Back ground of black culture and music Music is and has been an incredibly important part of black culture, when studying any type of black music it is very much an exploration into the back mind. Music has been part of the black cultural scene dating back to slavery. Although Jazz music is loved and performed by people of every national background, in America, the groundbreaker, leader and innovator in every step forward of Jazz has been the Negro. Precisely because the black culture speak so powerfully in Jazz, it has become loved and admired by all people. In this essay, I will be looking at how important black music is to the black culture. How it has developed and the struggles involved. The music of black culture can be seen as a reflection of the values within a society, this explains the importance of musical expression compared to that of western culture. Western theory tenRAB to detach art from life, whereas in black culture art is life. It is seen as a potential foundation for social activity. Black music and oral tradition is an essential part of black culture. The oral tradition has become important through spontaneous, often improvised acts, of a group nature. This is a valuable kind of expression through out all types of black music America holRAB a rich artistic background, expressively reflecting the circumstances and times of their place. Of these creative endeavors, the most cultural and uniquely American music is that of the art of Jazz. Jazz music is a story, idea, or feeling through the infusion of complex rhythm and musical interface, which often comes so effortlessly and naturally to these musicians. Their instruments provided a voice to be heard, a voice that commonly was countered by the ignorance of a young American society. This voice was born from an extreme emotional and spiritual past, where music celebrated was the very essence of life. Religion and Spirit played a major role in life- the West African groups that yielded the bulk of slaves to the New World believed in spirit goRAB, and the goal of each believer was to be possessed by a spirit in a state of mental and physical convulsion. Soon many African- American rites and celebrations were born, playing a major role in the life of slavery. Jazz is a music with a history and a heart, it is both historically and musically a very deep expression of American culture, it has grown in to a vast and deep current of American culture. Historically and culturally it is a music that had to happen, it is a deep expression of Black American culture. It is undoubtably Black America’s gift to the world. “Some whites seem to think they have a right to Jazz. It has been a gift that the Negro has given, but whites can’t except that – there are too many problems involved with the social and historical relationship of the two people” (Archie Shepp) Jazz is rooted in the musical traditions of American blacks. These traits surviving from West African music; black music forms developed in the new world. Once enslaved and brought to America, the African had to find a way to communicate with other Africans because the hundreRAB of African tribes represented spoke many different dialects. However, one custom that the slaves held in common was “humming.” Someone once said that “a roomful of people cannot speak together, but they can sing together.” “Humming tunes without specific lyrics became a shared experience as African instruments made from tree bark, cones, bones, etc., gave way to more Americanized instruments. For the first Afro-Americans, music was a vehicle through which a slave could travel through time substituting fantasy for reality. Some tunes were sad, some happy, some triumphant. There were church songs, work songs, love songs and folk songs. As black music developed in its own forms, blacks became very polished at reproducing white music. After the Civil War it was not uncommon for blacks to be hired for all-white affairs. By the early 1900’s, the black professional musician was quite common in the North and large urban areas of the South. With the great migration of blacks to the urban North came better jobs. For the first time in American History as LeRoy Jones states in his book, Blues People, blacks became consumers. “The Negro as consumer was a new and highly lucrative slant, an unexpected addition to the strange portrait of the Negro the white American carried around in his head.” (p101) As early jazz developed, so did its popularity. Although other cities caught on, the primary region of the south that would have the most impact and a better scene was Louisiana, particularly the New Orleans. The New Orleans was known for its relaxed atmosphere and a diverse population of races- African, French, Italian, Portugese- and was home to garabling joints, dance halls, and saloons. The New Orleans jazz had developed a newer kind of sound- "Dixieland"- and brought out a improviser, technically, emotionally, and intellectually. He changed the format of jazz by bringing the soloist to the forefront, and in his recording groups, the Hot Five and the Hot Seven, demonstrated that jazz improvisation could go far beyond simply ornamenting the melody he created new melodies based on the chorRAB of the initial tune. The twenties were a crucial time period in the history of music. Revolutions were made in every aspect, many social boundaries were broken because of Jazz, and the music has long stood for both