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

Josephine Baker

M3Q1

Hello, this is my second blog post! I decided to write about Josephine Baker.

Josephine Baker was a devoted, passionate and talented woman. Her life between June 3 1906, to April 12 1975, was filled with entertaining, dancing, being a military agent, fighting for equality and so much more. She is a truly inspiring woman.

Josephine’s childhood was quite difficult and hard. She grew up in a life of poverty with her mother and her siblings; her father left them at a very young age. Josephine helped support her family by babysitting and cleaned houses for rich white people, as she was very poorly treated. At age 13, she took ma

tters into her own hands and ran away and became a waitress. She had to grow up so fast at such a young age, and that made her a very strong independent women who shows a lot of drive.

By 1919, Josephine was starting to get into dance, and she would perform in clubs and also in street performances. By the year 1919, Josephine was touring within the United States with the Dixie Steppers doing comedic skits, and the Jones Family band. In 1919, she was a member of comic touch and the chorus in the

musical Shuffle Along. Her comedy skills that she incorporated in that musical helped her become popular with different crowds. She really wanted to make it big, so she moved to New York City and she soon performed in Chocolate Dandies, and she also performed in the floor show of the Plantation Club with Ethel Waters, and this performance made Josephine quite a crowd favourite. Josephine then travelled to Paris in 1925, to perform in La Revue Nègre. This performance made a very good impression on the audience. Josephine was soon very well known in a large portion of Europe.

“Virtually an instant hit, Josephine Baker became one of the best- known entertainers in both France and much of Europe. Her exotic, sensual act reinforced the creative images coming of the Harlem Renaissance in America.” (Lewis, 2017) Josephine was the eye opening legend who opened the eyes of  white people to start accepting black people into intellectual, social, and artistic contributions to the world, but this was placed more specifically in Harlem, NY.

“Her moves were unmistakable: rhythmic hands, gyrating hips and elastic legs that propelled her round the dancefloor like a flurry of hypnotic windmill sails. New York’s ‘highest-paid chorus girl in vaudeville’ would truly make her name in deco Paris at ‘La Revue Nègre’ in the mid 1920s.

Ultimate womaniser, Ernest Hemingway, called her ‘the most sensational woman anyone ever saw.’ Yet, despite her popularity and fame, Rosa Parks’ fight was hers too. When she arrived back in America in the 1950s she was refused reservations at 36 hotels. She took her battle to the cabaret clubs, refusing to perform to racially-segregated audiences (despite a $10,000 offer by a Miami club). Not even threatening calls from the Klu Klux Klan scared her. In 1963, she stood beside Martin Luther King at the March on Washington. She was the only official female speaker there.” (Marie, 2017) This describes how Josephine showed a very high stance in feminism and also, sexual empowerment for women. She had an immense amount of confidence and used her talents and her amazing skills to awe the crowd. Also, nothing scared her or made her feel less of herself. She was abundantly confident; her confidence helped her reach her goals and follow what she truly believed in without having to stand down.

As we know, Josephine Baker was a phenomenal dancer. She did a re-make of the Charleston dance. The Charleston dance was a dance that was popular in the 1920’s. It consisted of swinging of the legs and large movement of the arms, all in a fast pace. Josephine did her own version of the Charleston, by adding her own comedic touch to it, and it made her spectacularly well known.

Josephine Baker performing her own touch to the Charleston.

World War II started in the year of 1939, and that year was the start of a mission for Josephine Baker. “She worked for the Red Cross during the occupation in France. As a member of the Free French forces, she also entertained troops in both Africa and Middle East.” (2018) A very intense roll Josephine had was that she worked for the French Resistance, and her duty was to smuggle messages that would be hidden in her underwear or her sheet music. As a result by the end of the war, Josephine was awarded the Croix de Guerre award, and the Legion of Honour with the rosette of the Resistance. These two honors were two of France’s highest military honours.

