A Life Supreme
The loss of three close family members in a very short period of time is something most people can not even begin to imagine. John Coltrane experienced the death of his father, grandfather, and grandmother (Feinstein 77), but got through it with the help of his saxophone and music in general. He had perseverance and dedication that is very inspiring and impressive in his music. John Coltrane overcame a difficult childhood by learning to play the saxophone, playing a very influential role to jazz music and music today, and becoming a revolutionary musician.
Coltrane overcame the tragedy of losing his family members by learning to play the saxophone. Practicing his instrument and going to classes and lessons for it helped him get through a tough time in his life. He was constantly practicing the saxophone or going to lessons and this played a huge role in him overcoming the grief of losing his family members and provided a distraction for him. It was a safe method of dealing with his problems, and was a great outlet for him, especially seeing as how he had grown up with music (Feinstein 77). He channeled his emotions into an activity that he could do something productive with, making a positive end result come out of an unfortunate situation, regardless
of how difficult and time-consuming it may have been. Playing an instrument is a great way to take one’s
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mind off of day-to-day life and Coltrane used this method thoroughly, and it was likely one of his only coping mechanisms. A classmate of his stated, “He kept that saxophone with him. You could hear him all the time, from any other part of the school building, back in the music room practicing by himself” (Feinstein 79). This shows that even his c...
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... to his own music, but the music he made was so groundbreaking that he is still widely listened to today, and his beliefs and techniques still live on in the work of others.
Works Cited
Feinstein, Stephen. "Chapter 7: John Coltrane." Incredible African-American Jazz Musicians.
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Hansen, Liane. "John McLaughlin: On Coltrane And Spirituality In Music." Weekend Edition Sunday 2
Jan. 2011: n. pag. Inspire. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Columbia University Office of Public Affairs, 17 Apr. 2007. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Kofsky, Frank. John Coltrane and the Jazz Revolution of the 1960s. New York: Pathfinder, 1998.
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Porter, Lewis. John Coltrane: His Life and Music. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, 1998. Print.
"Pulitzer Prize Board Honors Jazz Legend John Coltrane with Special Citation." The Pulitzer Prizes.
Though Jelly Roll Morton began his career without formal training, he grew to live an influential life. His piano style, musical notations on paper, and creative compositions thrived in the 1910s and the 1920s and even weaved its way into the later eras as musicians used Morton’s music as the foundation for their own. Even past his death, Jelly Roll Morton remains a legendary figure. His works are meticulously preserved and displayed in the prestigious Smithsonian Museum and universities around the world continue his legacy by teaching students about Jelly Roll Morton and his influential career.
Kenton, Stan(ley Newcomb)." New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994.
When researching the history of a specific topic, the viewpoints of historians can widely differ. My findings have concluded that each critic or historian has his own way of arguing who or what made jazz a beloved genre within American pop culture. Some even contend the location of its early origins. Throughout the text, several other sources remain indifferent in summarizing jazz. Paying no regard to any of the authors’ stance, the sources mentioned within my writing have provided beneficial information that will be used within my research assignment.
He left a rich Jazz heritage for people around the world. People can appreciate the excellence of a grand master from the following classic singles, West End Blues, Savoy Blues, Potato Head Blues, Weather Bird, I'm Not Rough and Heebie Jeebies. Not a jazz musician could be known to win support from a family like him. His works have been reprinted several times in the past thirty years (Gourse and Louis 342).
Jazz music’s roots go deeper than most people could ever begin to imagine. Whether it is the influencing of other styles of music, the broadening of other media forms, or even the molding and shaping of the atmosphere of entire cities, jazz usually has a part in it. And with an impressive career spanning over 50 years, countless hits that are being replicated in numerous forms even today, and the pivotal part that he played in the Harlem Renaissance , it is almost impossible to talk about anything jazz related without mentioning Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington.
