of his chest. Similarly, the Bee Gees also wore white bell bottom pants and a white shirt that left some of their chest exposed. This style is like a tease which, at that time, would be considered very unusual and sexual.

Michael Jackson

One of the defining traits of the Bee Gees is their high-pitched voice. This trait comes up often in later pop music, especially in the music of Michael Jackson. Being that the Bee Gees influenced Michael Jackson in this way, and that the Bee Gees were influenced by Elvis, one may then conclude that Michael Jackson was influenced by Elvis. To add to this, there is some evidence of Elvis’ direct influence on Michael Jackson through the two artists’ dance moves. Michael Jackson is well-known for his dancing which is characterized by moves involving a lot of motion with his legs. Likewise, Elvis is well-known for moving his legs when he danced. In terms of signature dance moves, Elvis had “The Pelvis” move which involved him moving his pelvis, while Michael Jackson had his “Crotch Grab,” the action of which is self-explanatory.[6] [7] Both signature moves are sexual in nature, causing people to be pleasantly caught off guard.

Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams has a unique style and sound to his music, but upon listening closely to it, while keeping the music of Michael Jackson in mind, one may notice how the two artists sound similar; that is, Michael Jackson has influenced Pharrell Williams. For a specific example, one may compare Williams’ song “Happy” to Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” to see that they both share the style of high soft singing.

This style of high soft singing goes back to the Bee Gees which indirectly makes Pharrell influenced by the Bee Gees. These influences, coupled with the influence Elvis had on Michael Jackson and the Bee Gees, leads to the conclusion that Elvis has influenced Pharrell Williams both directly and indirectly. The direct influence comes from the sexual aspect present in Elvis’ music and performance. This sexual aspect, as mentioned before, is present in the Bee Gees and Michael Jackson; it happens to also be present in Pharrell Williams’ music, as can be seen in the music video for “Blurred Lines,” by Robin Thicke, featuring Pharrell Williams. In the music video, the sexuality presents itself in the form of several women walking around in barely any clothes.

As we have seen, Elvis has influenced the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, and Pharrell Williams, but this is just one example from the Elvisulization. Elvis has influenced many others directly or indirectly.

Endnotes

[1] “The Elvisualization,” accessed July 13, 2018, http://static.echonest.com/insights/elvis/elvisulization.html.

[2] “Elvis Presley Biography – Elvis Presley Life Story – Official Elvis Biography,” accessed July 15, 2018, https://www.graceland.com/elvis/biography.aspx.

[3] “The Bee Gees – Biography,” accessed July 13, 2018, https://www.biography.com/people/groups/the-bee-gees.

[4] Dave Marsh, “Elvis Presley – Biography, Songs, Movies, & Facts,” accessed July 13, 2018, https://britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley.

[5] “Barry Gibb – Singer, Songwriter – Biography,” accessed July 13, 2018, https://www.biography.com/people/barry-gibb-20861655.

[6] “10 Classic Elvis Dance Moves In Honor Of The King’s 80^th Birthday,” HuffPost Canada, January 7, 2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/07/elvis-presley-birthday_n_6431940.html.

[7] “8 Of Michael Jackson’s Most Iconic Dance Moves,” accessed July 13, 2018, https://www.refinery29.com/2016/08/120661/michael-jackson-dance-moves-king-of-pop.

Bibliography

Marsh, Dave. “Elvis Presley – Biography, Songs, Movies, & Facts.” Accessed July 13, 2018. https://britannica.com/biography/Elvis-Presley.

“8 Of Michael Jackson’s Most Iconic Dance Moves.” Accessed July 13, 2018. https://www.refinery29.com/2016/08/120661/michael-jackson-dance-moves-king-of-pop.

“10 Classic Elvis Dance Moves In Honor Of The King’s 80^th Birthday.” HuffPost Canada. January 7, 2015. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/07/elvis-presley-birthday_n_6431940.html.

“Barry Gibb – Singer, Songwriter – Biography.” Accessed July 13, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/barry-gibb-20861655.

“Elvis Presley Biography – Elvis Presley Life Story – Official Elvis Biography.” Accessed July 15, 2018. https://www.graceland.com/elvis/biography.aspx.