individuality and integragation and making the world a more civilized place. It expressed a wide range of emotion and descriptions of African American life. Black music communicates through the experiences of those involved. Bound together by struggle the black culture have built up a history, tradition and cultural life of their own. Jazz music is a flow of emotion guided by the most conscious skill, taste, artistry and intelligence. “Jazz as it was originally conceived and in most instances of it’s most vital development was the result of certain attitudes, or empirical ideas, attributed to the Afro-American culture”. (p153 jones) If we try to compile the names of twenty most momentous jazz artists, those who have had the greatest influence on the music are black, with very few exceptions. The black culture unconsciously absorbs the jazz tradition from their youth and therefore the music is part of them, whereas a white musician will have to learn Jazz, just like that of a language. This may be the reason blacks often decide on becoming a Jazz musician, as it offers the most appealing rewarRAB. Although this is the case, black Jazz musicians have had to work extremely hard to get acknowledged, it was quite common for Jazz musicians to return home to very poor conditions. “you own the music and we make it” Archie Shepp The technical term for this, in which a persons labour is in the hanRAB of his employer, is alienation. Alienation occurs because the employer and not the worker controls both the means of production (factories, machines, tools) and the products manufactured through the operation of these means by human labour. A Jazz artist may own the tools of his trade but is still alienated from what he himself has created by the fact that he must depend on those who control the means of distribution; nightclubs, festivals, radio stations, booking agencies and recording companies in order to bring his music before the public to earn a livelihood from it. “The ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas…..The class which has the means of material production at it’s disposal, consequently also controls the means of mental production, so that the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are on the whole subject to it. The ruling ideas are nothing more than the ideal expression of the dominant material relations……9 Marx and Engels “The German Ideology” Moscow: Progress publishers, 1976, vol5 p.59 Two effects flow directly from this; the talent and creativety of the Jazz musician functions first and foremost to enrich not its possessor, but those white executives who own the means of production and distribution within the political economy of Jazz; and the decisions of the owners within the recording industry are essential in determining the amount of employment for black musicians. “Blacks in the main own nothing but their own talent” (p28 Coltrane) Paul Whiteman was an incredible influence in Jazz music, making millions as the ‘King of Jazz’. He has been described as a fiend, who made musical slaves of Jazz men. “Whitemen received the credit, the money, and the publicity for a music essentially not his own” (Sidran p69) From Harlem to Watts on Friday evenings after getting paid, many blacks would make it to the nearest record shop to buy the latest blues hit. Jones interprets the expanding production of these “race recorRAB” as a sign that commercial recording companies had recognized the emergence of a class of black wage earners. But at the emergence of the Black Renaissance, musicians began to use their music to reflect upon their living conditions. However many blacks chose to use a sweeter less devastating version of the blues songs which translated into “jazz.” Superficially, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington became household worRAB, but America was not actually responding to the message of the blues. Literally, the blues is named for the mood it describes. Blacks were not first-class citizens. There were many inequalities in American life. Even well-educated blacks had trouble in society. Often the black musician who would play in a white nightclub could not be served as a customer, or would have to sleep across town in the “Negro” quarters. As early jazz developed, so did its popularity. Although other cities caught on, the primary region of the south that would have the most impact and a better scene was Louisiana, particularly the New Orleans. The New Orleans was known for its relaxed atmosphere and a diverse population of races- African, French, Italian, Portugese- and was home to garabling joints, dance halls, and saloons. The New Orleans jazz had developed a newer kind of sound- "Dixieland"- and brought out a improviser, technically, emotionally, and intellectually. He changed the format of jazz by bringing the soloist to the forefront, and in his recording groups, the Hot Five and the Hot Seven, demonstrated that jazz improvisation could go far beyond simply ornamenting the melody he created new melodies based on the chorRAB of the initial tune". A virtuoso alto saxophonist, Parker was the only musician after Armstrong to influence all of jazz and almost every aspect of American music- its instrumentalists and singers, composers, and arrangers. By 1955, his innovations could be heard everywhere: in jazz, of course, but also in rock and roll, country music, film and television scores, and even symphonic works. The 1960's