In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak beats in a meter (pulse). These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be stressed.
More simply, syncopation is a general term for a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm; a placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur.[2]
Syncopation is used in many musical styles, and is fundamental in Afrocuban derived styles such as funk, ska, reggae, ragtime, rap, jump blues, progressive electronic dance music, progressive rock, extreme metal, jazz, breakbeat, drum'n'bass and dubstep.
"All dance music makes use of [syncopation] and it's often a vital element that helps tie the whole track together".[3] In the form of a back beat, syncopation is used in virtually all contemporary popular music.
Syncopation has been an important element of musical composition since at least the Middle Ages. For some musical styles, such as jazz and ragtime, syncopation is an essential part of their character.[2]
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Storyville, St Paul's Bottoms and other Jazz notes
Storyville, the fabled New Orleans red light district, is often mentioned a s a birthplace of jazz.
Storyville was the red-light district of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1897 through 1917, says Wikipedia.
Locals usually simply referred to the area as The District. The nickname Storyville was in reference to city alderman Sidney Story, who wrote the legislation setting up the district.
The District was set up to limit prostitution to one area of town where authorities could monitor and regulate the practice. In the late 1890s, the New Orleans city government studied the legalized red light districts of northern German and Dutch ports and set up Storyville based on such models. Between 1895 and 1915, "blue books" were published in Storyville. These books were guides to prostitution for visitors to the district's services including house descriptions, prices, particular services and the "stock" each house had to offer. The Storyville blue-books were inscribed with the motto: "Order of the Garter: Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (Shame to Him Who Evil Thinks)."
St Paul's Bottoms was the equivalent district in Shreveport. It is said to be one of the places the folksinger Leadbelly learned his guitar style.
general vocab -
ergonomics
incendiary
cerebral
visceral
Jazz bio of the day: saxophonist John Coltrane.
Instruments of the day invented by the Belgian musician Adolphe Saxe in the mid 1800's.
Movie coming to Robinson Film Center on Sept 25, 26: a documentary on the painter John-Michel Basquiat. I'll be introducing the showing on Sat at 3:30 pm.
Recommended this week at LSUS Black Box Theater: the edgy drama "Oleanna," written by plawright David Mamet.
Storyville was the red-light district of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1897 through 1917, says Wikipedia.
Locals usually simply referred to the area as The District. The nickname Storyville was in reference to city alderman Sidney Story, who wrote the legislation setting up the district.
The District was set up to limit prostitution to one area of town where authorities could monitor and regulate the practice. In the late 1890s, the New Orleans city government studied the legalized red light districts of northern German and Dutch ports and set up Storyville based on such models. Between 1895 and 1915, "blue books" were published in Storyville. These books were guides to prostitution for visitors to the district's services including house descriptions, prices, particular services and the "stock" each house had to offer. The Storyville blue-books were inscribed with the motto: "Order of the Garter: Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense (Shame to Him Who Evil Thinks)."
St Paul's Bottoms was the equivalent district in Shreveport. It is said to be one of the places the folksinger Leadbelly learned his guitar style.
general vocab -
ergonomics
incendiary
cerebral
visceral
Jazz bio of the day: saxophonist John Coltrane.
Instruments of the day invented by the Belgian musician Adolphe Saxe in the mid 1800's.
Movie coming to Robinson Film Center on Sept 25, 26: a documentary on the painter John-Michel Basquiat. I'll be introducing the showing on Sat at 3:30 pm.
Recommended this week at LSUS Black Box Theater: the edgy drama "Oleanna," written by plawright David Mamet.
"Sheets of sound:" saxophonist John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (sometimes abbreviated "Trane"; September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967[1]) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer, says Wikipedia.
Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz.
He was prolific, organizing at least fifty recording sessions as a leader during his recording career, and appeared as a sideman on many other albums, notably with trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.
As his career progressed, his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension. His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane, and their son Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist.
He influenced innumerable musicians, and remains one of the most significant tenor saxophonists in jazz history. He received many awards, among them a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."[2]
Coltrane recorded historic sessions with Miles Davis in January 1958. In October of that year, jazz critic Ira Gitler coined the term "sheets of sound" to describe the style Coltrane developed during his stint with Monk and was perfecting in Davis' group, now a sextet. His playing was compressed, with rapid runs cascading in hundreds of notes per minute.
He stayed with Davis until April 1960, working with alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley; pianists Red Garland, Bill Evans, and Wynton Kelly; bassist Paul Chambers; and drummers Philly Joe Jones and Jimmy Cobb. During this time he participated in the Davis sessions Milestones and Kind of Blue, and the live recordings Miles & Monk at Newport and Jazz at the Plaza.[1]
Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz.
He was prolific, organizing at least fifty recording sessions as a leader during his recording career, and appeared as a sideman on many other albums, notably with trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.
As his career progressed, his music took on an increasingly spiritual dimension. His second wife was pianist Alice Coltrane, and their son Ravi Coltrane is also a saxophonist.