Josephine was a woman of many talents; she is a legend and also very inspiring. Not only was she a phenomenal dancer, and entertainer, but she also had a very deep and bold personality with being an activist in stopping cultural racism, bringing people of colour into the music industry, a military honours award recipient, and also, living a life empowering women by her actions, attitude and accomplishments. Although she became famous, she did not let it get the best of her, rather used her fame to make a difference in the world, and she was not afraid to be herself. As Josephine came from a life full of racism, poverty, criticism, and much more, she was made stronger and showed the world how she was not defined by those hardships, and that she overcame those struggles by becoming very successful, motivating, and a legend in history.

Bibliography

Baker, Josephine. 2018. “Josephine Baker Biography”. Biography. Access July 18, 2018.

https://www.biography.com/people/josephine-baker-9195959

Lewis, Jone. 2017. “ Josephine Baaker Biography”. ThoughtCo. Access Jul 18, 2018.

https://www.thoughtco.com/josephine-baker-biography-3528473

Lewis, Jone. 2018. “Josephine Baker Picture Gallery”. ThoughtCo. Access July 18, 2018.

https://www.thoughtco.com/josephine-baker-picture-gallery-3528475

Claire, Marie. 2017. “ These are the most inspirational women in history”.Marie Claire. Access July 18, 2018.

https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/people/inspirational-women-from-history-81054

Rosenberg, Jennifer. “ What is the Chalreston? ” ThoughtCo. Access July 2018.

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-charleston-dance-1779257

Paul Anka and Justin Bieber are both from Ontario, Canada, and they were both only 15 years old when they released their first hit [5], but Anka’s success as a singer-songwriter helped pave the way for The Biebs, and this should not be forgotten. I will admit that prior to beginning the research for this blog post I was, for the most part, unfamiliar with Paul Anka. While his name was familiar to me, I was wildly unaware of his musical contributions throughout the last 60 or so decades. For this reason, I will begin with a brief biography.

Paul Anka: Who is he?

Paul Anka, Canadian heartthrob and crooner was born July 30th, 1941 in Ottawa, Ontario [1]. As a boy he was part of a church choir and studied piano; at the age of 13 he had already claimed a spot in a vocal group named the Bobbysoxers [4].

“From an early age, it was clear that Anka had an abundance of confidence and big dreams of life on stage” -The Canadian Music Hall of Fame

Anka spent 3 months collecting Campbell’s soup can labels that led him to win a contest for a trip to New York [1,2,4]. This New York trip, along with his later travels in 1956 to Los Angeles, only led him to become hungrier for the singing career that awaited him. He recorded his first single “Blau-Wile-Deveest-Fontaine” while in Los Angeles, but unfortunately it was not a hit [1]. Later in 1957, upon returning to New York, Anka recorded his first hit song “Diana” with ABC-Paramount Records [1].

Following the release of Diana, Paul Anka was well on his way to becoming “one of the first and most iconic teen idols in pop music” [1]. His sound evolved throughout the 1960’s, and he also quickly found out that he was going to be a successful, long-term songwriter [1,2].

Anka’s Signature Talent

While he was no doubt a talented crooner, Paul Anka has a leg up on many of the other crooners of the time, such as Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole. At one point Anka described his songs as being “very autobiographical”, meaning that he wrote them about his own personal experiences [4]. For example, “Diana” was written about a woman from Ottawa that he was crushing on and “Lonely Boy” was about his struggles with feeling isolated during his initial teenage years in the music business. His early songwriting continued to develop throughout his career and over the years he wrote songs for many artists including Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly, and Tom Jones [1].

The fact that Paul Anka wrote his own songs is one of the biggest distinguishing factors between him and the other crooners we have studied. Frank Sinatra and Nat “King” Cole typically performed older songs in their early years, taking them on and making them their own [3].

“Crazy Love”

There are, however, other things that set Anka part from crooners like Cole and Sinatra. I’ve decided to highlight Anka’s 1958 song, “Crazy Love” to show some of the major differences.

The very first thing I noticed about this song was how much Anka’s vocal style resembles that of Elvis! I think this resemblance is representative of the time; Anka was much younger than Sinatra and Cole at the time of this recording, who were both well into their 30’s. Not to mention that Elvis’s big bust into the music scene occurred 4 years prior to Anka’s release of “Crazy Love.” In the song, you may have noticed his whiny and somewhat melancholic voice; this feature is what I would compare directly to that of Elvis. Another song where I noticed this Elvis resemblance was in “Tell Me That You Love Me.”

