A Period of Rapid Evolution in Bass Playing and Its Effect on Music Through the Lens of Memphis, TN
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Sam Phillips: Producing the Sounds of a Changing South Overview
SAM PHILLIPS: PRODUCING THE SOUNDS OF A CHANGING SOUTH OVERVIEW ESSENTIAL QUESTION How did the recordings Sam Phillips produced at Sun Records, including Elvis Presley’s early work, reflect trends of urbanization and integration in the 1950s American South? OVERVIEW As the U.S. recording industry grew in the first half of the 20th century, so too did the roles of those involved in producing recordings. A “producer” became one or more of many things: talent scout, studio owner, record label owner, repertoire selector, sound engineer, arranger, coach and more. Throughout the 1950s, producer Sam Phillips embodied several of these roles, choosing which artists to record at his Memphis studio and often helping select the material they would play. Phillips released some of the recordings on his Sun Records label, and sold other recordings to labels such as Chess in Chicago. Though Memphis was segregated in the 1950s, Phillips’ studio was not. He was enamored with black music and, as he states in Soundbreaking Episode One, wished to work specifically with black musicians. Phillips attributed his attitude, which was progressive for the time, to his parents’ strong feelings about the need for racial equality and the years he spent working alongside African Americans at a North Alabama farm. Phillips quickly established his studio as a hub of Southern African-American Blues, recording and producing albums for artists such as Howlin’ Wolf and B.B. King and releasing what many consider the first ever Rock and Roll single, “Rocket 88” by Jackie Breston and His Delta Cats. But Phillips was aware of the obstacles African-American artists of the 1950’s faced; regardless of his enthusiasm for their music, he knew those recordings would likely never “crossover” and be heard or bought by most white listeners. -
Starr-Waterman American Popular Music Chapter 8: “Rock Around the Clock”: Rock ’N’ Roll, 1954‒1959 Key People
Starr-Waterman American Popular Music Chapter 8: “Rock Around the Clock”: Rock ’n’ Roll, 1954‒1959 Key People Alan Freed (1922‒1965): Disc jockey who discovered in the early 1950s that increasing numbers of young white kids were listening to and requesting rhythm & blues records played on his Moondog Show. Antoine “Fats” Domino (b. 1928): Singer, pianist, and songwriter, who was an established presence on the rhythm & blues charts for several years by the time he scored his first large-scale pop breakthrough with “Ain’t It a Shame” in 1955 and ultimately became the second best-selling artist of the 1950s. Barbra Streisand (b. 1942): Impactful recording artist who has delighted audiences on Broadway, in movies, and in concert, also known for her successful LP sales. Big Joe Turner (1911‒1985): Vocalist who began his career as a singing bartender in the Depression era nightclubs of Kansas City; one of Atlantic Records’ early starts, and recorded the original “Shake, Rattle, and Roll.” Bill Black (1926‒1965): String bassist who recorded with Scotty Moore and Elvis Presley for Sun Records. Bill Haley and the Comets: Influential rock ’n’ roll band influenced by western swing music who recorded the first number one rock ’n’ roll hit “Rock around the Clock.” Brenda Lee (Brenda Mae Tarpley) (b. 1944): Recording artist of the early 1960s known as “Little Miss Dynamite” who sang hits like “Sweet Nothin’s.” Buddy Holly (Charles Hardin Holley) (1936‒1959): Clean-cut, lanky, and bespectacled singer, songwriter, and guitarist of the 1950s who, along with his band, the Crickets, recorded influential hits like “That’ll Be the Day” and made frequent use of double- tracking. -
RCA/Legacy Set to Release Elvis Presley - a Boy from Tupelo: the Complete 1953-1955 Recordings on Friday, July 28