He influenced innumerable musicians, and remains one of the most significant tenor saxophonists in jazz history. He received many awards, among them a posthumous Special Citation from the Pulitzer Prize Board in 2007 for his "masterful improvisation, supreme musicianship and iconic centrality to the history of jazz."[2]
Coltrane recorded historic sessions with Miles Davis in January 1958. In October of that year, jazz critic Ira Gitler coined the term "sheets of sound" to describe the style Coltrane developed during his stint with Monk and was perfecting in Davis' group, now a sextet. His playing was compressed, with rapid runs cascading in hundreds of notes per minute.
He stayed with Davis until April 1960, working with alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley; pianists Red Garland, Bill Evans, and Wynton Kelly; bassist Paul Chambers; and drummers Philly Joe Jones and Jimmy Cobb. During this time he participated in the Davis sessions Milestones and Kind of Blue, and the live recordings Miles & Monk at Newport and Jazz at the Plaza.[1]
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Miles Davis: presentations on historic jazz figures due Tues; quiz on Thurs.
Comparisons of 2 historic jazz figures will be presented and evaluated on Tues, Sept 14.
15 pts. See specs earlier on this site.
Also, please plan for an open-notes quiz on all material on jazz on Thurs.
15 pts. See specs earlier on this site.
Also, please plan for an open-notes quiz on all material on jazz on Thurs.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Photographia: open notes review quiz
Fine arts / photography
1. According to RWNAF.org's Ansel Adams bio, the famous photographer
would probably agree with the title "landscape photographer." T / F
2. Adams was a tireless worker for the cause of a) Democratic issues
b) health foods c) impoverished people d) conservation.
3. The view camera used by photographers like Adams was unusual from
today's cameras in a) size of the film area b) possible length of
exposure c) resemblance to the camera obscura d) the image
produced.
4. One of these is not a mountain range: a) Tetons b) Sierra Nevada
c) Yosemite d) Rockies.
5. Chiaroscuro: a) painter's rich coloration b) deep light and dark
areas in an image c) dramatic portraiture d) side lighted image.
6. Developed an early form of photo on paper that he termed the
Callotype. a) Louis Daguerre b) William Henry Fox Talbot c)
Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
7. Earliest of French pioneers in photography. a) Louis Daguerre b)
William Henry Fox Talbot c) Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
8. British pioneer in photography. a) Louis Daguerre b) William Henry
Fox Talbot c) Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
9. US Civil war photographer Matthew Brady used the type of
metal-plate photo developed by this French inventor. a) Louis Daguerre
b) William Henry Fox Talbot c) Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
10. Camera obscura: the word "obscura" refers to a) darkened b) pin
hole aperture c) using natural light d) historic item.
11. Vibrant visionaries created a new mausoleum for the ossified of
the city. T / F
12. The Norton family's wealth was built upon success in a) banking
b) natural gas c) petroleum d) railroads.
13. Norton is perhaps best known for its Remingtons and Russells. They
are about a) wild west b) landscapes c) birds of America d) photo
realism.
14. To measure or judge a work: a) delineate b) describe c)
evaluate d) capture in detail.
15. Rembrandt lighting begins with side lighting but locates the light
source ahead of and slightly __ the subject. a) above b) below c)
behind d) aside.
16. Xanadu: a) hideaway b) cozy cave c) city in the sky d) palace.
17. Art-like pieces of work that present a pop image: a) art nouveau
b) bauhaus c) schlock d) kitsch.
1. No.
2. conservation
3. size of the film area
4. Yosemite
5. deep light and dark
6. Fox Talbot
7. Niepce
8. Fox Talbot
9. Daguerre
10. darkened
11. T
12. petroleum
13. wild west
14. evaluate
15. above
16. palace
17. kitsch
1. According to RWNAF.org's Ansel Adams bio, the famous photographer
would probably agree with the title "landscape photographer." T / F
2. Adams was a tireless worker for the cause of a) Democratic issues
b) health foods c) impoverished people d) conservation.
3. The view camera used by photographers like Adams was unusual from
today's cameras in a) size of the film area b) possible length of
exposure c) resemblance to the camera obscura d) the image
produced.
4. One of these is not a mountain range: a) Tetons b) Sierra Nevada
c) Yosemite d) Rockies.
5. Chiaroscuro: a) painter's rich coloration b) deep light and dark
areas in an image c) dramatic portraiture d) side lighted image.
6. Developed an early form of photo on paper that he termed the
Callotype. a) Louis Daguerre b) William Henry Fox Talbot c)
Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
7. Earliest of French pioneers in photography. a) Louis Daguerre b)
William Henry Fox Talbot c) Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
8. British pioneer in photography. a) Louis Daguerre b) William Henry
Fox Talbot c) Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
9. US Civil war photographer Matthew Brady used the type of
metal-plate photo developed by this French inventor. a) Louis Daguerre
b) William Henry Fox Talbot c) Nicephore Niepce d) Auguste Lumiere.
10. Camera obscura: the word "obscura" refers to a) darkened b) pin
hole aperture c) using natural light d) historic item.