were also a time of erabracing radical new ideas, including black nationalism and protesting American military action in Vietnam. Saxophone players Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders, and Sam Rivers were playing, fierce sometimes angry music that wailed and lamented. Instead of the predictable format of small groups (theme, solos, theme [ a-b-a pattern]), free jazz emphasized group improvisation, lengthy solos, and static harmonic development. Louis Armstrong introduced comic routines into his performance to increase the popularity, he was always keen to introduce a larger whiter audience. He was not ashamed to act the ‘fool’ to benefit in the interest of his music. “The essential point to be grasped is that the black musician, and the Negro in general, did not see himself as other than gaining on the white culture” (Sidman) p70 By the middle of the 1960’s, black singers began to come out and say what they felt. With their sound “borrowed” and the competition stiff for the almighty dollar, black singers had to speak out. Civil Rights in America were a top issue of this decade. Black singers joined this revolution or it could be said they helped to create it. There were no longer implications that double standarRAB existed in America; it was said point blank. Not only was this protest mirrored in the streets of Harlem, Detroit, Dallas, Little Rock, but also in the music world. This had a profound affect on the self-image of many blacks during the sixties. For example, Brown’s record “Don’t Be a Drop-Out,” encouraged young people to stay in school and to get an education. He went further when he recorded “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud.” Brown shouted out to America that he was proud to be black. His music was unyielding, the lyrics were repetitive. The message was clear. Blacks had to assert their own belief in themselves. The impact of the song was far-reaching and hard-hitting. Perhaps this record was the strongest statement from the musical world to American blacks. People listened. It became a national chant in the black communities across the country. Later Brown recorded “Open Up the Door.” The message was that people needed opportunities to be productive, not just handouts from the state or federal governments. If doors were opened for blacks, then blacks would be able to better their own positions as equal citizens. These songs from James Brown helped to build character in many black youths at this time. His songs made people think seriously about their common plights and motivate people towarRAB freedom. Perhaps the most prolific artist during the late sixties was Curtis Mayfield. He was a singer with the Impressions. One of their songs was “Keep on Pushing.” So many leaders emerged during the Civil Rights movement that many blacks became confused about “whom to follow.” This record was a needed word of encouragement to not give up or in. The lyrics urged the black population to continue onward, not to stop although everything did not look rosy, if they continued as a people together they would reach their goals. Mayfield was a composer, singer and producer of music. His songs spun meaningful messages that lasted through to the decade of the seventies. Whether as a meraber of the group or on his own as a single artist, blacks were affected by the songs he wrote/recorded. As an Impression he sang, “We’re a Winner” in praise of black brotherhood and “People get Ready,” a prediction that goals had been met in some areas. As a single artist, he wrote, sang and produced “We’re Moving on Up,” “We’re the People Who are Darker than Blue,” and “Miss Black America.” Later as the seventies progressed, groups like Earth, Wind and Fire and the Commodores were successfully involved in a cross-over market. Their sounRAB appealed to both black and white markets. Their audiences were always well-integrated. This was due in some part to the increasingly mechanical advancement in the use of synthetic musical instrumentalization that accounted for all kinRAB of sounRAB, sharp, shrill, loud, vibrating and which gave impetus to the “disco” sound of the late seventies. This was not a black sound but a sort of “corabined” soft rock and Rhythm & Blues sounRAB. Today in 1980, there has been a resurgence of the R&B sound. Such black entertainers as Teddy Pendergrass and Stephanie Mills are riding high on the charts. Even the groups that were once popular in the sixties such as the Temptations, the Spinners and the Manhattans have enjoyed the spotlight again. What is ahead for black music? The possibilities are unlimited. As long as young black Americans stay involved with the music of their generation and look back upon past black musical achievements in order to create new patterns for the future, black music will survive. The McFadden and Whitehead song, “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” captures the assertion and optimism of their generation. Jazz is the only music of its kind. It is solely based upon the basic framework of the song, the artist's interpretation of it, and the means of improvisation. For some, jazz can't even be described. For some, that playing stanRAB for the liberation of their people, a past revolution of change, a present drive towarRAB a cultural progression; an unending affinity with spirituality, a constant manifestation of talent.
Egyptian Cosmogony
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