The Joy of Jazz Through Song II
22nd March 2024
In summary, we have looked at the roots of Jazz from the Congo Square gatherings in New Orleans in the early 19th century where a new musical language was emerging, to the evolution of spiritual hymns, ragtime piano music, blues and brass bands into a hybrid folk music that came to be recognised as jazz by the 1920s. Not only have we looked at some of the major early bands and players but we have listened to how the music evolved into a sophisticated art form and influenced all parts of the world. Louis Armstrong would be one of the one most recognisable faces of the 20th Century, George Gershwin, son of poor Russian emigres emerged as one of the greatest songwriters and Duke Ellington ran one of the most enduring and popular orchestras for over 50 years and also composed some of the most characterful music that came out of the world of jazz. His posthumous Pullitzer Prize in the centenary year of his birth (1999) was awarded 34 years after the Pullitzer Board had refused to ratify the jury’s decision to award him the music prize in 1965.
Above all, everyone is encouraged to participate by singing the songs introduced in the course. We have sung and even composed our own blues numbers, we have crooned songs from the great American songbook, we have learnt how to scat, how to improvise with call and response patterns. It has been tremendous fun.