The Bee Gees – Biography.” Accessed July 13, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/groups/the-bee-gees.

The Elvisualization.” Accessed July 13, 2018. http://static.echonest.com/insights/elvis/elvisulization.html.

#M5Q3

Paul Anka was born July 30, 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario.[1] He first showed an interest in music when he was young by singing in the choir at church as well as studying piano. At the age of thirteen, he was in his own vocal group. His dream of pursuing a career in music became especially clear when he went on a trip to New York; after that trip, he saved up his money and convinced his parents to let him

go to Los Angeles to pursue music. Working with Modern Records, he released his first single, though it was not a hit and did not do much to start his career.[2] What Paul really wanted was to move to New York; after some convincing, his father let him make the move under one condition: if he could not make it in New York then he would have to come back to Ottawa.[3]

In New York, Paul met with Don Costa, an executive at ABC/Paramount Records who showed great interest in Paul after listening to some of his music. A contract was written up and then signed by Paul. Following this, Paul wrote a song about a girl he had a crush on in Ottawa; the song was called “Diana.” Once the song was recorded and released, it became Paul’s first number one hit single.[4] By the age of twenty, which was then the late 1950s, Paul was travelling to perform songs such as “Lonely Boy” and “Put Your Head On My Shoulders.”[5]

Paul’s music tended to be influenced by artists like Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra. In particular, in “Put Your Head On My Shoulders,” Paul’s voice is strong, singular, and is the main element of the song. Also, his performance style exemplifies the characteristic of almost talking to the audience as he sings. These traits are certainly present in the music of Nat Cole and Frank Sinatra, whose voices are known to be the centrepiece of their music as they sing, and talk, to their audience.  Now consider “Unforgettable” by Nat Cole, which was a change in music style post-war and was ideal for slow dancing instead of the foxtrot.[6] When comparing this song with Paul’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulders,” one gets the sense that they have a similar feel to them. That is, Nat and Paul have a more personal way of performing, where they are sharing their feelings through singing, referred to as emphasizing the song to the singer. To add to the similarity in a small way, there is pizzicato present in Nat Cole’s song and also a small, subtle amount of pizzicato in Paul’s song.[7] On the other hand, the music of Frank Sinatra tends to be more upbeat, lively, and slightly less soothing then Nat Cole’s music.[8] This certainly seems to be a quality that influenced Paul, as his song shares this characteristic quite closely. For this particular Paul Anka song, it should be noted that, unlike the music of Frank Sinatra and Nat Cole, there is not much instrumentation in it; the lack of instrumentation seems to be made up for with the presence of minor vocalists.

Despite his success, Paul encountered a problem when he performed his music back in Ottawa: people were booing him and would not embrace his music—this resulted in Paul not performing there for decades. When the 1960’s came about, people started to like rock ‘n’ roll from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.[9] This led Paul on a different career route. He performed his music to an older group of people in nightclubs in New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles.[10] Unlike many other crooners of the time, Paul enjoyed writing music for other artists such as Tom Jones, Michael Jackson, and his friend Frank Sinatra (for whom he wrote “My Way”). It is also interesting to note that Paul co-wrote the popular Michael Jackson song, “This is it.”[11] In 1974, he released another song called “You’re Having My Baby,” which became number one on the charts despite being very controversial for feminists. In the 1990s, Paul continued his career through acting; to this day, he continues to make appearances in TV shows and movies.[12]

Paul Anka has had a significant impact on popular music. To recognize them, he has been inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the American Songwriters Hall of Fame.[13]

End Notes

[1] “Paul Anka – Singer, Songwriter, Television Actor, Film Actor, Guitarist, Pianist, Actor – Biography,” accessed July 12, 2018, https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424.

[2] “Paul Anka – Canadian Music Hall Of Fame,” accessed July 12, 2018, http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/inductee/paul-anka/.

[3] “Paul Anka – Singer, Songwriter, Television Actor, Film Actor, Guitarist, Pianist, Actor – Biography,”

[4] “Paul Anka – Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.”

[5] “Paul Anka – Singer, Songwriter, Television Actor, Film Actor, Guitarist, Pianist, Actor – Biography,”

[6] Michael Campbell, Popular Music in America The Beat Goes On, Fourth Edition (Boston, MA: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013), 153 and 154.