Another difference that I noticed from some of the earlier crooners was the pitch of their voices. Anka’s voice is not quite as low and warm as Sinatra and Cole; this could be related to his young age, after-all, Anka was only 17 years old when the song was released. One of the signature features of the popular crooners was their warm, rich texture, and I feel that Anka’s sound in this song and many others is not nearly as robust. Anka seems to have more of that “pretty boy” voice, which is something that the crooners or song interpreters did not necessarily need because they were able to rely on their emotional delivery of the song [3].

As Campbell points out, “Song Interpretation begins with a distinctive vocal style”

This leads to another difference that I noticed in lyrical delivery and vocal style. While  many of the crooners singing was speech-like, Anka is much more reliant on the rhythm and melody of the song, as opposed to how Sinatra and Cole would “mold the song to their style” and not be as concerned with vocal timing. Now, this is up for debate. Because Anka wrote his own songs, he would not have to mold them to fit his voice; he could simply write them to his own liking in the beginning.

Crooner… Yay or Nay?

Despite the differences I pointed out above, Paul Anka is clearly considered one of the best crooners around for a reason. I’ve chosen to highlight the 1959 song “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” as an example towards some of the similarities.

The slower tempo, flowery melody, and deep, rich, and warm voice of this song is much more representative of the crooning and song interpretation that came before Anka. While the lyrics are still “sung” more than, for example, Nat “King” Cole’s “Unforgettable”, Anka’s delivery is more speech-like than in “Crazy Love.” By far, the most recognizable similarity between Anka and the other crooners is the lyrical content: this music is about sentiment. Songs about heartbreak, loneliness, and being in the throws of new love are no stranger to Sinatra, Cole, or Anka.

When considering the similarities and differences between Anka’s music and some of the rest we have heard by Sinatra and Cole, one may suggest that in his beginnings, Anka was on the margins of one of popular music’s greatest transitions. You can hear the tension between the classic and modern pop in his music, signalling the change to come.

21st Century Anka

At 76 years old, Anka is still going strong. Two unique albums that he created were released in 2005 and 2007 by the names “Rock Swings” and “Classic Songs, My Way”, respectively. In this album he revamped multiple classic songs from the past 50 decades in “his way”; some of the artists and bands include Nirvana, Oasis, Eric Clapton, Van Halen, and Bon Jovi [1]. These albums, along with the fact that he wrote the original 1962 theme song for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson [1], might just be two of the most interesting things I found out about Anka. His contributions to the North American entertainment industry are plenty. He has even acted in many TV shows and films throughout the years [1].

In 1980 Anka was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame [1]; a while later in 2008 Anka was also inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame [2]. He is even a member of The Order of Canada [6]. There is no disputing that Paul Anka put Canada on the map and inspired many generations of music to this day.

I’m totally a sucker for the sappy crooner and soul music of this era. I mean, how can you say no to some “Unchained Melody”, “Unforgettable”, and “Stand By Me”. I’m glad to have now become aware of one of the largest Canadian influences of this time, Paul Anka. His music will live on, time after time.

References:

1. “Paul Anka.” The Canadian Music Hall of Fame. http://canadianmusichalloffame.ca/inductee/paul-anka/
2. “Paul Anka.” Biography. https://www.biography.com/people/paul-anka-3424
3. Campbell, Michael. Popular Music In America: The Beat Goes On. Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2012.
4. “Paul Anka Biography”. The Official Site of Paul Anka. http://paulanka.com/biography/
5. O’Connor, Austin. “10 Things You May Not Know About Paul Anka”. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/info-04-2013/10-things-about-paul-anka.html
6. “Paul Anka.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-anka-emc/

Hello again everyone, today I have chosen to research The Great American Songbook.

The Great American Songbook is a collection of the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20th century. It contains the most popular and enduring songs from the 1920s through 1950s that were created for Broadway Theatre, musical theatre, and Hollywood musical film (What Is The Great American Songbook? 2016). The American Songbook Foundation classifies the included song genres as “American Standards”, and the included years capture the eras of musical theatre, modern song, and jazz as learned in class.

