... pretty good and was a success for all black people, but this would not be the last time Billie would speak out against racism (Walker). In her song, "Strange Fruit,"" Billie depicts the horribly grotesque scene of the high and mighty South's pride Lynching. At this time hate in the South was at an ... Goodman refused to record it. He said that it was " overly steamy with imagery,"" (Walker). Though she had doubts about adding such a bold and uncompromising song to her repertoire, she pulled it off thanks to her powers if nuance and subtlety. In fact it became the highlight of her performa...

• Word Count: 1369
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... attitude was viewed negatively by the nuns . She even claimed that the nuns at the school forced her to sleep next to the body of young girl who had died in order to teach her lesson. In 1928, Billie and her mother Sadie moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Harlem, New York. Once ... a rejected woman abused by her lover in Duke Ellington's short film Symphony in Black: A Rhapsody of Negro Life. In her scene, she sang the song "Saddest Tale . She felt that since her career was blossoming, she needed someone to help her organize burgeoning career so she turned to agent Joe Glazer ... My He...

• Word Count: 2313
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• Grade Level: High School

... . Fats' first recordings were done in 1922. But it wasn't 1929 when he caught a break writing the score for the Broadway hit "Hot Chocolates" with lyrics supplied by his friend Andy Razaf. His most famous song "Ain't Misbehavin- was part of this show, which also featured the great Louis Armstrong. Waller was a great entertainer and in 1934 and at George Gershwin's party ... music was more joyful and enjoyable, and his performances even more delightful. Waller contributed to music in many diff erent ways, besides being an amazing pianist, a great entertainer and a skillful song writer, he...

• Word Count: 845
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... life, she read music only with difficulty. The most memorial of all was an acute dramatic intensely that she could make all of her lyrics profound and deeply irresistible. She new the impact came from the words of a song rather than any specific feature of the melodic or harmonic construction. Holiday's music continues to be incredibly popular, and the best window into ... ...

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... dance routine so she began singing instead. She sang two songs and took home first prize in the competition. Ella was soon discovered by Chick Webb. Webb took the young girl under his wing and personally coached her. This was the most "formal" training she ever received. Ella Fitzgerald's musical career spans six decades and includes thousands of recordings. She was ... , when at last, her poor health almost completely immobilized her. She died in 1996. Billie Holliday didn't have the vocal range Ella Fitzgerald had. Holliday however, would carefully review each song and select it based ...

• Word Count: 616
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• Grade Level: High School

... Orleans but met in Chicago. The "Dixie Jazz Band One-Step" is a very fast and almost frantic song performed in a rag style. The drummer plays a boom-chick feel in many parts of the song but also plays the bass drum only on the down beats and uses wood blocks and cowbells for added percussion ... . The song was originally created by all the musicians improvising their individual parts and once it was written, the song was always played the same way. There are no long improvised solos in this piece. The instruments ... woman piano player and all band members being of african-american descen...

• Word Count: 455
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... Orleans but met in Chicago. The "Dixie Jazz Band One-Step" is a very fast and almost frantic song performed in a rag style. The drummer plays a boom-chick feel in many parts of the song but also plays the bass drum only on the down beats and uses wood blocks and cowbells for added percussion ... . The song was originally created by all the musicians improvising their individual parts and once it was written, the song was always played the same way. There are no long improvised solos in this piece. The instruments ... woman piano player and all band members being of african-american descen...

• Word Count: 455
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... is by ear or actually reading music. Really studying music involves learning music theory and musical form. To understand music you must first know how the song is structured based on chords and rhythmic passages. Blues originated in Missippissi around the nineteenth century. Blues or "12-bar blues", as it is called, ... was known for his ability to improvise and play be-bop. Duke Ellington was a big band arranger and composed over 150 tunes. Count Basie was known for the song "Down Basie Street." Charlie Parker was a great Jazz pianist. (Morrison 51) Louis Armstrong, was a profound Trum...

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... played for royalty got him the title, "The Ambassador of Jazz." Later on in life he recorded a song called "What a Wonderful World," which is the song he is known for by the people who don't know much about his musical career. Audiences today know this song because of its use in Good Morning, Vietnam. Louis's movie career also included his star role in ... ...

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... the bed brakes down?" The kids at the danced absolutely loved it and begged him to play more since he didn't know any other song he played it again improvising heavily, by the end of the evening the song had become a hit. While on vacation in New York one summer Duke caught word of one man who was referred to as a monster ... ...

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... , and even when played electrically, are kept at an acoustic level of volume, to help keep a balance in the music. Information about songs and their artists: Maple Leaf Rag This song was the one that set off the craze for rags. It was published in 1899 and cut as a piano roll in 1916 with the composer allegedly at the piano. Maple ... behind him. Other soloist's join in with these and other themes, the ensemble plays all together, and the record as ends quietly as it starts. This is not the best song Ellington ever wrote but it sets a mood and holds it, leaving a strong since of instrume...

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... it with a less popular and smaller one. In the 196o's, Louis became known as America's Ambassador, because he toured so much of the world. He recorded the song "Hello Dolly", and it was the #1 song in 1963, years after jazz was no longer popular. Armstrong's health began to fail after he sang another of his hit songs, "Oh What a Wonderful World". Louis ... ...

• Word Count: 311
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... it with a less popular and smaller one. In the 196o's, Louis became known as America's Ambassador, because he toured so much of the world. He recorded the song "Hello Dolly", and it was the #1 song in 1963, years after jazz was no longer popular. Armstrong's health began to fail after he sang another of his hit songs, "Oh What a Wonderful World". Louis ... ...

• Word Count: 311
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• Grade Level: High School

... songs made famous by other performers. The recording also showed that Ella Fitzgerald was already educated on the fast up-and-coming Bebop movement. Louis Armstrong's improvisational approach to written lyrics, mixing, jumbling and reinventing words along expressive musical lines, echoed new direction in jazz. This technique was copied so often that an actual jazz form developed. Today scat has scaled ... ...

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... musicians who brought this change were cornetist "Bix", saxophonists Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges, and Coleman Hawkins. Jazz took its next important step in 1932 when Duke Ellington composed and recorded a song called "It Don't Mean a Thing IF It Ain't Got That Swing." Soon swing became the new word for music played with a happy relaxed jazz beat (World Book 1986). Most swing ... ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... so popular in the 1930s and early 1940s, (the swing era). The development of the big band can be majorly credited to the achievement of Duke Ellington and his revolutionary song, "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing". This soon became the new word for music played with a happy, relaxed beat. A new style also started in the early ... ...

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... one of those people. Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer, who was considered one of the greatest singers in the history of jazz. Fitzgerald received the name "first lady of song"(Ella Fitzgerald, Encarta), when she successfully brought jazz into the mainstream culture. Within the 60 years of Fitzgerald's life she had created an everlasting record of art, Fitzgerald's jazz styles ... ...

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