[7] Michael Campbell, 154.

[8] Michael Campbell, 155.

[9] “Paul Anka – Singer, Songwriter, Television Actor, Film Actor, Guitarist, Pianist, Actor – Biography,”

[10] Rachel Cole, “Paul Anka- American Singer and Songwriter,” accessed July 12, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Anka.

[11] Rachel Cole.

[12] “Paul Anka – Singer, Songwriter, Television Actor, Film Actor, Guitarist, Pianist, Actor – Biography,”

[13] Betty Nygaard King, “Paul Anka,” The Canadian Encyclopedia, accessed July 13, 2018, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/.

Bibliography

Campbell, Michael. Popular Music in American The Beat Goes On. Boston, MA: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2013.

Cole, Rachel. “Paul Anka- American Singer and Songwriter.” Accessed July 12, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Anka.

King, Betty Nygarrd. “Paul Anka.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Accessed July 13, 2018. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/.

“Paul Anka- Canadian Music Hall of Fame” Accessed July 12, 2018. http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/inductee/paul-anka/.

“Paul Anka – Singer, Songwriter, Television Actor, Film Actor, Guitarist, Pianist, Actor – Biography.” Accessed July 12, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424.

Most of us have heard some form of swing music in our lifetime. Be it through movies, YouTube, or video games (Fallout comes to mind). Swing was most popular in the 30s and 40s, but it did make a bit of a comeback in the 90s and early 2000s. Around 2004 this new style of swing music was dubbed “Electro-swing” do to the electronic/modern elements mixed with the original style. Though seemingly never gaining as much mainstream popularity as the parent style electro-swing did find its own niche.  Reaching the height of its popularity around 2010, electro-swing apparently isn’t everyone’s favourite genre of music “Electro swing is the past meeting the present in the worst way possible.”(Harrison).  Personally i actually listened to electro-swing on and off, sure some stuff is better than others but its got that very definitive swing style that i love.

Although there are a lot of electro-swing artists out there, the top dogs would be Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace. “Austrian DJ and producer Parov Stelar released one of the first electro swing albums in 2004.  The album is called Rough Cuts, and is considered to be the pioneer of electro-swing” (Pointdexter).  After Stelar popularized electro-swing  the French band Caravan Palace followed in 2008 with the release of their debut album of the same name. Even though these band were popular in their genre, i have to say i’d never heard of either of them by name. Though their music is on a number of the electro-swing mixes on YouTube. The reason most likely being that they’re music never made the so called jump across the pond.

After a bit of flip flopping between what band to highlight in this post i chose Caravan Palace and their song Lone Digger, its got a good beat and makes you want to tap along. Another aspect was the rather intriguing music video that accompanies the song.

Never thought you’d watch a video about three cats that walk into a strip club and get into a deadly fight did you? How the gazelle didn’t notice the fight until it was over is beyond me, but that’s besides the point. Music wise the song does have a fairly syncopated feel at its core, although the swing beat is paired from a much more techno like beat. Instrument wise there are key swing style instruments such as trumpets and some other brass instruments.  The more modern elements of the song would be the added techno beat, and synthesized voice additions. Even the singing at points is almost like rapping, especially the song’s chorus. These characteristic are very inspired by the popular music of the time, rap and electronic music.

Swing era music and fashion are still popular today, one example of swing in a movie that came to mind would be the scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron where Captain America has a flashback like dream of of past which depicts a war time dance in the background.

Fashion wise retro style clothing has really made a comeback recently with “swing style” dresses. Entire sites dedicated to retro dresses at all price points, from $20-$100+. Its clear that people love the style of swing. The music is upbeat, fun, and makes you want to tap along. In some cases people even take swing dancing classes. I studied abroad for a few months in England and some of the students hosted some swing dance nights where they taught the other students basic swing dancing move. Although i wasn’t very good at it, it was a ton of fun.

Its obvious that people of all ages have always been attracted to swing music which is why its still so prominent today. Be it original swing music or electro-swing. I think part of it is the idea of social dancing, though its not a big part of today’s culture, the idea of something like that is exciting. Going on personal experience here, when i watch swing dancing or any type of social dancing i tend to wish we still did something like that to this day.