There isn’t really a consensus on what to include in the Great American Songbook collection, and many publishers have released their version of a Great American Songbook. The songs included are those that were most popular between the 1920s through 1950s. One thing that made a song popular in this era was the reproducibility of it, as music was often sold as sheets for performers. These standards have been recorded and performed by many artists, each putting their own interpretation into the song.

This module’s readings were about early Latin music in America, musical theatre, jazz, and the evolution of popular song. Musical theatre is a huge part of why the Great American Songbook came to be, as it was a very popular form of entertainment during this era. Theatre orchestras were starting to sound more like a symphony orchestra, as opposed to swing music, which likely heightened their perceived level of prestige. In the 1950s musical theatre was considered to be the most prestigious entertainment one could attend. It was during this time that Rodgers & Hammerstein teamed up to create the musical Oklahoma! which was considered to be one of the first dramatically credible musicals. This piece also revolutionized musicals in a way, because before Oklahoma! people generally remembered the songs, but after they began to remember more of the storyline and production.

Modern Jazz in the 1940s through 1950s also took a turn because it became more of a listening music than a dancing one, due to slowed down tempos. The readings most related to the song I have chosen are about the evolution of popular song interpretation, in which singers personalize their performance through emotion. This performance style also brought on the emergence of solo artists as opposed to bands. Artists would reconceive songs by changing the rhythm, tempo, or instrumentation included to help mold the song into their own personal performance style. This is also considered to be the age of “American standards”, which basically stands for songs that hold their popularity well after they are released. If you are reading this and think “how could they do that and have the song still be recognized as a standard?” then please listen to the performances below to get a better understanding.

The song I am choosing to discuss is Heart and Soul, music written by Hoagy Carmicheal and lyrics by Frank Loesser in 1938. This song meets the general criteria for inclusion in the Great American Songbook because it is a jazz song from the 1930s that has been performed and recorded by many artists over the years, all the way up to Train’s Play That Song in 2016. This song is one that many people recognize upon hearing, but the majority don’t know about the creation of it. The song generally fits within the jazz genre, and taking a look at the lyrics it is a song about falling in love. An example of these lyrics is when the artist sings  “Heart and soul, I fell in love with you, heart and soul, the way a fool would do, madly”.

The first performance I chose is by Bea Wain and Larry Clinton in 1939. In the beginning the focus in this performance is on the female singer, she simply stands at the microphone and all the attention goes to her vocal skills. Her style embodies romance and elegance; I see this through her outfit and upswept hairstyle. Part way through the singer steps aside and focus goes to the band as they carry out the melody without vocals. The singer then steps back into focus to finish off the song. This performance has a slower tempo and feels like a love song.

The second performance I chose is by The Cleftones in 1961. I was unable to find a video performance for this one, but I chose it because the audio is noticeably different from the previous performance. Upon listening to the first few seconds of the song, you can tell that the instrumentation and melody are different. This edition is considered to be rhythm and blues style and it’s also interesting that they have background singers for additional vocals. There appears to be one main singer with multiple others providing supporting vocals. This performance has a faster tempo and gives you more of an upbeat, energetic feeling.

Both of the above performances reached the music charts in their respective years, and it was The Cleftones most popular work.

I think that songs are no longer added to this collection because the music industry is flooded with original work. In the era of the Great American Songbook there was more of a focus on the songs themselves and many people would record them. In today’s society we put more of an emphasis on the performers, as opposed to the songs, and are always wanting new music instead of reproducing older songs. I think that this style of music can still be relevant in the musical theatre industry, as it has a genre separate from mainstream popular music. I think that the styles are too outdated to be popular with the general public, but there is probably a small niche market for them to thrive in.

#M5Q2

Bibliography

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

Chilton, Martin. U Discover Music. 3 April 2018. https://www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/cover-to-cover-the-story-of-the-great-american-songbook/ (accessed July 16, 2018).

Metro Lyrics. n.d. http://www.metrolyrics.com/heart-and-soul-lyrics-hoagy-carmichael.html (accessed July 18, 2018).

What Is The Great American Songbook? 2016. https://thecenterfortheperformingarts.org/Great-American-Songbook-Inititative/About-the-Great-American-Songbook. (accessed July 16, 2018).

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