However, there was a greater seriousness to the concert than jazz as 'background music' might possess. The music had a kind of melancholic quality, despite the fact that it was not spontaneously arising as an emotional outpouring of the musicians. The other instruments prominently featured were piano, drums, and base. All of these instruments are very visceral in nature, and complimented the soprano saxophone's lighter tone.
Although all of the instruments had solo passages, the solos were not strident 'featured' performances, or showpieces like a guitar or drum solo during a rock concert. The solos emerged from the hum of the other musicians, as the other instruments took up the background chords while the solos gradually emerged in prominence. Melody in "My Favorite Things" is passed around, and because it is fairly unobtrusive and unostentatious -- more like a rhythm than a distinct melody -- the status of 'soloist' slowly…...

Miles Davis
ith a career spanning several decades, and an influence spanning several continents, Miles Davis has arguably had a bigger influence on jazz music than any other musician. In the 1991 obituary in The New York Times, Miles Davis was described as an "an elusive touchstone of jazz," and someone who "defined cool," (Pareles). Davis' album The Birth of the Cool makes his name not just symbolically associated with the quality of coolness, but actually a synonym of the birth of cool jazz -- a specific genre of jazz that originally and bravely broke from established big band and be-bop traditions to enter the realm of the avant-garde via improvisation and experimentation. Jazz was forever transformed via Miles Davis' contributions and his musical legacy as composer and trumpet master.

Davis was born in Alton, Illinois on May 26, 1926. His upbringing was "middle class," and he was exposed to music early…...

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Works Cited

Davis, Miles. Miles: The Autobiography. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1990.

Early, Gerald Lyn. Miles Davis and American Culture. Missouri History Museum, 2001.

Kirker, Tim. "Miles Davis." All About Jazz. Retrieved online:  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18568#.UTfMJ3zreII 

"Miles Davis and John Coltraine." Chapter 42 in?

Miles Davis and Modern Jazz
In every artistic medium there are innovators who push innovation to the edge -- who change the paradigm of their art, and who become iconic figures within their world. Classical music had innovators in every generation -- Stravinsky's ite of Spring, Leonard Bernstein, and more. Jazz, too, evolved from a combination of folk and tribal styles through different eras (Dixie, Be Bop, etc.) into what now is really a true 20th century musical phenomenon.

The origins of Jazz have been much discussed -- emerging out of the African slave culture with a musical synergy of tribal (rhythm, scales, syncopation, and improvisation) and the European musical tradition of harmony, instrumentation and chromaticism. One famous musician noted, though, that jazz was uniquely American and that, "No America, no jazz. I've seen people try to connect it to other countries, for instance to Africa, but it doesn't have a damn…...

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References

Remembering Miles. (1991, November 12). Retrieved March 2013, from The Rolling Stone Archieves: http:/www.rollingstone.com/Desktop?s=1991111428#/19911114/44

Miles Davis. (2006, June). Retrieved March 2013, from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Indusction:  http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/miles-davis 

House Resolution 894 Honoring the 50th Anniversary of "Kind of Blue" and Reffirming Jazz as a National Treasure. (2009, December 15). Retrieved March 2013, from clerk.house.gov:  http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll971.xml 

Cook, M., et al. (2002). The Cambridge Companion to Jazz. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.

The SixtiesASpirituality is a common theme in Black music, and it can be observed in John Coltrane\\\'s \\\"Alabama,\\\" the Miles Davis Quintet\\\'s work in 1964, and James Cleveland\\\'s \\\"Where is Your Faith in God.\\\" John Coltrane\\\'s \\\"Alabama\\\" is a tribute to the four young Black girls who were killed in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963. The song\\\'s slow tempo, mournful melody, and melancholic harmonies convey a sense of mourning and sadness. Coltrane\\\'s saxophone playing on the track could be described as mysterious or spiritual (as Floyd points out), or as prayerful, and the music seems to be a form of lamentation for the tragic event. The Miles Davis Quintet\\\'s work in 1964 began with a simple theme and evolved into complex, free-flowing improvisations that created a sense of unity among the musicians and the audience. James Cleveland\\\'s \\\"Where is Your Faith in…...

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ReferencesFloyd, Samuel. The Power of Black Music.

Charlie Parker
Music:

The music of United States changed significantly during the twentieth century, and each generation went on to develop its own music. These were all immensely popular, had strong rhythmic touch and were very different from the earlier forms which existed. These were used for dancing or just for the purpose of listening. When the twentieth century started it was the time for a variety called Ragtime. After the end of the First World War, Jazz had its origin and it influenced all other forms till it was affected by the stock market crash in 1929. This period was called the roaring twenties. Then it was time for a new form to emerge and this was in the music of the ig ands and led at different stages by Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Jimmie Lunceford, Glen Gray and Chick Webb in the beginning. They were then followed by Tommy Dorsey,…...

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Bibliography

Weinstock, Len. "The Big Band Era, Or How America Came Out Of the Great Depression and Went On To Win World War II, 1991" Retrieved at Accessed on 03/08/2004http://www.redhotjazz.com/bigbandessay.html.

Azinhais, Joao "The King of Jazz" Retrieved at Accessed on 03/08/2004http://www.redhotjazz.com/whitemanarticle.html.

Weinstock, Len. "The origins of Jazz" Retrieved at Accessed on 03/08/2004http://www.redhotjazz.com/originsarticle.html.

Slave Songs of the United States" A. Simpson & Co. Retrieved at   Accessed on 03/08/2004http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/allen/allen.html .