Comparing swing music to electro-swing i do prefer the original style, its just got a irresistible charm. Sure electro-swing does have the fundamentals similarities but its just not the same.

Sources:

Harrison, Angus. “Electro Swing Is the Worst Genre of Music in the World, Ever.” Thump. December 09, 2015. Accessed July 17, 2018. https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/wnyjk9/electro-swing-is-the-worst-genre-of-music-in-the-world-ever.

Pointdexter, Ashley. “The Rise of Electro-Swing.” Bass Feeds The Soul. March 13, 2015. Accessed July 17, 2018. http://www.bassfeedsthesoul.com/quick-news/2015/3/13/the-rise-of-electro-swing.

Most of us have heard some form of swing music in our lifetime. Be it through movies, YouTube, or video games (Fallout comes to mind). Swing was most popular in the 30s and 40s, but it did make a bit of a comeback in the 90s and early 2000s. Around 2004 this new style of swing music was dubbed “Electro-swing” do to the electronic/modern elements mixed with the original style. Though seemingly never gaining as much mainstream popularity as the parent style electro-swing did find its own niche.  Reaching the height of its popularity around 2010, electro-swing apparently isn’t everyone’s favourite genre of music “Electro swing is the past meeting the present in the worst way possible.”(Harrison).  Personally i actually listened to electro-swing on and off, sure some stuff is better than others but its got that very definitive swing style that i love.

Although there are a lot of electro-swing artists out there, the top dogs would be Parov Stelar and Caravan Palace. “Austrian DJ and producer Parov Stelar released one of the first electro swing albums in 2004.  The album is called Rough Cuts, and is considered to be the pioneer of electro-swing” (Pointdexter).  After Stelar popularized electro-swing  the French band Caravan Palace followed in 2008 with the release of their debut album of the same name. Even though these band were popular in their genre, i have to say i’d never heard of either of them by name. Though their music is on a number of the electro-swing mixes on YouTube. The reason most likely being that they’re music never made the so called jump across the pond.

After a bit of flip flopping between what band to highlight in this post i chose Caravan Palace and their song Lone Digger, its got a good beat and makes you want to tap along. Another aspect was the rather intriguing music video that accompanies the song.

Never thought you’d watch a video about three cats that walk into a strip club and get into a deadly fight did you? How the gazelle didn’t notice the fight until it was over is beyond me, but that’s besides the point. Music wise the song does have a fairly syncopated feel at its core, although the swing beat is paired from a much more techno like beat. Instrument wise there are key swing style instruments such as trumpets and some other brass instruments.  The more modern elements of the song would be the added techno beat, and synthesized voice additions. Even the singing at points is almost like rapping, especially the song’s chorus. These characteristic are very inspired by the popular music of the time, rap and electronic music.

Swing era music and fashion are still popular today, one example of swing in a movie that came to mind would be the scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron where Captain America has a flashback like dream of of past which depicts a war time dance in the background.

Fashion wise retro style clothing has really made a comeback recently with “swing style” dresses. Entire sites dedicated to retro dresses at all price points, from $20-$100+. Its clear that people love the style of swing. The music is upbeat, fun, and makes you want to tap along. In some cases people even take swing dancing classes. I studied abroad for a few months in England and some of the students hosted some swing dance nights where they taught the other students basic swing dancing move. Although i wasn’t very good at it, it was a ton of fun.

Its obvious that people of all ages have always been attracted to swing music which is why its still so prominent today. Be it original swing music or electro-swing. I think part of it is the idea of social dancing, though its not a big part of today’s culture, the idea of something like that is exciting. Going on personal experience here, when i watch swing dancing or any type of social dancing i tend to wish we still did something like that to this day.

Comparing swing music to electro-swing i do prefer the original style, its just got a irresistible charm. Sure electro-swing does have the fundamentals similarities but its just not the same.

Sources:

Harrison, Angus. “Electro Swing Is the Worst Genre of Music in the World, Ever.” Thump. December 09, 2015. Accessed July 17, 2018. https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/wnyjk9/electro-swing-is-the-worst-genre-of-music-in-the-world-ever.

