#Black American Music

[tani-b-art]

“This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album.”

I understand why she said this! Because the way it seems she created a completely new genre with ‘Cowboy Carter’! The Country is there (and all the elements) and there’s some Blues, Folk, Soul, Zydeco, Bluegrass, a lil Rock, Gospel and Opera and then some (all genres with Black (Black) American origins). Almost like she opened a new sonic portal while helping to reclaim the genre made by Black Americans.

First off — the album cover art. She pays homage to a long-standing Black American Southern tradition of Houston rodeo and rodeo queens. Carrying our country’s flag…the imagery is signifying to her being a Black American woman. Who she is.

The album cover alone set the tone for what she presented with act ii. [and the photographer is Blair Caldwell, a fellow Black Texan, who has such an eye for capturing beauty. all his photographs are visually pleasing].

[Even the promo - the track list design is a nod & historical reference to Black American culture via The Chitlin Circuit promotional posters. I love it. Made my little graphic art heart smile. The nostalgia of it.]

From the opening track title and lyrics and later on within other songs, she wove her ancestral claiming to America with so much pride. Pride for our country and our flag that we absolutely should have.

Then to have Ms. Linda Martell, the trailblazing Black pioneer & legend in the genre who broke many barriers, be a part of this album was so reverent. (Especially her spoken word throughout that spoke to the way that she and Beyoncé have had to navigate this music industry. When their presence wasn’t well-received, in the very genre we created, they set out to move in a “non-traditional” way). They themselves are the embodiment of unconventional. Ms. Martell rightfully receiving her flowers at the golden age of 82 is harmonious!

Every part of act ii has made people research and discover. The same way act i did. Gotta love a good educational experience through music. (btw—the mention of Zydeco had me hyped).

Having Rhiannon Giddens on instrumentation (along with other background Black musicians and I’m sure Black vocalists) and sharing this musical journey with Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Willie Jones and Shaboozey — other young Black women and Black men in the genre…all of this Black fellowship made me so happy.

Just sooo much honoring throughout it all. Lots of love poured into it.

Everything is resonate. Connecting. With purpose.

Her voice, her musicality, the note choices, the lyrics, the song titles and the spelling of them, the arrangements.

It’s fun and beautiful.

It sounds amazing.

A beautiful tribute to her roots.

Bravo Beyoncé!

[sentim3ntalmood]

I'll always love you, and want you too. How much, you'll never know. Most of all, I miss you so, I'll always love you. I miss you so.

The first post on this blog will be for the king of 20th century pop music— Nat King Cole. Nat King Cole was the first and now longest-running jazz musician to hold a special place in my heart, since my great grandma was his biggest fan.

Nat King Cole exists in most memories as the singer to The Christmas Song (chestnuts roasting on an open fiiire), but less people know he's a pianist as well, even jazz musicians. When I show people his work with the Nat King Cole Trio, they ask me who the pianist is and I still get responses of surprise that they "didn't know he also played piano." I reply with "he was a pianist first and a singer second, too."

It's a shame, really. His gentle style of soloing moves me in ways that the most technically skilled pianists in the world couldn't achieve, just because of the emotion it can convey. His careful, floating comping makes a ballad so listenable, and he was so worthy of that recognition from the jazz community and from the general public.

At the same time, I understand why his voice *became* Nat King Cole. Listening to Nat King Cole makes you feel less alone, like you can so easily relate to what he's singing. His voice convinces me that what he's singing is true, even when he didn't personally experience whatever exactly he was singing about, and even if I haven't experienced what he's singing about. His voice feels like reassurance, like a nice cool pillow to rest your head on.

[tristan-v-saxophone]

Losing History in Modern jazz music

Most of the topics I write about, I choose to do so in a relatively lighthearted manner, but this topic is different. As a white musician who’s very new to the scene, I have been surprised and appalled with what I have seen and continue to see among the new generation of musicians. 

I intend to particularly narrow in on the music itself, rather than jazz as a scene, but a bit of context is necessary 

Every jam session I have been too has had almost entirely white musicians, every modern quartet I have seen has been entirely white, something 95% of the top trending jazz musicians on social media are white. More people are exposed to jazz through white musicians like Paul Desmond, Michael Brecker, and Frank Sinatra then the black musicians who created this music, like Coleman Hawkins, Fats Navarro, Oscar Pettiford, etc.