RCA/Legacy Set to Release Elvis Presley - A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings on Friday, July 28 Most Comprehensive Early Elvis Library Ever Assembled, 3CD (Physical or Digital) Set Includes Every Known Sun Records Master and Outtake, Live Performances, Radio Recordings, Elvis' Self-Financed First Acetates, A Newly Discovered Previously Unreleased Recording and More Deluxe Package Includes 120-page Book Featuring Many Rare Photos & Memorabilia, Detailed Calendar and Essays Tracking Elvis in 1954-1955 A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-55 Recordings is produced, researched and written by Ernst Mikael Jørgensen. Elvis Presley - A Boy From Tupelo: The Sun Masters To Be Released on 12" Vinyl Single Disc # # # # # Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, and RCA Records will release Elvis Presley - A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings on Friday, July 28. Available as a 3CD deluxe box set and a digital collection, A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings is the most comprehensive collection of early Elvis recordings ever assembled, with many tracks becoming available for the first time as part of this package and one performance--a newly discovered recording of "I Forgot To Remember To Forget" (from the Louisiana Hayride, Shreveport, Louisiana, October 29, 1955)--being officially released for the first time ever. A Boy From Tupelo – The Complete 1953-1955 Recordings includes--for the first time in one collection--every known Elvis Presley Sun Records master and outtake, plus the mythical Memphis Recording Service Acetates--"My Happiness"/"That's When Your Heartaches Begin" (recorded July 1953) and "I'll Never Stand in Your Way"/"It Wouldn't Be the Same (Without You)" (recorded January 4, 1954)--the four songs Elvis paid his own money to record before signing with Sun. -
Billboard.Com/Articles/Columns/Rock/8541086/The-Stray-Cats- Lee-Rocker-Pays-Homage-To-His-Influences-On-Dog-House
OCTOBER 29, 2019 Link to article: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8541086/the-stray-cats- lee-rocker-pays-homage-to-his-influences-on-dog-house The Stray Cats' Lee Rocker Pays Homage to His Influences on 'Dog House Shuffle': Premiere 10/29/2019 by Gary Graff Alex Solka Lee Rocker The Stray Cats' Lee Rocker gets all about the upright bass on "Dog House Shuffle," a one-off solo single whose video, premiering exclusively below, pays tribute to the instrument Rocker helped propel into the MTV lexicon during the early '80s. "It's a tribute in a lot of ways," Rocker (nee Leon Drucker) tells Billboard. "It's a song I wrote over the last couple of months. I was thinking about my career with 40 years of Stray Cats and all of that and thinking about the upright bass, which is what started this thing. It takes me back to the opening line of the song -- which is "Took me 'round the world and I changed my name/found a little fortune, found a little fame/Doin' the dog house shuffle" -- which is right out of my story. Dog House is what they call the upright bass, so it's a tribute to the bass itself and a lot of the players that I came up listening to." Some of those players -- including Elvis Presley's Bill Black, Willie Dixon, Fred Maddox, the Tennessee Three's Marshall Grant, Carl Perkins' brother Clayton and Al Rex of Bill Haley & His Comets -- are featured in the "Dog House Shuffle" video, along with cartoon animations and studio footage of Rocker and his band recording the track. -
Album Reviews
— — flnn^^ r^isi:: . ;z Cash ALBUM REVIEWS iiiiiiiMiM IlllBMfflffll ll l l lilliW The Nov Capitol THE FLAMINGOS/THEIR HITS THEN AND *= THE NEW CLASSIC SINGERS— T/ ( lasvit NOW—Philips PH.VI 200-206/PHS 600-206 ST 2440 Singer-/ This latest offering by the Flamingos is in no . On this set, the New Classic Singers sing not one particular mood or tempo. It is all up to date, words but easy flowing one-syllable sounds that danceable music built on a firm r&b foundation. emphasize and enhance the melody. This package, “I Only Have Eyes For You” and the more recent which contains such songs as “A Lover’s Con- “Boogaloo Party” are 2 of their singles on this certo,” was produced, arranged, and conducted by release which is also highlighted by “The Yellow Hank Levine. Two other blue ribbon tracks are Rose Of Texas” and “Brooklyn Boogaloo.” The set “Sukiyaki” and “Bye Bye Blues.” A fine item for should move into prominence quickly. listening pleasure. JAZZ PICK THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW Original Motion — Picture Score—Mainstream Portrait of W V»* 54000/S 4000 PORTRAIT OF WES—Wes Montgomery Trio Riverside 492 One of the latest films dealing with the life guitarist Montgomery, backed by of Christ, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “The Gospel Jazz Wes Mel Rhyne and drummer George Brown, According To St. Matthew” has received a high organist reaffirms his fans’ faith in his excellence with this degree of acclaim from the critics and should track set of both classic and self-penned score well in this original motion picture score six pieces. -
