#M11Q2

Hey everyone, for my final blog I also would like to talk about the one-and-only Taylor Swift and how her music has changed the face of popular music. I am taking a different approach, however; focusing on the impact of when she transitioned from the Country to Pop genre. Not to mention, whether it’s her headlining tour, cute cat videos, boyfriend of the week, or fan shout-outs Taylor Swift is always doing something worth looking at- and blogging about.

Swift’s career began when she was signed by Big Machine Records in 2005 after being scouted through singing at local bars [2]. She then released a self-titled album in 2006 following the epic success of her hit Tim McGraw [2]. Soon after, her career took off and she soon became what is arguably the most prominent pop phenomenon.

As stated in our textbook, Swift initially wanted to be a country artist. Her most prominent influence was country superstar Shania Twain [5]. As time went on, however, we began to hear her sound change. For me, I noticed a change in her sound between the albums Speak Now and Red. In Red, she still used traditional instruments (banjo, dobro), yet the entire album had more of a pop feel, most noticeably in her single I Knew You Were Trouble. It is still considered a country album though in iTunes and the Billboard charts.

The release of her next album, 1989, shook the world. Country fans had a hard time, but it was probably the best move she could have made for her career. This made me consider any other artists who changed genre’s mid-career. Some others include Katy Perry (Christian -> Pop), Darius Rucker (Rock -> Country), and even Lady Gaga (Broadway -> Pop) [4]. I can’t help but notice how all of these changes have been beneficial in each artist’s career. Although people like Taylor Swift and Darius Rucker already found success in their initial genre, I’m not so sure it would have been as easy for people like Katy Perry or Lady Gaga to make progress in their original genre.

Swift deserves to be in future textbooks and here’s why: she changed genres of music and still kept a substantial fan base. In fact, her fan base grew in size after making the change from country to pop in 2014. So much that her album Reputation became the only album in the last two years to sell 2 million copies in the U.S [3].

In addition to her smashing success, we cannot dismiss the raw talent that Swift has. She writes all of her songs and doesn’t care what the ‘haters’ have to say about her boy-obsessed lyrics. She also has mad piano, guitar, banjo, and ukulele skills, as demonstrated through many live performances. On a personal note, I have included my favourite  performance in which she exhibits her talent playing piano. She played it at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

We also cannot forget that Swift is only 28 years old. She has already received 10 Grammy Awards [1]. Also, she has had 5 no. 1 hits on the Billboard charts [6]. This kind of success is definitely next level for a twenty-something year old.

I think we can all agree that Swift has built an empire- one that is considered a massive success, at least to me. She took a huge risk switching genres mid-career, and we have since seen how it resulted in the continued success of her career.

1. n.d. All Music. Accessed August 9, 2018. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/taylor-swift-mn0000472102/awards.
2. Campell, Micheal. 2013. Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On. . Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning.
3. Caulfield, Keith. 2018. Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ Becomes Only Album Released in Last Two Years to Sell 2 Million Copies in U.S. March 21. Accessed August 9, 2018. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8257460/taylor-swift-reputation-sells-two-million.
4. Lindner, Emilee. 2014. MTV. October 10. Accessed August 9, 2018. http://www.mtv.com/news/1973413/taylor-swift-genre-country-pop/.
5. Macpherson, Alex. 2012. The Guardian. October 18. Accessed August 9, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/oct/18/taylor-swift-want-believe-pretty-lies.
6. 2018. Taylor Swift. Accessed August 9, 2018. https://www.billboard.com/music/taylor-swift.

For my second blog, I chose to write about The Great American Songbook and an artist by the name of Cole Porter.

Contrary to its title, The Great American Songbook isn’t actually a book. Rather, it’s a collection of several hundred songs that are focused on the work of popular composers whose careers flourished in the early-mid 20^th century [5]. In other terms, the American Songbook Society also states that the songs are from the Tin Pan Alley era, through to the expansion of Broadway and Hollywood musicals [1].

Researching the Great American songbook relates to the information presented in module five for a couple of reasons. One, we are introduced to a variety of artists that are a part of the songbook. For example, Cole Porter (1891-1964) immersed himself in the music scene initially as a fan of Cugat Porter, a Latin musician [2]. It is said that “Porter was the most open to the sound of Latin music, or at least the commercial Latin music that Cugat played” [2]. They later formed an orchestra together and produced many hits which were played on Broadway.

I became interested in Cole Porter’s career because he composed a unique style of style of music which caught my ear. I enjoyed listening to the orchestra and beguine rhythm, which has bass beats on 1, 3, and 4 [2]. I never had to listen to Broadway music until taking this course, and it was tough for me to keep an open mind. However, like Porter, I did my best to keep an open mind just like he did when the Latin music genre first emerged in America [2].

When listening to his music, namely his biggest hit song Begin the Beguine, I paid close attention to his lyrics. Written in 1938, our text indicates that, “What is noteworthy about most of Porter’s Latin songs is that the lyrics have nothing to do with Latin culture. . . he simply liked the feel of the rhythm” [2]. Even though this song, in particular, went on to be on Broadway, I still find the statement true. His music, which showcased a new rhythm known as “rhumba” or beguine, increased his popularity immensely throughout the 1930-40’s. He never did sing his first hit though. Instead, it was introduced in the Broadway Musical Jubilee in 1935, performed by Penelope Martin-Smith [4].

I’m with you once more under the stars,

And down by the shore an orchestra’s playing

And even the palms seem to be swaying

When they begin the beguine.

It can be said that Porter ‘meets the criteria’ of the Great American Songbook because of two things: the epic success of his music and the era it was produced it in. As a result, it is evident that Porter truly belongs in the Great American Songbook. Even Frank Sinatra covered his biggest hit song, and he too is included in the book of popular artists [3].

