The legendary saxophonist John Coltrane made a lasting impression in North American jazz music by pioneering a new subgenre known as “modal jazz.” By examining Coltrane’s personal life, professional career, evolving style of music, and his legacy that endures to this day, one can better understand the importance of this individual’s contribution to American culture and reflect upon his creative genius.
On September 23, 1926, John Coltrane was born in Hamlet, North Carolina, to a family of ministers and church musicians. Born on the autumn equinox, many of his later recordings would take on titles that reference astrology, such as “Equinox” (1960) and Sun Ship (1965). When Coltrane was only a few months old, his family moved to High Point, North Carolina, where he attended William Penn High School, which was founded by Quakers on the site of what used to be a slave market. Influenced by his grandfather, the Rev. Blair, who was known throughout North Carolina as a champion of African-American rights, his father, who played the ukulele, violin, and sang, and his mother, a church pianist, Coltrane was exposed to influences that nurtured musical talent and a strong will power (Cole 25). His familial background undoubtedly contributed to his ability not only to master the instruments he played, but also to be brazen enough to one day revolutionize the world of jazz. In addition, major childhood events, some of which traumatic would have lasting effects on Coltrane’s musical development.
Coltrane received his first musical instrument, the clarinet, when he was 12 years old, and soon started playing in the high school band. Even though he became proficient at the clarinet within a year, even becoming the first clarinet of the loc...
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...he creation of modal jazz, as it allowed him to fully express his devotion to God, without being bound by European-influenced harmonics and music where chord structures and rhythmic meter dictate all. Because of Coltrane, melody regained its importance above all else in jazz.
Works Cited
Cole, Bill. John Coltrane. New York: Schirmer, 1976. Print.
Hester, Karlton E. The Melodic and Polyrhythmic Development of John Coltrane's Spontaneous Composition in a Racist Society. Vol. 54. Lewiston: E. Mellen, 1997. Print. Studies in History & Interpretation of Music.
Kahn, Ashley. A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane's Signature Album. New York: Viking, 2002. Print.
Nisenson, Eric. Ascension: John Coltrane and His Quest. New York: St. Martin's, 1993. Print.
Thomas, J. C. Chasin' the Trane: The Music and Mystique of John Coltrane. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1975. Print.
For centuries, music has been defined by history, time, and place. To address this statement, Tom Zè, an influential songwriter during the Tropicália Movement, produced the revolutionary “Fabrication Defect” to challenge oppression as a result from the poor political and social conditions. On the other hand, David Ramsey discusses, in mixtape vignettes, the role of music to survive in New Orleans’ violent setting. Furthermore, “The Land where the Blues Began”, by Alan Lomax, is a film and perfect example to understand under what musical conditions profound ways of communication are made to stand the hard work of cotton plantations. As a result, music plays a crucial role in the sources’ cultures and its creation relies on particular conditions such as the social
On November 6th, 1854, John Philip Sousa was born in Washington D.C. His Father, John Antonio Sousa was Portuguese, while His Mother Maria Elisabeth Trinkhaus Was Bavarian. The first instrument John ever played was the violin. He also sang, and played instruments such as the piano, flute, trombone, and baritone. When John was 13, his father enlisted him in the Marine Corps Band so he wouldn’t join the circus, however he did play drums for Pt Barnum, the Circus King. John remained with the Marines until he was twenty years old.
violin, piano, cornet, alto horn, flute, baritone. Like his father, who played the trombone in the U.S. Marines Band, John, too, learned to play the trombone. John also spent time studying voice.
Ostwald, Peter. Robert Schumann - The inner voice of a musical genius. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1985. 139. Book.
... The Sound of Soul: The Story of Black Music, NTC/Contemporary Publishing; 1st Edition, June, 1969. Simone, Nina. I Put A Spell On You
The word “jazz” is significant to America, and it has many meanings. Jazz could simply be defined as a genre or style of music that originated in America, but it can also be described as a movement which “bounced into the world somewhere about the year 1911…” . This is important because jazz is constantly changing, evolving, adapting, and improvising. By analyzing the creators, critics, and consumers of jazz in the context of cultural, political, and economic issue, I will illustrate the movement from the 1930’s swing era to the birth of bebop and modern jazz.
Music nurtured the African American tradition and their struggle towards equality in the same century.... ... middle of paper ... ... Greensboro, N.C.: Morgan Reynolds Pub. Carter, D. (2009).
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.
Jazz music had first emerged in the black cultures of New Orleans from the mixed influences of ragtime, blues, and music that was played at funerals in New Orleans (“Jazz”). Louis Armstrong, nicknamed “Satchmo”, “Pops”, and later “Ambassador Satch”, was considered to be one of the most influential artists in jazz music and he was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star, and comedian (“Louis Armstrong”).
Jazz, being art itself, cannot be culturally or stylistically be defined by one or two characteristics. In this paper, I will argue that the development of jazz was mainly contributed by the genre of blues and ragtime. Blue and ragtime both show characteristics that contrast each other as well as conjoin to form the art of jazz. Both genres, however, contribute to the formation of jazz and are culturally influenced by the African-American population, therefore creating black nationalism in the twentieth century.
When it comes to jazz music, there is one name that everyone knows, whether they’ve never listened to jazz before or if they’ve listened to it their whole lives. That name is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was one of the pioneers of jazz music, from his humble beginnings in one of New Orleans roughest districts, “the Battlefield”, to playing concerts for sold out crowds in Chicago and New York City, Louis left a massive impact on the way America listened to music for a long time. One of his premier tracks, “West End Blues”, left an impact on jazz music, which other musicians would try to emulate for years.
According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is “fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit” (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a “wideawake, forward-tending” rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).
By the end of World War I, Black Americans were facing their lowest point in history since slavery. Most of the blacks migrated to the northern states such as New York and Chicago. It was in New York where the “Harlem Renaissance” was born. This movement with jazz was used to rid of the restraints held against African Americans. One of the main reasons that jazz was so popular was that it allowed the performer to create the rhythm. With This in Mind performers realized that there could no...
Not only is it nearly impossible to pinpoint jazz’s conception in time, many locations are accredited with its origin, the United States allowed for jazz to start gaining popularity and leading into the change it had to the music scene. When jazz is brought up, many first think of its birth place being New Orleans, Louisiana. New Orleans has always been a big musi...
The. The life and work of Toni Morrison. Retrieved on December 16, 2005 at. www.enotes.com/jazz. Glamour – Magazine review of Toni Morrison’s Jazz. Hitchcock, H. W. (2000) Music in the USA: A historical introduction.