TEACHING WITH IN TUNE

INFLUENCES CONNECTING THROUGH TIME

PHOTOS: (ROYCE) ALEXANDER TAMARGO/GETTY IMAGES,

(AVENTURA) GARY GERSHOFF/WIREIMAGE Prince Royce José Manuel Calderón to

A major force in Latin pop, PRINCE ROYCE—born Geoffrey Royce Rojas to Dominican par- Like Prince Royce, ents in the New York borough of but had strongAVENTURA connections came from to Bronx—started making music Dominican Republic. Featuring two cousins (Antony Santos and Henry Santos Jeter) and seriously in his teens. His debut two brothers (Lenny and Mikey Santos), the , released when he was band captured listeners’ attention in the late UNDER THE 20, topped the Billboard Latin 1990s and early 2000s by blending American chart and went double hip-hop and R&B with the Dominican bachata platinum. His fourth and most re- style made famous by artists like Blas Durán. cent album, 2015’s Double Vision, is his fi rst with primarily English lyrics. Royce has frequently cited the group Aventura as a key early infl uence.

BLAS DURÁN’s musical career INFLUENCES began in the Dominican Republic in ne of the most interesting tasks we have at In Tune Monthly is the 1960s, but it was his distinctive use of a four-string electric guitar Whether straight or in the mid-’80s that fi rst put the the constructing of our In uences column. It begins as a kind bachata sound on the international tangled, the lines of map. Before Durán, the genre had of backwards scavenger hunt; we’ll select a current artist mainly used acoustic instruments, artistic inspiration following the example set by (usually someone with a song or album in the charts at the José Manuel Calderón. traced by In Tune’s time of selection), then we’ll hunt down three of that artist’s With 1962’s “Borracho Infl uences page can de Amor,” Dominican influencers, going further back in history for each one. native JOSÉ MANUEL CALDERÓN became became the fi rst person to be drawn further in O record a bachata song. Whether we know the background of the featured artist or not, this The word “bachata” the classroom. exercise is likely to yield surprises. A central question that guides refers to an informal party in the country BY KATE KOENIG and was originally our hunt is: Who has the artist—not a fan, not a critic, not a biog- used to put down the genre (much rapher, but the actual artist—named as an in uence? like country music was once called “hillbilly”). In the ’60s, bachata was gritty folk music. Today, thanks to Prince INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME Our natural inclination to categorize from generation to generation, while PHOTOS: (PUTH) THADDAEUS MCADAMS/WIREIMAGE, Royce and others, (JOHNSON) EMMET MALLOY, (HARPER) DAVID LEFRANC/GAMMA-RAPHO/ GETTY IMAGES, (TAJ MAHAL)PAUL NATKIN/GETTY IMAGES individual artists by style can lead us to some are born new, the product of it’s evolved into something more Charlie Puth to Taj Mahal shortchange them of their individual back- a unique convergence of styles and modern-sound- ing—an d far more In his teens, Hawaiian native JACK JOHNSON was a professional surfer, grounds. Rather than assume that each artist events. You’ll  nd plenty of both but a serious accident at a tournament 22 popular. led him toward a slightly less dangerous career in music. His smooth, laid-back folk- rock songs owe a lot to , Neil must have been influenced by the older types of artists and genres in these Young, and a man who played guitar on his 2001 debut album: Ben Harper. members of their genre, it’s worth examining pages, but what we  nd especially (where it’s possible to do so) the specific intriguing are the lines of in uence that catch Although BEN HARPER is a soulful singer and gifted song- writer, it was his exceptional playing on the Weissenborn lap steel guitar that fi rst got the in uences they drew from their parents, us o guard. Here are three examples from attention of American roots music fans in the late ’80s. One person who noticed Harper’s talent early—and invited him In Tune on his fi rst major tour in 1990— teachers, bandmates, travels, and collabora- past issues of , along with some sug- was bluesman Taj Mahal. tions. Artists’ personal circumstances tend gestions on how you can make use of them to dictate their sound more than the history in your classroom.

Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr. in 1942, TAJ MAHAL grew up of the genre to which they appear to belong. in Massachusetts, but his interest in the African and Carib- bean foundations of JANUARY 2017: , , and rock Some artists are eclectic, drawing inspira- CHARLIE PUTH is a classically trained have made him a true world . pianist, but the R&B-fl avored pop he’s This singer, song- become known for doesn’t have a lot to writer, and multi- tion from a varied mix of sounds, while PRINCE ROYCE TO do with Mozart or Chopin. That said, he instrumentalist has does play a slick snippet of Rachmaninoff been crossing genre to open the video of his 2016 hit “One Call boundaries for more than 50 years. Away.” Puth studied jazz at the Manhat- others take a more linear path through the MANUEL CALDERÓN tan School of Music and takes inspiration from a wide range of genres, but he’s singled out the “surf rock” stylings of Jack Johnson as a key infl uence. halls of a genre’s founders and traditionalists. The January 2017 edition of In uences is a 24 In Tune Monthly • April 2017 intunemonthly.com Some genres develop by being passed down perfect illustration of a genre growing

6 DECEMBER 2017 • IN TUNE MONTHLY • TEACHER’S EDITION intunemonthly.com INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME PHOTOS: (CARA) ANDREW LIPOVSKY/NBC, (LA HAVAS) GUS STEWART/WIREIMAGE, (BLIGE) JOHN W. FERGUSON/GETTY IMAGES, (KHAN) EBET ROBERTS/REDFERNS

PHOTOS: (ROYCE) ALEXANDER TAMARGO/GETTY IMAGES,

(AVENTURA) GARY GERSHOFF/WIREIMAGEAlessia Cara to Chaka Khan

On her breakout fi rst album, LIANNE LA HAVAS’ ear-grabbing mixture Know-It-All, 20-year-old of soul, jazz, and folk has won her many fans in the last fi ve years, most notably shows a the late Prince, who asked her to sing wisdom beyond her years. Songs on his 2014 album Art Offi cial Age. Not like “Wild Things,” “Scars to Your surprisingly, she’s a Prince fan, but she Beautiful,” and the Top 5 hit says that as a preteen, she made an even “Here” address emotional topics stronger connection with the music of Mary J. Blige. Prince Royce such as peer pressure and self- esteem, sung over compelling R&B beats. Cara acknowledges that her music has many infl uences, but one of the clearest is that of British singer/ José Manuel Calderón to songwriter Lianne La Havas. In the 1990s, MARY J. BLIGE became known as “the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” on the back of her mega-selling albums What’s the 411?, My Life, and Share My World. Two decades later, she continues A major force in Latin pop, to be one of R&B’s top artists. The telltale combination of smoothness and grit in her singing is reminiscent of one of her key PRINCE ROYCE—born Geoffrey infl uences, Chaka Khan. Royce Rojas to Dominican par- Like Prince Royce, ents in the New York borough of the Bronx but had strongAVENTURA connections came from to the the Bronx—started making music Dominican Republic. Featuring two cousins (Antony Santos and Henry Santos Jeter) and seriously in his teens. His debut CHAKA KHAN fi rst came to two brothers (Lenny and Mikey Santos), the attention in the 1970s as the lead singer of the funk band album, released when he was Rufus. Since then, she has band captured listeners’ attention in the late sold more than 70 million albums worldwide. Khan also 20, topped the Billboard Latin 1990s and early 2000s by blending American has the distinction of being the fi rst major pop artist to UNDER THE include a rapper on one of hip-hop and R&B with the Dominican bachata her songs: 1984’s smash hit Albums chart and went double “I Feel for You,” featuring platinum. His fourth and most re- style made famous by artists like Blas Durán. Grandmaster Melle Mel. cent album, 2015’s Double Vision,

is his fi rst with primarily English 20 intunemonthly.com lyrics. Royce has frequently cited the group Aventura as a key early infl uence.

INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME PHOTOS: (RUTH B) SONIA RECCHIA/GETTY IMAGES, () DANA EDELSON/NBC, (O’CONNOR) FRANS SCHELLEKENS/REDFERNS, BLAS DURÁN’s musical career (STREISAND) CBS VIA GETTY IMAGES INFLUENCES began in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s, but it was his distinctive Ruth B. to Barbra Streisand use of a four-string electric guitar

in the mid-’80s that fi rst put the Best known for her 1990 hit cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” SINÉAD O’CONNOR combines bachata sound on the international “Lost Boy,” the debut Celtic music, hip-hop, R&B, and single by 21-year-old punk rock in a uniquely haunting map. Before Durán, the genre had Canadian singer/ style. But for her fi rst major songwriter RUTH B., public performance at could be the oddest age 15 (a teacher’s mainly used acoustic instruments, wedding), she sang a song to make 2016’s very different type of pop charts: four One of the most successful song: “Evergreen” by following the example set by minutes of solo piano artists of our time, ADELE Barbra Streisand. and voice, with lyrics needs no introduction. that refer to J.M. Growing up in 1990s England, José Manuel Calderón. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Ruth she gravitated toward music B.’s sensitive approach with an emotional edge, reserving a special place in to balladry also recalls her heart for goth-rockers Adele, another singer the Cure, art-pop diva Annie who likes to strip her Lennox, and a fi ery, shaven- songs down and wear headed young Irishwoman With 1962’s “Borracho her heart on her sleeve. named Sinéad O’Connor. de Amor,” Dominican native JOSÉ MANUEL CALDERÓN became became Actress, activist, fi lmmaker, and a singer of rare dramatic power, the fi rst person to BARBRA STREISAND has been a cultural force for half a century. She record a bachata song. isn’t always thought of as a song- writer, but with “Evergreen”—which she co-wrote for the 1976 movie A The word “bachata” Star Is Born—she became the fi rst woman to win an Oscar for refers to an informal Best Original Song. party in the country and was originally used to put down the genre (much like country music was once called

“hillbilly”). In the 22 intunemonthly.com ’60s, bachata was gritty folk music. Today, thanks to Prince Royce and others, INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME PHOTOS: () KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES, (GAYE) DAVID GAHR/GETTY IMAGES, (MCPHATTER) MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES, it’s evolved into (JOHNSON) CHRIS ALBERTSON something more modern-sound- Usher to Lonnie Johnson ing—an d far more was a star performer for the Motown label during the 1960s but made his greatest cultural 22 popular. impact when he sang about American society’s prob- lems on the 1971 album What’s Going On. Gaye deeply admired many other singers, including Frank Sinatra, Nat “King” Cole, and Clyde McPhatter.

CLYDE McPHATTER’s high tenor singing was a crucial early ingredient of , the R&B group he founded in 1953. Three years before that, McPhat- ter made his fi rst waves by winning the With his eighth Amateur Night contest at New York’s album, 2016’s . The song he chose to Hard II Love, Usher sing there was “Tomorrow Night” by through generations, with each one making Raymond IV—USHER Lonnie Johnson. for short—continues a hugely successful singing career that contributions to further the style. The pro- the rst bachata recordings, giving the genre began in his early teens. Over the past 20 years, his smooth blending of R&B and Although he became best known as a blues and gression from José Manuel Calderón to a respected platform. Blas Durán brought mainstream pop R&B singer, has made him one native LONNIE JOHNSON of the best-selling was also a groundbreaking artists in American instrumentalist. His guitar music history. work on a series of 1920s Prince Royce highlights a linear development it into the modern era when he became the recordings had a major His popularity infl uence on the develop- and ambition link ment of jazz, and he was him to three key the fi rst noteworthy musi- infl uences: Michael cian to play an electrically within the same genre of music (bachata) rst bachata artist to play electric guitar. amplifi ed violin. Jackson, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye (whom Usher and the same culture (Dominican). Aventura pushed the style further by being actually portrayed in a TV series called If not for the work of the bachata artists the rst group to sing in English, while also American Dreams). before him, Prince Royce wouldn’t be the blending bachata with American hip-hop artist he is today. José Manuel Calderón made and R&B in uences. 22 intunemonthly.com

intunemonthly.com IN TUNE MONTHLY • TEACHER’S EDITION • DECEMBER 2017 7 Teaching with In Tune