Pointdexter, Ashley. “The Rise of Electro-Swing.” Bass Feeds The Soul. March 13, 2015. Accessed July 17, 2018. http://www.bassfeedsthesoul.com/quick-news/2015/3/13/the-rise-of-electro-swing.

The Minstrel Show, the less than glamorous past of popular music. Preformed in blackface the show was a high energy, often improvised and mainly spoken in “a caricature of African-American speech” (Campbell). In the article Whitewashing Blackface Minstrelsy in American College Textbooks by Joseph Byrd we are told that blackface comedy was adopted from England and eventually evolved into what was the Minstrel Show.

Byrd defines those who were the main audience of the blackface shows which inspired minstrelsy as lower class males. the exact word used to describe the situation was lumpenproletariat. defined as such: “the lowest stratum of the industrial working class, including also such undesirables as tramps and criminals.” (Britannica). With this knowledge we gain a bit of insight on what the blackface shows were geared towards. This show wasn’t intended for those in a higher class, it was catered towards the poor Irish immigrants. As mentioned in the article the inspiration for the music style present leaned towards Irish folk music. This choice most likely added to the appeal of the show.  The horrible misrepresentation of the African-American people of the time most likely added to the success of the shows. Perhaps it made the immigrants feel a step above their black counterparts.

Although the slavery had since ended, the States were bound by a set of segregation laws nicknamed the “Jim Crow Laws” after the reoccurring character in the minstrel shows, the country bumpkin Jim Crow. Below i’ve inserted a short clip of a blackface actor doing a Jim Crow dance.

Jim Crow eventually became a racial slur used to refer to all black people in America, hence the naming of the racial segregation laws the Jim Crow Laws. To expand upon the laws a bit more it was practices like separate schools for whites and blacks, different parks, even different restaurants for white and black people. The idea behind the Jim Crow laws is that whites and blacks were to be “separate, but equal”.

In the early minstrel shows run by the Virginia Minstrels i was shocked to learn how offensive the lyrics were towards African-American people. Here are some lyrics from Old Dan Tucker that were featured in Byrd’s article.

“Tucker on de woodpile, can’t count ’lebben,
Put him in a featherbed, him gwine to hebben,
His nose so flat, his face so full,
De top of his head like a bag of wool.”

“This would become the essence of American
popular song…Note also that, in just one quatrain, Emmett has managed to employ at least three racist stereotypes: blacks are larcenous, stupid, and ugly.” (Byrd)

Its shocking to think that something like this would gain the popularity it did. I even did some browsing to see if i could find the original lyrics  of Old Dan Tucker 0nline to listen to. But it seems even those have been swept under the rung. Some of the songs sung even implied that it was assumed that African-Americans were happier in slavery than they were being free. This mindset most likely impacted the reason the segregation of white and black people lasted for so long, or why the Jim Crow laws even had to exist.

People don’t like to talk about messy parts of history, and minstrelsy is a portion of that so called messy past. In Canada perhaps you could liken the lack of talking about treatment of indigenous people in the past to that of minstrelsy. Despite being less glamorous than other music history blackface entertainment like the minstrel show still existed no matter how much one tries to cover it up. I think its important to learn from our mistakes and grow into a greater society because of it. Hiding the not so nice stuff won’t help the learning process, no amount of rewriting of lyrics or removing of verses will change the actual lyrics of a song. The Minstrel show was to a degree the start of easily accessed entertainment for the average person, the songs were catchy and upbeat and they toured around providing entertainment for many. Thats why i think its so important to learn about these things, its hard to understand music history as a whole when parts are being left out.

Sources:

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Lumpenproletariat.” Encyclopædia Britannica. December 03, 2014. Accessed July 19, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lumpenproletariat.

Joseph Byrd (2009) Whitewashing Blackface Minstrelsy in American College Textbooks, Popular Music and Society, 32:1, 77-86, DOI: 10.1080/03007760802207882

Urofsky, Melvin I. “Jim Crow Law.” Encyclopædia Britannica. July 19, 2017. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/event/Jim-Crow-law.

