Essays on Jazz.

Among all kinds of art, maybe only music is able to put the listener into the world of certain period and make him or her not just aware the processes in the piece of music, but feel it and live in its atmosphere. Music is the strongest emotional impulse of life. Every man listens to the most favourite genre or genres. The classical music has the reputation as the highest point in the world of sounds. Though, this attitude puts classical music in a dramatically ignorant place (Sandow 2). In any case, this music is supposed to have not ...

The world has been awoken to the realization that there is a possibility that dominant cultures are getting fused together with the subordinate ones and that there is emerging a significant shift that is best described as the politics of difference. In the article What Is This “Black” in Black Popular Culture? Stuart Hall seeks to show how Black forms of popular culture have been seamlessly fused into mainstream culture and have been incorporated into the dominant Western or European culture. What that means is that there is a new spurt of intellectual consciousness that have included new conceptions ...

Explain the cultural/historical context for the performance.

The world of music is now quite diverse, with jazz takes not the last place in it. If we immerse yourself in the history of the origins of jazz, we note that the music of this style has a large number of types and areas, which to some extent may be quite different from each other. It would seem that jazz means some one particular trend in music, but it is so much more. For example, among particularities we have the blues, swing, bebop, fusion, postbol, ​​cool, mainstream, hard -bop, stride But this list does not end there. Throughout ...

Rap has entered the history of American art over a century ago. The people who have laid the foundations for rap as we know it today were the two big ethnical groups of the American society: African Americans and people from the Caribbean Islands. Folk artists of the mentioned origins were telling rhymed stories with the accompaniment of rhythmic music (drums and sparse instrumentation). This music already existed years before hip-hop was developed and became popular. Rapping is actually reading or chanting of rhythmic lyrics that were designed to set a beat. Many specialists are of the opinion that ...

On March 10, 2016, at 6:00 PM I attended the All-University Jazz Ensemble at the Northern Illinois University’s Arboretum. This was the first jazz concert of the year with a special guest being a well-renowned jazz maestro, Jason Pitt. The directors of the concert were Chris Leach and Michael Mixtacki. The concert collectively performed a total of ten pieces. However, the most prominent pieces for the night were “St. Thomas” written by Sonny Rollins and “Palo Pa’ Rumba” written by Eddie Palmieri. These particular pieces used different styles that allowed the whole audience to experiences the different sides ...

Zora Neale Hurston and Marita Bonner are often associated with Harlem Renaissance of 1920s. Their views on the race problem differ greatly from the views of male African American writers, and sometimes even contradict them, as the ideas of female writers of those times also incorporate the ideas of gender and being a colored woman. The movement for the rights of colored people and the rights of women has inspired the appearance of the whole range of works concerning the perspectives on the issue. The two essays, “How It Feels Like to Be a Colored Me” written by Zora ...

The role of music in the life of American society cannot be overemphasized. Today, we are seeing, how the music made its way into all sectors of society and is wholly or partially present in the various activities of ordinary Americans. It is hard to find anyone in the US and around the world, who would not love to listen to music. Ever since the Ancient Greeks, people began knowing music not only as just a set of sounds, but as the whole phenomenon with its complicated structure, classification and other things. Throughout the conscious history, music accompanied mankind, ...

The Stormy Weather starring Bill Robinson and Lena Horne was one of the most successful Broadway musicals ever created especially by a full-African American actors and actresses. The film presents a charming combination of jazz, singing, dancing, and occasional rhythmic rants of the characters from the story. At first, I was quite skeptical whether the film will make me interested until the end; however, the Stormy Weather’s brilliant and happy music creates a lively atmosphere which is impossible to deny. The film was set against the backdrop of the Progressive era, approximately during the 1920s, considering the clothes ...

1 - Steve Eckels This music makes me feel relaxed and calm, as the melody is the embodiment of patience. It is very monotonous and tranquil, but there is not a feeling of being bored while listening to the music. The man uses rapid musical transitions changing the tempo, which makes the music colorful and bright. 2 - New Big Sky Singers It is so dynamic that I cannot sit in one place. The rhythm is mixed, so the sounding is very unusual. The music makes me feel so vital, as if I am full of unquenchable energy. 3 ...

“Music is a world within itself with a language we all understand.” These are the words of the legendary musician, Stevie Wonder. It goes to show the extent of the impact of music not only regarding entertainment but also regarding its psychological effects. Music has the power to stir the deepest of emotions and thoughts. In the recent past, the study of music psychology has increasingly become the focus of psychologists and other researchers who opine that there is a positive co-relation between the functioning of the psychological processes and singing, composing or merely listening to music (Zbikowski, 77). ...

Among the myriad of cultural phenomena which proliferated and become immortalized to define the electric social atmosphere of the “roaring 20’s”, there is perhaps no better example of a form of artistic expression which at once defined and immortalized the social attitudes and realities faced by individuals living during the period than the genre of Jazz music. Jazz has undoubtedly had a fundamental impact on not only the evolution of artistic expression as seen through the birth of an innovative and vibrant form of musical composition, but also on the transformation of the social status quo of the ...