Music Association
Music and Personal Association

What music do you associate with childhood? How did/does this music make you feel? How do your choices reflect your childhood experiences?

There is not much that I can recall about my childhood in detail. My memory tends to be unreliable at best. That is why I find it so incredible that the music of the Beatles remains a vivid and constant presence in my memories. Indeed, even before I remember knowing that red means 'stop' or green means 'go,' I knew all the words to "Yellow Submarine." It was almost as if I was born with the melody to "Hey Jude" in may head. In fact, since my parents were such devoted listeners to the Beatles, I have little doubt that this was the soundtrack to my gestation.

The constant presence of the Beatles would have an indelible impact on me. There are few songs in their…...

Miles Davis
One cannot think of Jazz without thinking of Miles Davis. Davis is widely regarded as one of the foremost jazz trumpeters. However, it would be a mistake to believe that Davis' influence on the world of jazz was limited to his abilities as a trumpeter. Davis was recognized as a composer, a bandleader, and a keyboard player. In addition, Davis helped develop improvisational playing techniques, which incorporated modes. Finally, "Davis had an uncanny ability of always selecting great sidemen for his recording sessions. These recordings are full of original and creative sensitivity and are outstanding examples of jazz recordings made at that time." (The Official Miles Davis Website, 2001).

If Davis' mother had her way, jazz music today would be dramatically different. Davis was born to Miles Henry Davis, a dentist, and Cleota Davis. Cleota Davis was a blues pianist, but she kept that fact hidden from her son because…...

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Referenced

Frankling, K. (1986). Miles Davis: life size. Retrieved November 9, 2005 from Jazzhouse.org

Web site:  http://www.jazzhouse.org/library/library2.php3?read=franckling1 

The Official Miles Davis Website. (2001). Biography. Retrieved November 9, 2005 from MilesDavis.com

Web site:  http://www.milesdavis.com/bio.htm

Four Stages in the Development of the Person ho Engages in Critical Thinking Are as Follows:
Stage One: The Unreflective Thinker. This is a stage in which the person is not aware of any problems within his thinking process. The individual might we of average intelligence and living a normal life but may now know that he is making "assumptions, forming concepts, drawing inferences," but he probably is not aware that his reasons and purposes are "clearly formulated" (Paul, et al., 2013). In this phase the individual makes decisions that are simplistic and does not "seriously question the thinking" that should go into every decision (Paul, 65).

Stage Two: The Challenged Thinker: This is the point at which the individual begins to realize there is a problem with his comprehension of issues in his life -- and he realizes he needs clarity. hat needs to happen in this stage is the…...

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Works Cited

Paul, R., and Elder, L. (2013). Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your

Professional and Personal life. New York: Pearson Education.

Stratton, J. (1999). Critical Thinking for College Students. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

Black Arts
Known as the "artistic sister of the Black Power movement," Black Arts refers to the collective expressions of African-American culture during the 1960s and 1970s. Corresponding with the climax of the Civil Rights movement and the self-empowerment of the African-American community, the Black Arts was a politically charged yet aesthetically ripe collection of visual, performance, music, and literary art forms. Amiri Baraka is credited widely with the genesis of the Black Arts movement. The assassination of Malcolm X is said to have inspired Baraka to move to Harlem and delve into the transformative power of art for emboldening the black community (Salaam). Even when he was still known as LeRoi Jones, Baraka had been involved in the publishing industry, and had worked as a poet, arts critic, and playwright. His founding of the Black Arts Repertory Theatre/School (BARTS) is the "formal beginning" of the movement, which Baraka himself dubbed…...

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Works Cited

"The Black Arts Movement." Retrieved online:  http://www.blackpast.org/aah/black-arts-movement-1965-1975 

"A Brief Guide to the Black Arts Movement." Poets.org. Retrieved online:  http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/text/brief-guide-black-arts-movement 

Neal, Larry. "The Black Arts Movement." The Making of African-American Identity, Vol. 3, 1917-1968. Retrieved online:  http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai3/community/text8/blackartsmovement.pdf 

Salaam, Kaluma Ya. "Historical Overviews of the Black Arts Movement."  http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/blackarts/historical.htm

Daru is still trying to cling to a sense of morality; yet, the Arab himself shows how this will not work in a world of uncertainty because after he is set free, he goes to the police station himself.
James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" Topic 6

James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues" is an interesting tale of a lost soul, who finds his solace and ability to express himself through the art of music. Sonny lost both of his parents, and his brother was not there for him during the times he needed him the most. Sonny's brother did not understand his suffering, and as a result he turned his back on Sonny during his times of darkness. Sonny was left alone in a world of darkness and he was not strong enough to deal with it in a healthier manner, as his brother did. Therefore, Baldwin writes "this life, whatever it was, had…...

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Works Cited

Baldwin, James. "Sonny's Blues."

Camus, Albert. "The Guest."

Charlie Parker: The Revolutionary Trailblazer of Modern Jazz

Charlie Parker, known colloquially as "Bird," left an indelible mark on the tapestry of jazz music, forever altering its trajectory and establishing himself as a towering figure in the art form. His groundbreaking innovations, both technically and conceptually, laid the foundation for modern jazz and continue to inspire musicians worldwide.

Technical Virtuosity: A Harmonic and Melodic Maestro

Parker possessed an unparalleled technical proficiency on the saxophone, soaring effortlessly over complex harmonic structures with blistering bebop lines. His intricate improvisations, characterized by rapid-fire note sequences and angular melodic phrases, pushed the boundaries of jazz harmonic language,....