#title is a reference to Ragtime musical B))

[miles-crow]

Crime of the century

[blackmusicreview-142-fan-blog]

Cultural Hierarchy, the Mixtape

“Manteca” by Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie famously exposed bebop to a sold out white audience at Carnegie Hall first in 1947-- an action which points to his acceptance of the European musical tradition that had defined the prestigious institution. His song Manteca is emblematic of Gillespie’s contribution to “cubop” music that juxtaposed be-bop and Cuban styles. Moreover, the song utilizes the ⅔ clave rhythm: a cross-cultural Cuban musical technique that Gillespie revitalized within jazz. As such, Manteca--and Gillespie himself--contributed to the shifting cultural hierarchy that encompassed Carribean-influenced jazz as on-par with European classical music.

“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday 

One year after Gillespie debuted bebop at Carnegie, Billie Holiday performed Strange Fruit at the Hall and brought African American music--and the struggles that are embedded within it--to prestigious audiences. She performed the song with only light piano accompaniment, highlighting the horrifying account of “black bodies swinging in the breeze” from the pervasive practice of lynching. In what was later labeled a “protest song”, Strange Fruit was a violent affront to the white audience at Carnegie Hall. To this end, not only did she popularize female jazz singing throughout her career, but she forced a euro-centric, white supremicist culture to recon with the anti-black violence that resulted from such cultural eliteness.

“ In A Sentimental Mood” by Duke Ellington

Duke Ellington embodies that of an extremely competent and accomplished musician whose career included an array of musical titles such as, such as composer, arranger, songwriter, bandleader, pianist, and producer. Ellington’s prestige resulted in a nomination for the pulitzer prize in 1965, making history as the first jazz musician to be acknowledged on a platform that solely validated classical music as worthy of such recognition. Yet, it wasn't until 1998 that the pulitzer community officially presented Ellington with a commemoration, having formerly failed to recognize Jazz as a legitimate form of reputable music. In A sentimental Mood , a jazz composition by Duke Ellington is a jazz song for the rainy winter day. Sweeping you away with its slow, repetitive, and sorrowful piano and saxophone, In A sentimental Mood, presents to you a tenderness that feels nostalgic in the most beautiful of ways. As a song that I grew up listening to, In A sentimental Mood, continues to be just that, a song of sentiment for me, reminiscent of, and holding respect for, the days that were good to me, hard for me, and the people whom I love.

“Judy” By Regina Carter

Regina Carter, is the first black violinist to perform non classical music. Carter faced resistance when she proposed recording with the instrument on jazz tracks, as it is traditionally a European instrument with the sole function of playing classical music. She has since continued to use the instrument as a function of Jazz, proving Jazz is among the genres of music worthy of a violin. Carter’s song Judy, features the violin as the sole carrier of the melody with the accompaniment of an acoustic guitar. As two instruments that aren't generally paired, this song is unexpected, yet beautiful in its simplicity of arrangement. It is not however, lacking in technique and personal style which highlights it’s validity among music that would use the violin traditionally.

“Mr. Intentional” By Lauryn Hill

This track highlights the theme of cultural hierarchy because Ms. Lauryn Hill here coins a different sound foreign to rap/hip-hop by infusing Caribbean reggae with hip-hop and soul originally with her group Fugees, and again in her first solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, breaking all barriers of what hip-hop would sound like. In her second album being a live one she performed at MTV Unplugged 2.0, Hill pushed the standard of what kind of music she was able to create even further using her acoustic guitar as her only instrument. Focusing on a more folk-soul infused sound, the rapper received backlash for changing musical styles, and when the album first came out did it did not receive the best reviews nor did it sell well. In Mr. Intentional, Hill warns everybody to make no mistake of assuming she needs your help because she believes in and has God on her side. She claims her power in being extremely vulnerable and confident as a Black woman artist and calls out oppressive institutions that “seek to suck [y]our blood” warning everyone that their egos and immature ways of being will be our biggest downfall.

“So What” By Miles Davis

Considered one of the greatest trumpet players of all time, Miles Davis transformed the stylistic elements of jazz and left behind a legacy that will forever be remembered. One of the most influential people of the 20thcentury, Miles went from a Julliliard dropout to performing for some of the most sophisticated crowds of the country. While known to play a variety of Jazz styles, arguably, his most popular album was in 1959 with the release of “Kind of Blue”. The album’s title was a reference to Davis’s mood at the time and featured his sextet including saxophonist John Coltrane, and pianist Bill Evans. Included on the album was the song “So What” which was a nine-minute improvisation and included solos from each of the horns that give a feeling of allusiveness for the audience. A great example of modal Jazz music, the “cool jazz” tune is simple from a harmonic standpoint and creates a laid back atmosphere with the help of Jimmy Cobb setting the tempo on drums. The countless sublities and complexities noticed after each listen are one of the many reasons why this is such an outstanding song.

“St. Louis Blues” W.C. Handy 

Handy, a pioneer of the blues, helped define the genre for what it’s best known as today.  The blue collar worker considered “The Father of Blues” was the first to translate “Black” oral music into a written form, thus making it available for white audiences. As a result of this, for the first time blues which is typically considered a low brow category of music would become associated with audiences of higher social classes and the elite. W.C. Handy is one of the first African Americans to experience cultural hierarchy. His song “St Louis Blues” is one of the most publicly recognized tunes by Handy and was the first to gain national prominence. Referred to by Handy as an attempt to “combine ragtime syncopation with a real melody in the spiritual tradition”, the song consists of three lines of lyrics repeated over a standard twelve bar blues rhythm. Handy also features a “tango” in an attempt to implement Latin Caribbean themes common in Jazz during this era.   Sung by Handy from the small clubs on Beale Street all the way to the most prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York City, “St Louis Blues” is a song which will always be considered a blues classic classic

“Stereotype” by Black Violin

Ironically, the name of this song is called Stereotype while fitting into the theme of cultural hierarchy, solely because the existence of Black violinists whot incorporate hip-hop, R&B, and soul altogether. The infiltration of the concept that violinists and classical instruments like the violin are mainly for non-Black -- or otherwise white-- people is completely obliterated here. In “Stereotype,” the song opens out with Black Violin’s definition of what a stereotype is, “Stereotype: an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about other people…” The addition of sharp hitting heavy beats created by the violin give the song the hip-hop sound that makes you want to bop your head to it.