Langston Hughes poetry and social activist

Langston Hughes was an American social Jazz Poet, novelist and an activist who used American language, religion, music, slang to educate the globe about the lifestyles of American people at the times of Harlem Renaissance. The main theme that trolled in his poems were the social problems of the blacks who lived in low earning settings (Carl, 2004). Much of critique targeted the prejudices and the divisions that were common in the people of color within the community of the blacks. The poems were activist in nature as they dealt with how to be oneself issues and encouraged the ...

Twyla Tharp the daring, original, stylish and high profile choreographer was born on 1st July, 1945 in Portland, Indiana. Her family moved to California when she was about eight years old. From a very young age she started learning piano, ballet, jazz, tap, violin, painting, shorthand etc. (Twyla Tharp Biography 2016). Her mother wanted her to be competent and expert in a number of fields. It was this strict and cumbersome schedule that she had to adhere to, which turned her into a workaholic and perfectionist. She invented the a technique called “Stuffing” in which various movements, including shrugged ...

Every literary epoch has its own features. However, they have some common and different characteristics. Romanticism and Beat Generation are two different generations and the brightest representatives are William Blake and Jack Kerouac. It is important to look at both literary directions in order to understand the authors who belonged to these movements. Romanticism was an artistic development that cleared through practically every nation of Europe, the United States, and Latin America that kept going from around 1750 to 1870. Nonetheless, the Romantic Movement did not achieve France until the1820's. Sentimentalism's crucial soul was one of rebellion against a ...

Dance is an art that allows people to express their feelings through body movements. It is also an art that is used to entertain as well as bring people of different cultures together. Dances have also been used as a historical tool to identify people from different ethnic background, age groups and different social setting in addition to being utilized as a tool for harmonizing different people in a social event. People brought together through dancing are able to learn different cultures, thus learning how to respect and appreciate cultural and social diversity. It is common to see people ...

Music is considered as one of the global languages that interconnect people from different societies. As such, people have specific preferences when it come music depending on the nature of their personalities. Some of the popular music genres include pop, jazz to electronic dance music. Many individuals assume that someone’s music preference is somewhat random and is not influenced by any factors. However, this is not the case since one’s music preferences is largely dependent on their personalities. According to Carl Jung’s theory, people can be characterized by their general attitudes and preferences (Johansson, 2013). Consequently, ...

Rock music has evolved over the ages and can be traced back to the years of the 1940s. Rock music emerged after fusion of different music genres like country music, jazz, blues western swing, rhythm and blues amongst other (Covach 3). The early rock musicians are like Little Richard, Bill Haley, and Chuck Berry. They are credited with the popularization of rock music in the world as they presented unique fashion styles, dance moves and even integrated pop culture in their music. Though this genre of music was in existence in early 1940, it came to acquire its name ...

Storyville or as the locals simply called “The District” was the area of ​​New Orleans, residents and visitors of which attended for the carnal pleasures they could receive from living there numerous priestesses of love. Music lovers went there to listen to jazz virtuosos. Actually, this “red light district”, or Storyville, was established in 1897 by the authorities of New Orleans to put prostitution to order. The authorities legalized these “activities” based on the schemes tested in the Dutch and German port cities. Storyville was named after Sydney Storey, city council member, who is considered one of the founding ...

"Sonny’s Blues" is a classic short story by James Baldwin. The story is centered on Sonny, story's protagonist, a young man searching for meaning in life by questions about his own identity. In his search for his identity, Sonny finds purpose in music while living in Harlem, NYC. Sonny is black, loves jazz and plays piano. Throughout, Sonny experiences many conflicts. In so doing, music underlies not only his life but also story's main events. Music, or blues, is a means by which Sonny ultimately resolves his own conflicts and finds redemption. Sonny is a young man struggling ...

Music could be one of the greatest inventions that happened in our history. It is a form of art and a form of cultural activity which is created out of various elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and even the audible qualities of texture and timbre. There are many types of music that were created that may have started in the early days. One of which is the Jazz music. This type of music represents a perfect combination of music components and elements in order to create an audible sound that many people have been enjoying since the early ...

Arturo Sandoval is an outstanding musician who had to overcome a lot of difficulties in order to be able to do the job he was born to – playing the jazz music. Life of Sandoval recalls a musical history book that describes two disparate worlds. For the people who were raised up in the States, it may be hard to imagine what obstacles Arturo Sandoval was faced with to become a jazz musician. He is a great son of Cuba, and this country should be proud of him, but when Sandoval was at the beginning of his career, the government ...

In an article about hip hop music and its intersection with jazz, Jared Pauley writes that both genres have often flirted with each other. Over the years, hip hop artists have utilized the flavor of jazz music through sampling. In the 1980s to the mid-1990s, hip hop acts "took jazz samples to the top of the charts while others worked directly with respected jazz musicians. With the new millennium, this trend continued" (1). One artist that has continued the trend is Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar is an emcee that has been on the scene for a number of years, ...