What’s interesting about this progression so easy to hear her connection to an old- INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME PHOTOS: () ERIKA GOLDRING/FILMMAGIC, (APPLE) SIMON RITTER/GETTY IMAGES, is that it shows how a genre developed before (NYRO) MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES, (KING) DAVID REDFERN/REDFERNS school R&B artist like Ben E. King. But when the age of globalization. Bachata evolved in Lorde to Ben E. King you focus on one particular aspect of Lorde’s

With her 2013 debut Like Lorde, found fame single “Royals,” New while she was still in her teens, win- ning a GRAMMY in 1998 for “Criminal,” a the countryside of the Dominican Republic, Zealander LORDE (born artistry—the tonal warmth in her voice— track off her fi rst album. Her career has Ella Yelich-O’Connor) gone in fi ts and starts since then, but her tasted major world- songs have maintained an intimacy and wide success before directness that puts her in a line with played by artists whose talents were nurtured she turned 17. Her new artists like Aimee Mann, Joni Mitchell, that connection becomes a bit clearer. and Laura Nyro. album, Melodrama, is due out in June and shows she hasn’t lost within their own culture rather than by the her knack for emotion- So how do we get to King from Lorde? ally charged electronic pop. You can hear many infl uences in Internet, TV, radio, or international pop. Lorde’s music, but its You can definitely see how Fiona Apple’s In the 1960s, LAURA NYRO’s songs quirkiness and inten- became big hits for a variety of other sity remind us a lot performers; her own recordings, artier and of another preco- more ambitious, drew a rabid cult follow- It’s folk music, and it couldn’t have grown cious singer/ ing. On her soulful 1971 album Gonna Take artsy, idiosyncratic songs would influence songwriter, a Miracle, she covered songs by 10 acts who’d been particularly inspirational to her, including Fiona Apple. into its modern form without being person- “Spanish Harlem” by Ben E. King. Lorde, not so much in their sound but in ally shared between musicians—that’s how their honest, eclectic approach. Neither is As lead singer for the Drift- ers in the and then as a solo artist in the ’60s, the folk tradition has always worked. BEN E. KING became an it surprising that Apple, a piano-based singer/ all-time American R&B giant. His gospel-tinged vocals on “There Goes My Baby,” “Save the Last Play your students songs by each of the Dance for Me,” songwriter, would be influenced by the “,” and especially bachata artists in chronological order and “Stand by Me” distinctive mix of jazz, R&B, and soul con- made him an early example of what has come to be have them listen for common threads. The called soul cocted by Laura Nyro, an earlier piano-based music. sequence shouldn’t reveal dramatic changes, singer/songwriter. And finally, Nyro’s but rather building-block contributions from appreciation of Ben E. King was made clear each individual artist. 24 In Tune Monthly • May 2017 intunemonthly.com when she covered his “Spanish Harlem” on a 1971 tribute album to her inspirations.