Hello everyone. For my first personal blog post in Music 111, I have chosen to write about Jelly Roll Morton, an important individual in the early history of pop music and jazz.

A pianist, composer and band leader, Jelly Roll Morton was not only considered a major influence on the genre but a fore father in the development of jazz [1]. Legally born as Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe, Jelly Roll was born on Oct 20, 1890 in New Orleans Louisiana, and passed away on July 10, 1941 in Los Angeles, California [2]. At age 10 he learned to play the piano and within a few years was playing in bordellos where he earned his nickname Jelly Roll [3]. Being a son of creole parents, Jelly Roll Morton remained true to his African, French and Spanish roots with his ragtime and minstrelsy dance rhythms, which would be known as jazz [4]. Jelly Roll’s “Original Jelly Roll Blues” is believed to be the first published work of its genre. Early 1926, he would then led Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Peppers and earn national hits like “Black Bottom Stomp” and “Smoke House Blues” and later on other tracks like “Kansas City Stomp  and “Tank Town Bump”[3]. Jelly Roll fell on hard times during the Great Depression as did his kind of music and was later found tending a bar in 1938. Early sounds of rock and roll can be detected in his vibrant blues and ragtime pieces and along with his “flamboyant, colorful and exasperating personality”, could possibly make him a grandfather of rock and roll [1].

Song #1: Black Bottom Stomp

The first song I chose to write about was “Black Bottom Stomp”, played by Jelly Roll and his Red Hot Peppers. Recorded on September 15, 1926 [6],”Black Bottom Stomp” would become a national hit and one of Jelly Roll’s most well known pieces of music. Eight instruments make up this New Orleans spirited piece (piano, bass, drum, cornet, clarinet, banjo, trumpet, and the trombone) [5]. Throughout the song you can hear the piano and drum as the frontline features the clarinet, trombone and trumpet. I chose to write about this song for the mood it creates. At first listen, almost instant, my foot started tapping and I started bouncing in my chair. The bright and exciting musical texture gives the audience a fun piece to listen to. The song brings a swing feel and proudly demonstrates a New Orleans essence, like a trip to Mardi Gras.

Song #2: Jelly Roll Blues

My second choice to write about is Jelly Morton’s “Jelly Roll Blues”. Considered to be jazz music’s first ever published work, an incredible accomplishment in the Jazz industry, “Jelly Roll Blues” obviously holds a historic significance and must be listened too. A foxtrot written in 1910 and published by 1915, it is Jelly’s and the Red Hot Peppers first musical piece and in comparison to his “Black Bottom Stomp”, one can notice how more toned back and not so flamboyant and bright it is. Given it being Jelly’s first song, it is understandable his work isn’t at the intensity you later see in his career.  That being said I do appreciate hearing his musical origins and experience the transformation into his explosive, creole flair.

Song #3: Winin’ Boy

The last song I chose to listen and write on isn Jelly and New Orleans Jazzmen’s foxtrot  “Winin’ Boy” of 1939. I chose Winin’ Boy for the purpose of experiment, I wanted an idea of Jelly’s musical transition. In 1941, poor health lead to the death of Jelly so “Winin’ Boy” is one of his latest records. It is interesting to hear the transition of his music as the music popularity shifted, his classic swing shifted to a blues feel. And when I listen to “Winin’ Boy”, I get that blues feeling. I feel the frontmen carry the passion where the piano balances the rhythm, bring that soothing but horn emphasized blue feeling!

I hope you enjoyed!

Bibliography

[1] “Jelly Roll Morton.” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/jelly-roll-morton

[2} “Jelly Roll Morton.” Britannica. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jelly-Roll-Morton

[3] “Jelly Roll Morton.” Biography. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/jelly-roll-morton-9415945

[4] “Jelly Roll Morton.” Encyclopedia. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/music-popular-and-jazz-biographies/jelly-roll-morton

[5] Molina, Roberto. Black Bottom Stomp. Accessed July 18, 2018. https://blog.mcdaniel.edu/ramolina/2014/02/12/black-bottom-stomp

[6] Winin’ Boy Blog, The. Black Bottom Stomp – Jelly Roll Morton. Accessed July 18, 2018. http://thewininboy.blogspot.com/2012/07/black-bottom-stomp