The two versions of the song are similar and different. Both artists have different styles, but I found Smith’s to be a bit more, um, peaceful. More of a lullaby, actually. On the other hand, Sinatra’s was far more interesting. It has more dynamics with the orchestra and his voice has a story-telling ability that was not present in the Broadway version. In addition, every variation of the song was quite popular in its time. I personally enjoyed Sinatra’s version more, however.

Finally, I do not see a continued relevance for this style of music. The only thing I could semi-relate this to an audition I watched in American Idol in the spring. One contestant auditioned with a Frank Sinatra song. That’s it that’s all. Then again, I am not continually looking for popularity in Latin/Broadway music either. Perhaps some people still listen to music from the 1930-40’s but I personally do not.

1. n.d. Accessed July 17, 2018. http://greatamericansongbook.org/.
2. Campell, Micheal. 2013. Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On. Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning.
3. Erlewine, Thomas. n.d. rank Sinatra The Great American Songbook [Columbia]. Accessed July 17, 2018. https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-great-american-songbook-columbia-mw0000347075.
4. Rice, Jo. 1982. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits.
5. Yagoda, Ben. 2015. Have We Turned the Last Page in America’s Songbook? June 11. Accessed July 16, 2018. http://time.com/3916642/america-songwriting-history/.

#M2Q3

Hi everyone, my name is Taylor and I am a 3rd-year Sociology student in La Ronge.

For my first blog I decided to write about a ragtime- jazz artist from module two. His name was Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (1890-1941), otherwise known as Jelly Roll Morton. He was a prominent composer throughout the early 21^st century [1]. He was known for his contributions in ragtime and jazz styles of music. Born in Louisiana, he grew up in a formal music environment often attending the local orchestra shows. Morton began his career in music as a teenager travelling to Storyville playing piano in a brothel [1]. Soon, after his Grandmother kicked him out for playing in a brothel, Morton faced an ethical dilemma in deciding to pursue his musical career and remaining on his Grandmother’s good side. Morton recalls, “She told me that devil music would surely bring about my downfall, but I just couldn’t put it behind me” [2]. Nevertheless, despite the challenging start in his career, Morton persisted and went on to be a world-renowned ragtime-jazz artist.

Perhaps we can credit Morton’s success to his drive and desire to travel while pursuing music. This may not have been entirely his choice, however, because of the conditions that artists had to face during the Great Depression [3]. Regardless, he began by playing shows alone in the effort to learn what styles of music were most prominent across the country. Morton then settled down in the 1920’s and created a band which was named the Red Hot Peppers [1]. They travelled to Chicago, New York, Washington and even Vancouver to play shows.

The ragtime and jazz style of music peaked my interest after reviewing the material from module two. Because of this, choosing to write about Morton was fairly thought-provoking. My favourite of Morton’s pieces that I listened to was Mamie’s Blues. In the beginning of the song Morton reminisces, “This is the first blues I no doubt heard in my life”. I’ll be honest- I did not think I would like the music as much as I did. The only instrument was piano which definitely gave the tune a more acoustic, down-to-earth feel.

The second song I listened to was Wolverine Blues. It is instrumental with piano as the primary instrument along with nice saxophone accompaniment. This song showcased Morton’s talent in a great way; emphasizing a very unique style which was the opposite of that in Mamie’s Blues. I’m no expert, but it sounded like piano rag, very march-like [3].

Finally, the next song I reviewed was Doctor Jazz which was recorded by Morton’s band the Red Hot Peppers. It has many layering parts along with small solos which really kept my interest. The dynamincs changed toward the end of the song as the conclusion got closer- almost like an end to a story. Also, I was able to recognize syncopation in the song. As we know, this is sudden accents that change the rhythm slightly [3].

Through Morton’s music we are able to distinguish that the significance of his contributions lies in the style and lyrics of his music. He, along with others such as Louis Armstrong, made Jazz a prominent genre of music [3]. As a result, I found the music to be really uplifting and entertaining. Not only has given a glimpse into what people used to listen to, but I can also see how popular music has changed over time.

Like many musicians of colour, Morton was denied membership in Ascap, the association that collected royalties for composers [1]. In addition, Morton fought effortlessly to find success throughout the Great Depression. Many recording studios were not in a position to be handing out contracts. After being denied a renewed contract in 1931, Morton continued playing shows but struggled financially [4]. Despite countless struggles, the success that Morton achieved was epic. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 and honoured with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 [5].

After writing this blog my opinion of the blues genre has changed drastically. It was incredibly relaxing and gratifying to take a night and listen to some different genres of music than that of what I am used too. It also gave me the opportunity to explore outside my own favourable genres and open my mind up to just how many different styles of music there are. I am definitely looking forward to more blog posts!

1. Kinzer, Stephen. 2000. The Man Who Made Jazz Hot; 60 Years After His Death, Jelly Roll Morton Gets Respect. November 28. Accessed July 5, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/28/arts/man-who-made-jazz-hot-60-years-after-his-death-jelly-roll-morton-gets-respect.html.
2. Kremsky, Stuart. n.d. Jelly Roll Morton- Biography. Accessed July 5, 2018. https://www.amoeba.com/jelly-roll-morton/artist/136490/bio
3. Campell, Micheal. 2013. Popular Music in America: The Beat Goes On. Boston: Schirmer Cengage Learning.
4. 2015. Vintage Music. Accessed July 5, 2018. https://www.vintagemusic.fm/artist/12180/.
5. 2014. Jelly Roll Morton Biography. April 2. Accessed July 5, 2018. https://www.biography.com/people/jelly-roll-morton-9415945.

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