INFLUENCES CONNECTING MUSICIANS THROUGH TIME PHOTOS: (VERNON) KRISTY SPAROW/GETTY DECEMBER 2016: BON IVER IMAGES, (NICKS) MICK HUTSON/REDFERNS, (SAINTE-MARIE) NATIONAAL ARCHIEF, (ROBESON) Of course, King doesn’t need a line of KEYSTONE FEATURES/GETTY IMAGES TO PAUL ROBESON influenced artists to be remembered for his The sequence of the December 2016 Influ- Bon Iver to Paul Robeson work—his 1961 song “Stand by Me” is still BON IVER’s hazy, gently As both a core member of Fleetwood Mac meandering alternative folk and a solo artist, STEVIE NICKS has been music has won a pile of industry creating a mystical mix of rock, folk, and ences bolsters our earlier point that every country for more than 40 years. Before relevant in present-day culture, a timeless awards, and the group’s 2016 achieving world fame in the mid-1970s, album 22, A Million reached though, Nicks sang other people’s songs, No. 2 on the Billboard chart. mostly the work of folk artists like Bob artist has personal, at times surprising, Leader (pictured) Dylan, Donovan, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. hit that maintains a regular presence in films has made no secret of being inspired by female performers, including rock icon Stevie tastes. Modern folk act Bon Iver, led by Nicks. He recently called a 1981 and TV. He might not be the first person clip of Nicks singing her song “Wild Heart” while preparing for a photo shoot “my favorite singer/songwriter Justin Vernon, is starkly YouTube video of all time.” that comes to mind when listening to Lorde, Born in Canada to Cree parents but later adopted and raised in the U.S., BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE one-of-a-kind. Vernon’s songs are character- distinguished herself on the ’60s but the more you think about it, the more folk scene with powerful songs addressing the plight of Native Americans. In her music, her activ- PAUL ROBESON was ism, and even her choice of record a man of many talents ized by ethereal, celestial-sounding vocals company (Vanguard), she followed (actor, orator, football it makes sense that Lorde’s modern brand the path of singer Paul Robeson. player) whose politi- cal beliefs got him in trouble with the U.S. government during and smatterings of electronics amid ambient the ’40s and ’50s. But of owes a great debt to singers he’s best remembered today for his deep bass singing voice, folk instruments. On the evidence of the which gave the world like King. the defi nitive version o f “Ol’ Man River,” from the 1927 musical band’s most recent release, 22, A Million, it Show Boat. Play songs by each of these artists in can be difficult to place them in any category sequence, while encouraging students to at all, let alone determine their influences— focus especially on the artist’s vocal expres- which is why it’s so fascinating to observe sion and songwriting vision. those influences on paper. 22 Unlike Prince Royce, Bon Iver’s sound THE NEXT GENERATION isn’t one that comes from generations of before, playing a song by each of the artists To take these exercises a step further, have tradition. The fact that Vernon would name in chronological order, but this time ask students come up with their own Influences Stevie Nicks as one of his biggest inspirations students to identify connections between column, choosing a song they like and just goes to show how an individual artist smaller ideas in each song rather than their researching the artists that may have influ- can construct an entirely new sound out of overall sound. What pieces of Robeson’s enced the songwriter. Challenge them to his own personal perceptions of what he’s work would Sainte-Marie have borrowed, identify not just songs that belong to the grown up listening to. (Listen to the Bon or would Nicks have borrowed from Sainte- same genre, but songs that have similar vocal Iver single “33 ‘GOD’” and see if you are at Marie? Can students imagine how the ripple melodies, chord progressions, beats, and any point reminded of Fleetwood Mac’s effect of Robeson’s artistic impact could have other elements. After they’ve chosen a series Rumours.) shaped an aspect of Bon Iver’s otherworldly of artists, ask them to think critically about The line from Nicks to Buffy Sainte-Marie sound in the present day? why they drew the connections they did, is not as surprising, though the connection and be prepared to articulate why the influ- between Sainte-Marie and Paul Robeson is MAY 2017: ence is likely more than just a coincidence. a bit more so—making another point that LORDE TO BEN E. KING Ultimately, students should understand that artists of different cultural backgrounds can The lineup in the May 2017 Influences could the development of an artist’s personal taste have deep influence on one another that leave a lot of readers scratching their heads can come from unexpected places—and results in strong career parallels. Lead stu- at first. Listening to the fresh, electronic, without that personal taste, no one would dents through the same type of exercise as often sparse sound of Lorde, it might not be sound like they do.

8 December 2017 • In Tune Monthly • Teacher’s Edition intunemonthly.com photo by hannah rodbell photography intunemonthly.com From the makersofzildjiancymbals hearing hearing healthier and lessons better to solution educator’s The drum

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