Let me be clear, this has always been an issue. During the big band era, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller were far more popular than Duke Ellington and Count Basie, during the bebop era, Stan Getz and Chet Baker were more popular than Clifford Brown and Sonny Stitt, during the hard bop era, Gerry Mulligan was more popular than Leo Parker. The list can go on forever. Today I can think of a dozen white saxophonists that are FAR more popular than black saxophonists who are, in many cases, far better musicians.

Now, the issue is not just about the musicians who are seen and heard, in which white washing is a substantial issue, but it also affects the music being played.  You see, Jazz is an African American art born from the aural tradition of music from Africa being intensified when African slaves suffered from American slavery. The music evolved from 5 types of songs used by slaves, either for communication or for community: Sorrow Songs, Field Hollars, Work Songs, Gospel, and Blues. As these 5 aural traditions survived as slavery was abolished and African Americans were given freedom, evolving into the style now recognized as Jazz. 

But many modern jazz musicians, especially white jazz musicians, do not properly learn, understand, or respect this history. Through the age old push among jazz musicians for more and more complex music, somewhere along the way, the history has gotten clouded. People don’t play the blues anymore, not like they did. Cats today take more from late white musicians like Steve Grossman, Michael Brecker, and Chris Potter (all phenomenal musicians in their own right) and ignore the build to that. As a result, the virtuosity may be higher than ever, but it is without the soul, the spark that made this music so unique to begin with. Musicians like Ben Webster, Illinois Jacquet, Jimmy Forrest and Gene Ammons aren’t ever looked at, their music is not heard by the modern musicians. 

There are a number of reasons behind this. 

The Aural Tradition has been lost. People still learn stuff by ear, but it’s all through the scope of wester classical music theory. Every melody and rhythm notated in western notation, even though it *never* quite matches accurately.

New Musicians don’t have the patience to explore the whole history, and often start with their favorite musician, often times getting the language and vocabulary of mostly one or two newer musicians without the context of how that language was developed.

Most importantly, the systemic suppression of black musicians who do continue to play the history. Musicians like Jesse Davis and Wayne Escoffery, who are absolutely incredible, struggle to get gigs frequently while musicians like Chad LB are winning awards and making hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The history is being lost.

[trendynewsnow]

The Vibes of the Vibraphone: A Musical Journey

The Vibes of the Vibraphone We find ourselves in an age dominated by the concept of “vibes.” This term has permeated our culture, influencing everything from political discussions about “vibe shifts” to the casual end of a first date when one might simply say, “the vibes are off.” Yet, before this linguistic evolution, there existed a remarkable instrument that encapsulated the essence of what we…

[jazzdailyblog]

Nicholas Payton: Redefining the Boundaries of Jazz

Introduction: Nicholas Payton, a virtuoso trumpeter, composer, and bandleader, has firmly established himself as one of the most innovative and controversial voices in contemporary jazz. Known for his exceptional technical prowess and his fierce dedication to evolving the art form, Payton has redefined what it means to be a jazz musician in the modern era. His wide-ranging artistic vision and…

[panafrocore]

Black Americans: The Founders of Rock and Roll Music in the United States

Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, rock ‘n’ roll, rock ‘n roll, or rock n’ roll with both Rs usually capitalized) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American (Black American) music such as jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, electric blues, gospel, jump blues, as well as country…

[ashotasfireandasdeepastheocean1]

...JaZz 🎼🎶🎷🎹🎺❤️

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[arunneronthird]

timothy "i have better taste in music than u" drake wayne, ceo

[the-blueprint]

Thriller

[tani-b-art]

AMERIICAN REQUIEM (a capella)

[sbrown82]

We need more pictures of Michael with Black folks

[sentim3ntalmood]

I know I've only posted once on here before, but I need to reinvent how I write on this blog. I've got so many drafts saved up for this blog, but they never see the light of day because I'm always too scared that it won't do justice to the song or it's too long or my writing is too boring, etc.

I liked my first post a lot, but I don't know if I can do *all* that for every single song if I want to post more frequently. Might try to do something a little bit simpler? Maybe focus more on just the song itself and less the artist/album/bts? We'll see. Whatever gets the meanings across in a somewhat timely manner. I just wanna communicate this love to the world so they can share it too. 

[agelessphotography]

Sonny Rollins with Benny Golson and Thelonious Monk, Harlem, Art Kane, 1958

[mimi-0007]

Chaka Khan