Said to be the father of jazz, Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington, born on April 29, 1899, was an American composer, pianist, and leader of a jazz orchestra. Duke Ellington was known and is remembered for his unique and profound style of jazz music. His development in jazz was one of the most spectacular in the history of music, as demonstrated by more than fifty years of sustained achievement as an artist which led him to be known as one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. Duke’s music was so original, he called it “American Music” rather than jazz. Based on his success, it’s unlikely to think that he was not even attracted to music in his younger years, however music clearly became a very important part of his life, as he still reigns
...d with in his lifetime, from Dizzy Gillespie to Art Blakey to John Coltrane. He played with everybody who was anybody! Another thing I found to be interesting was the way he died. He was shot by his common-law wife in the middle of a performance. This means that she was not officially, under any law binding terms, his wife, but for all intensive purposes, they were married. Then, one day she went crazy and shot his straight on stage shortly after an altercation had just occurred. She then ran to him and screamed that she didn’t mean to do it, and later was admitted to an insane asylum. That’s not the best way to die!
Music is a universal language, a language that many can speak; however, one that only few can master. One of those masters was Nat "King" Cole. A true legend, Nat not only could carry a song with his voice, but also through his incredible skills with the piano. Today, Nat is most remembered for that soft, soothing and so powerful voice; however he is recognized as one of the greatest jazz pianists of all-time.
Where would music be had it not been for the men that stepped before him. The Mozarts and Beethovens, who wrote the music that today is known as the classics. These men were naturals in their own right, but these people wrote their music in the 17th and 18th century. Many people don't realize all of the changes that music had to go through between that period of music and the present day. One such musician stands alone at the top as one of the movers and innovators of the 20th century. He is Duke Ellington. Along with his band, he alone influenced millions of people both around the world and at home. He gave American music its own sound for the first time. Winton Marsalis said it best when he said "His music sounds like America." These days you can find his name on over 1500 CS's. Duke's legacy will live on for generations to come.
The rapid development of jazz in both the United States and Europe generated a number of diverse musical expressions, including musics that most listeners today would not recognize as “jazz” music. In order to remedy this situation, jazz musicians and critics after 1930 began to codify what “real” jazz encompassed, and more importantly, what “real” jazz did not encompass. This construction of authenticity, often demarcated along racial lines, served to relegate several artists and styles (those outside a “mainstream” to the margins of historiography.
One of the very monumental jazz artists during the jazz age was Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was a trumpet player, bandleader, soloists and singer. Louis was born on August fourth 1901 in a bad neighborhood of New Orleans called “The Battlefield”. His parents were not the best . Armstrong's father was a factory worker but left when he was young. His mother was around but she often turned to prostitution in order to help support him; therefore his grandmother was his primary guardian. Armstrong's first job was given to him by a Jewish family by the last name of Karnofskys working delivering coal and collecting junk The Karnofskys often fed him meals and always encouraged him to sing. Armstrong was a bit rough around the edges and he had an incident on new year’s eve in 1912 he fired h...
The first thing I will talk about is the type of music he is know for which gave him that name. Most people listen to the type of music he composed but next to none know who or how it was composed. There seems to be an abundance of music fans who know little or nothing about the origin of their music. By discussing what he has accomplished it will explain why he is considered to be so important to his type of music.
...ng the first international jazz icon in the world. As a man who worked hard at being better all the time, Louis Armstrong practices daily for almost fifty years of his life, and he ended up owning a style of his own. He possessed a special ability on the trumpet and cornet, and his vocal abilities were no downfall. Armstrong's accomplishments as a musician and a person unveiled to the world a unique and talented gentleman, who spent his life bettering himself at his passion as well as developing a genre of music into a more complex and advanced style of music.
Sundquist, Eric J. “Ralph Ellison, Jazz, and Louis Armstrong.” Bloom’s Literature. Facts on File, Inc., 1995. Web. 9 Jan. 2014.
Jazz is a form of art music developed by Black Americans in the early twentieth century and was emerged from many cultures that branched out into many different styles. The development of jazz was influenced by some great musicians. One of the prominent one was Lester Young, an American jazz tenor-saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. His style has influenced many other well known musicians in the jazz history, leading him to play a significant role in the development of jazz. He undoubtedly was a masterful innovator from the mid 1930’s to the mid 1940s, not only because he changed the way saxophone was played, but also because he changed the art of jazz itself.