Bill Black's Combo Solid and Raunchy Mp3, Flac, Wma
Bill Black's Combo Solid And Raunchy mp3, flac, wma DOWNLOAD LINKS (Clickable) Genre: Jazz Album: Solid And Raunchy Country: US Released: 1960 Style: Jazz-Rock MP3 version RAR size: 1800 mb FLAC version RAR size: 1405 mb WMA version RAR size: 1640 mb Rating: 4.8 Votes: 540 Other Formats: AA APE AC3 AU DTS MPC FLAC Tracklist A1 Don't Be Cruel 2:15 A2 Singin' The Blues 2:20 A3 Blueberry Hill 2:23 A4 I Almost Lost My Mind 2:10 A5 Cherry Pink 2:07 A6 Mona Lisa 2:30 B1 Honky Tonk 2:10 B2 Tequila 2:22 B3 Raunchy 2:01 B4 You Win Again 2:21 B5 Bo Diddley 2:16 B6 Mack The Knife 2:52 Companies, etc. Recorded At – Royal Recording Studios, Memphis Credits Engineer – Ray Harris Notes No BellSound stampers in deadwax Barcode and Other Identifiers Matrix / Runout (Side A Label): LH 504 Matrix / Runout (Side B Label): LH 505 Matrix / Runout (Side A - stamped): LH 504-5 S Matrix / Runout (Side B - stamped): LH 505-5 S Rights Society (A3, A5, A6, B6): ASCAP Rights Society (A1, A2, A4, B1 to B5): BMI Other versions Category Artist Title (Format) Label Category Country Year Bill Black's Solid And Raunchy (LP, SHL 32003 Hi Records SHL 32003 US 1960 Combo Album) Bill Black's Solid And Raunchy (LP, SHL 32003 Hi Records SHL 32003 US 1960 Combo Album) Bill Black's Solid And Raunchy (LP, HL 12003 Hi Records HL 12003 US 1960 Combo Album, Mono) Bill Black's Solid And Raunchy (LP, SHL 32003 Hi Records SHL 32003 US 1960 Combo Album) Bill Black's Solid And Raunchy (LP, London HA-U 2310 HA-U 2310 UK 1961 Combo Album, Mono) Records Related Music albums to Solid And Raunchy by Bill Black's Combo Mona Lisa - Vers Demain Anita Harris - Anniversary Waltz / Comes The Night (Carol's Theme) Bill Black's Combo - Saxy Jazz / Solid And Raunchy Ernie Freeman - Raunchy / Lost Dreams Ernie Freeman - Raunchy Bill Black's Combo - That Wonderful Feeling Ted Heath And His Music - Swingin' Shepherd Blues / Raunchy Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley & Co, Live Kitty Hawkins - Still I'm Losing You The Now Generation - Hits Are Our Business. -
“Just a Dream”: Community, Identity, and the Blues of Big Bill Broonzy. (2011) Directed by Dr
GREENE, KEVIN D., Ph.D. “Just a Dream”: Community, Identity, and the Blues of Big Bill Broonzy. (2011) Directed by Dr. Benjamin Filene. 332 pgs This dissertation investigates the development of African American identity and blues culture in the United States and Europe from the 1920s to the 1950s through an examination of the life of one of the blues’ greatest artists. Across his career, Big Bill Broonzy negotiated identities and formed communities through exchanges with and among his African American, white American, and European audiences. Each respective group held its own ideas about what the blues, its performers, and the communities they built meant to American and European culture. This study argues that Broonzy negotiated a successful and lengthy career by navigating each groups’ cultural expectations through a process that continually transformed his musical and professional identity. Chapter 1 traces Broonzy’s negotiation of black Chicago. It explores how he created his new identity and contributed to the flowering of Chicago’s blues community by navigating the emerging racial, social, and economic terrain of the city. Chapter 2 considers Broonzy’s music career from the early twentieth century to the early 1950s and argues that his evolution as a musician—his lifelong transition from country fiddler to solo male blues artist to black pop artist to American folk revivalist and European jazz hero—provides a fascinating lens through which to view how twentieth century African American artists faced opportunities—and pressures—to reshape their identities. Chapter 3 extends this examination of Broonzy’s career from 1951 until his death in 1957, a period in which he achieved newfound fame among folklorists in the United States and jazz and blues aficionados in Europe. -
The Object of This Paper Is to Prove That the Importance of Jaco Pastorius