11. Vibrant visionaries created a new mausoleum for the ossified of
the city. T / F
12. The Norton family's wealth was built upon success in a) banking
b) natural gas c) petroleum d) railroads.
13. Norton is perhaps best known for its Remingtons and Russells. They
are about a) wild west b) landscapes c) birds of America d) photo
realism.
14. To measure or judge a work: a) delineate b) describe c)
evaluate d) capture in detail.
15. Rembrandt lighting begins with side lighting but locates the light
source ahead of and slightly __ the subject. a) above b) below c)
behind d) aside.
16. Xanadu: a) hideaway b) cozy cave c) city in the sky d) palace.
17. Art-like pieces of work that present a pop image: a) art nouveau
b) bauhaus c) schlock d) kitsch.
1. No.
2. conservation
3. size of the film area
4. Yosemite
5. deep light and dark
6. Fox Talbot
7. Niepce
8. Fox Talbot
9. Daguerre
10. darkened
11. T
12. petroleum
13. wild west
14. evaluate
15. above
16. palace
17. kitsch
Greatest early jazz guitarists: Charlie Christian, Stephane Grapelli
Using class notes please compose a Detailed but brief (3-4 sentences) summary of one of these recent topics -
- Creoles and WASP's
- Jazz and the Black American diaspora
- Satchmo and the beginnings of jazz
Hand-written but legible.
- Jazzy opening
- details in addition to generalities
5 pts.
- Creoles and WASP's
- Jazz and the Black American diaspora
- Satchmo and the beginnings of jazz
Hand-written but legible.
- Jazzy opening
- details in addition to generalities
5 pts.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Jazz & blues migrated north in the African-American diaspora at the turn of the century
Between 1910 and 1930, the African American population grew by about 40% in Northern states, mostly in the major cities, says Wikipedia.
Jazz and blues music traveled north, too.
Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Cleveland had some of the biggest increases in the early part of the century. Because changes were concentrated in cities, urban tensions rose as African Americans and new or recent European immigrants, both groups chiefly from rural societies, competed for jobs and housing with the white ethnic working class. Tensions were often most severe between ethnic Irish, defending their positions, and recent immigrants and blacks.
African Americans moved as individuals or small family groups. There was no government assistance, but often northern industries, such as the railroads, meatpacking and stockyards, recruited people. The primary factor for migration was the racial climate and widespread violence of lynching in the South. In the North, they could find better schools and adult men could vote (joined by women after 1920). Burgeoning industries meant there were job opportunities.
1. African-Americans left to escape the discrimination and racial segregation of late 19th century constitutions and Jim Crow laws.
2. The boll weevil infestation of Southern cotton fields in the late 1910s forced many sharecroppers and laborers to search for alternative employment opportunities.
3. The enormous expansion of war industries created job openings for blacks—not in the factories but in service jobs vacated by new factory workers.
4. World War I and the Immigration Act of 1924 effectively put a halt to the flow of European immigrants to the emerging industrial centers of the Northeast and Midwest, causing shortages of workers in the factories.
vocab -
exodus - mass exit
diaspora - ethnic mass migration
A diaspora (in Greek, διασπορά – "a scattering [of seeds]") is the movement or migration of a group of people, such as those sharing a national and/or ethnic identity, away from an established or ancestral homeland. When capitalized, the Diaspora refers to the exile of the Jewish people and Jews living outside ancient or modern day Israel.
Jazz and blues music traveled north, too.
Cities such as Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Cleveland had some of the biggest increases in the early part of the century. Because changes were concentrated in cities, urban tensions rose as African Americans and new or recent European immigrants, both groups chiefly from rural societies, competed for jobs and housing with the white ethnic working class. Tensions were often most severe between ethnic Irish, defending their positions, and recent immigrants and blacks.
African Americans moved as individuals or small family groups. There was no government assistance, but often northern industries, such as the railroads, meatpacking and stockyards, recruited people. The primary factor for migration was the racial climate and widespread violence of lynching in the South. In the North, they could find better schools and adult men could vote (joined by women after 1920). Burgeoning industries meant there were job opportunities.
1. African-Americans left to escape the discrimination and racial segregation of late 19th century constitutions and Jim Crow laws.
2. The boll weevil infestation of Southern cotton fields in the late 1910s forced many sharecroppers and laborers to search for alternative employment opportunities.
3. The enormous expansion of war industries created job openings for blacks—not in the factories but in service jobs vacated by new factory workers.
4. World War I and the Immigration Act of 1924 effectively put a halt to the flow of European immigrants to the emerging industrial centers of the Northeast and Midwest, causing shortages of workers in the factories.
vocab -
exodus - mass exit
diaspora - ethnic mass migration
A diaspora (in Greek, διασπορά – "a scattering [of seeds]") is the movement or migration of a group of people, such as those sharing a national and/or ethnic identity, away from an established or ancestral homeland. When capitalized, the Diaspora refers to the exile of the Jewish people and Jews living outside ancient or modern day Israel.
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