What Does Donna Lee Mean? An Analysis of the Construction of Meaning in Music Uri González Uppsala Universitet Institutionen för musikvetenskap C-uppsats Ht 2004 Handledare: Lars Berglund Abstract This essay examines the construction of the meaning of bassist Jaco Pastorius’ solo on Charlie Parker’s composition Donna Lee (Pastorius 1976) according to musicologist Jean- Jacques Nattiez’ semiological tripartition theory. After the application of Nattiez’ approach, the following conclusions can be established: 1. At the time of its conception, 1976, Donna Lee represented both a big step forward in the developments of the instrumental possibilities of the electric bass. In its refusal to submit to exclusively rhythmic tasks it gradually became an increasingly soloistic voice. This arrived to the point where it actually was conceivable for a bass player to take upon a three chorus long solo on a classic jazz standard. 2. Despite this innovative spirit which drives Pastorius artistic output, his Donna Lee pays hommage to the jazz tradition and to the group of stylistic constraints that today characterize what is known as bebop. 3. The final meaning of Donna Lee and of any other musical text goes beyond its historical vicissitudes and its immanent structures. Meaning is not imposed by the exterior but is constructed by the individual mind in a perception that is creative and over-productive in a circular dialog with the environment. The essay will also make reference to the theories of musical semioticians and cognitive psychologists such as James Gibson, Robert Hatten, Ruben Lopez Cano, José Antonio Marina, among others. Table of contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ -
Elvisbrucefeaturefromstonepo
How an encounter that never happened might have helped to change history if it had By Shawn Poole Ever since he was a child, Bruce Springsteen has been strongly influenced by the artistry of Elvis Presley. Over the years, the “E Street”/”Elvis” connection has remained strong. Most recently, Springsteen participated along with E Street Band members Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa in the Elvis: Viva Las Vegas television special (now on DVD in the U.S., where it hit #1 on the Billboard DVD sales chart), and its accompanying soundtrack album. E Streeters Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg also were on hand at this year’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to induct Elvis’ original drummer and bassist, D.J. Fontana and the late Bill Black. Presley was only forty-two years old when his life tragically ended. “They found him slumped up against the drain,” Bruce Springsteen would later sing of his fallen idol, “with a whole lot of trouble running through his veins; Bye-bye, Johnny; Johnny, bye-bye; You didn’t have to die; you didn’t have to die.” While Elvis’ premature decline and death did absolutely nothing to stop his immense cultural influence, it did rob the world of many more years of music from this great artist. It also ensured that Bruce Springsteen would never get another chance to meet the man who initially inspired his own musical career. (He had two chances: one famous unofficial chance when he jumped the wall at Graceland in 1976 and one not-as-famous in 1977 when local concert promoters offered Springsteen an official chance to meet Elvis backstage before his final Philadelphia concert.) But what if Bruce had gotten to meet Elvis before August 16, 1977? Might things have turned out any differently for either or both of them, as well as the many other lives they affected? In this work of speculative fiction, Shawn Poole ponders the possibilities, poignantly reminding us of the promise and potential that tragically disappeared in that long ago summer. -
Monterey Jazz Festival
DECEMBER 2018 VOLUME 85 / NUMBER 12 President Kevin Maher Publisher Frank Alkyer Editor Bobby Reed Reviews Editor Dave Cantor Contributing Editor Ed Enright Creative Director ŽanetaÎuntová Assistant to the Publisher Sue Mahal Bookkeeper Evelyn Oakes ADVERTISING SALES Record Companies & Schools Jennifer Ruban-Gentile Vice President of Sales 630-359-9345 [email protected] Musical Instruments & East Coast Schools Ritche Deraney Vice President of Sales 201-445-6260 [email protected] Advertising Sales Associate Grace Blackford 630-359-9358 [email protected] OFFICES 102 N. Haven Road, Elmhurst, IL 60126–2970 630-941-2030 / Fax: 630-941-3210 http://downbeat.com [email protected] CUSTOMER SERVICE 877-904-5299 / [email protected] CONTRIBUTORS Senior Contributors: Michael Bourne, Aaron Cohen, Howard Mandel, John McDonough Atlanta: Jon Ross; Austin: Kevin Whitehead; Boston: Fred Bouchard, Frank- John Hadley; Chicago: John Corbett, Alain Drouot, Michael Jackson, Peter Margasak, Bill Meyer, Mitch Myers, Paul Natkin, Howard Reich; Denver: Norman Provizer; Indiana: Mark Sheldon; Iowa: Will Smith; Los Angeles: Earl Gibson, Todd Jenkins, Kirk Silsbee, Chris Walker, Joe Woodard; Michigan: John Ephland; Minneapolis: Robin James; Nashville: Bob Doerschuk; New Orleans: Erika Goldring, David Kunian, Jennifer Odell; New York: Alan Bergman, Herb Boyd, Bill Douthart, Ira Gitler, Eugene Gologursky, Norm Harris, D.D. Jackson, Jimmy Katz, Jim Macnie, Ken Micallef, Dan Ouellette, Ted Panken, Richard Seidel, Tom Staudter, Jack Vartoogian, Michael Weintrob; -
Butler University School of Music Duckwall Artist Series Open Sky Bird at 100: a Tribute to Charlie Parker
BUTLER UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MUSIC DUCKWALL ARTIST SERIES presents OPEN SKY BIRD AT 100: A TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE PARKER Matt Pivec, saxophones Jesse Wittman, bass Sandy Williams, guitar Kenny Phelps, drums Steve Allee, piano Eidson-Duckwall Recital Hall Tuesday, October 13, 2020 • 7:30 P.M. The fourteenth program of the Butler University School of Music 2020-21 season PROGRAM Repertoire will be announced from the stage. BIOS MATT PIVEC As a performer of jazz and popular music, Matt has worked with Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, Dave Rivello, Bob Brookmeyer, Peter Erskine, Maria Schneider, Julia Dollison, Melvin Rhyne, the Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Rochester Philharmonic Pops Orchestra, and the national touring companies of Hairspray, 42nd Street, and The Producers. As a band leader and soloist, Matt has performed at jazz festivals and venues throughout the United States. He has three albums to his credit: Live at Snider Hall, Psalm Songs, and the recently released Time and Direction. Currently, Matt is the Director of Jazz Studies at Butler University where he leads the Jazz Ensemble and teaches courses in the jazz studies curriculum. Under his direction, Butler ensembles have performed with world-renowned guest artists such as Kurt Elling, Christian McBride, Bobby Sanabria, Donny McCaslin, Fred Sturm, Melvin Rhyne, Steve Allee, Ted Poor, and the Wee Trio. Matt received the Doctor of Musical Arts (Saxophone Performance and Literature) and Master of Music (Jazz Studies and Contemporary Media) degrees from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. While at Eastman, Matt studied with Ramon Ricker. -
Imaginary Miles: Modeling Musebots After Musicians
Imaginary Miles: Modeling Musebots after Musicians Arne Eigenfeldt School for the Contemporary Arts Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada [email protected] ABSTRACT ing and simulation [4]. One facet of computational musi- cology is to prove the validity of the derived model Musebots are autonomous musical agents that interact through generation [5]; however, it should be pointed out with other musebots to create music. Inaugurated in that its specific goals are different from those of the pro- 2015, musebots are now an established practice in the duction systems found within MuMe, in that the resulting field of musical metacreation, which aims to automate generation is not meant to have artistic validity. aspects of creative practice. Musebots have been present- The work described in this paper is firmly within the ed as continuously running installations, in which ensem- MuMe field: while using methods derived from machine- bles, curated from the pool of community-coded agents, learning to produce a loose model of a specific stylistic interact autonomously with one another for five to seven corpus, the goal is not to exactly reproduce the model; minutes, emphasising their (often) disparate styles. Imag- instead, the model is a starting point for more general inary Miles, while continuing the musebot tradition of compositional explorations of musical agent relation- open-source development, presents musebots coded only ships. by the author. Furthermore, the generated style is quite explicit – late 1960s jazz, specifically the Miles Davis 1.3 Musebots groups of that era. While individual musebots are mod- elled after specific musicians, Imaginary Miles is not an The open source musebot protocol1 was originally devel- effort at computational musicology that attempts to per- oped to coordinate generative music software ensembles fectly replicate its models; instead, the ensemble’s unique [6] and facilitate modularised prototyping of designs [7].