Culture is a very dynamic element of the social setting of human beings. Culture is kinetic meaning that it is bound to constant modification and change from time to time. For example, when we consider the English language, we notice the constant and frequent adoption and addition of new words meant to describe varied situations in different cultures. These new words emanate from the frequent changes or social developments constantly shaping our world today. For example, one of the new words adopted as part of the accepted English words is the word ‘Photobomb’. A ‘photobomb’ is a verb meaning ...

Producer, rapper, musician, designer – all these are different shades of one person, whose name is Kanye West. We believe that the contribution of Mr. West to the African American Renaissance culture cannot be overestimated as he completely changed the approach to making the hip-hop music and made the audience of people, who listen to hip-hop, far wider thanks to the diversity of the sounding in his songs. Also, he looked at the new role of African Americans in society and their image, showing that African American rappers are not gangsters from the hood with the Uzi in their bosom ...

Industry Overview

Senegal is a West African country located along the Atlantic Ocean coastline. Its neighboring countries include Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, guinea, and Gambia. The terrain of Senegal is generally low and flat, with rolling plains that rise to the foothills located in the southeast. Senegal covers an area of about 196,722 square kilometers, with a coastline stretching to about 531 km (Global Edge, 2015). By 2014, the population of the country stood at 14.7 million, with an annual growth rate of 3.126% (Global Edge, 2015). About 43% of this population stays in the urban centers. Senegal is one of ...

Modern theater – is a very complex and multifaceted phenomenon. A variety of theaters can now meet the needs of virtually any intellectual and social strata of society. Such theatrical genre as musical combines the “high” and “low” culture, reflected the public sentiment shades of different social strata, combined many elements of modern theater, and at the same time updated the classics, making it popular in a wide viewers environment. This is just one of the processes of attracting the unprepared viewer to theater arts. Important role in this also is played by the media. Following the ideology of postmodernism ...

America in the 1920s: Radical Social Change as a Result of Technological Innovation

Important periods in American history are remembered with nostalgia and awe by the subsequent generations. The 1920s are mainly remembered in American culture for the changing attitudes of the youth, who embraced modern ideas and embraced the technological and ideological changes at the level of the society. Thus, America faced changes of an unprecedented scale in the 1920s (Palmer, 2006). The nation’s economic social and cultural identity underwent profound transformations during this time (Palmer, 2006). Americans enjoyed economic growth, political stability, and an unprecedented transformation due to the technological advancements. Novel technologies and inventions allowed people to spend ...

Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin (1957) “Sonny's Blues” by James Baldwin is a popular story, in which are metaphorically emphasized musical elements. Closer consideration of blues and jazz forms application and use of musicians such as Creole, Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong by Baldwin shows that the basic motives of the story are supported by these themes. The blues, as music and state of being, can be considered as basic to story’s structure. Richard N. Albert says, “In this story, content (message) of the blues is all important,” because by a number of blacks they are considered to ...

In the twentieth century, Frank Sinatra was not only a legend of the music world, but he was also involved in every aspect of the American culture: he hosted TV shows, acted in films and even won the Oscar. His songs have become the classics of the style ‘swing’, a couple of generations of Americans were raised on his songs. His name has long become synonymous with good taste in music and symbol of the classical culture of the first half of the twentieth century. With only his performance, Sinatra was able to immerse the listener into the atmosphere ...

“Sonny’s Blues” is a story by James Baldwin written in 1957. The story describes a position many adolescents find themselves in when they are in high school. They have to listen to teachers, parents, elder siblings, etc.; however, they have their own opinions, ideas, and passions. Adolescents become very frustrating when they feel that dear people do not understand them or take seriously. This is what happens with the protagonist, Sonny. His brother does not understand his desire to become a musician or join the military. In general, the story is about family, overcoming difficulties, music, and human ...

Mission: Impossible in a spy thriller movie franchise. First film of the series was released in 1996, and follows Ethan Hunt, agent of IMF, on the trail of a mole, in a role made famous by Tom Cruise. The film itself is based on television series of the same name that lasted from 1966 to 1973. Use of music in this film is now iconic, especially the main theme. It is based on the original theme song from the television series, composed by Lalo Schifrin. It had unusual rhythm for the time, but very obvious jazz influence, motifs now ...

Introduction

Francis Scott Fitzgerald characterized his main character as “great”, yet the author managed to insert several meanings into this notion. Gatsby is overwhelmed with money, luxury, parties, but this emphasis on the material things emphasizes another issue in the novel. It is possible to claim that Fitzgerald makes the main hero to disguise himself behind the trumpery of ongoing parties and mysterious reputation. The main purpose of Gatsby seems to be rather controversial, as he is clearly avoids fulfilling his mission to win his love (Matterson 5). It is difficult to find that notorious greatness in the character’s ...

After the end of World War, I a group of African American artists had started the Harlem Renaissance. This movement had proceeded to take place in New York, and African American talent was born. This era gave black people a chance to express their talents and be heard in society. The movement had increased and many black people traveled across the country to get to Harlem. Many of the black people came from the southern part of the country to get away and have a chance to portray their artistic skills. The talent consisted of music, art, writing, poetry, ...

The Montreux Jazz Festival, founded in 1967, has grown to the second largest jazz festival in the world after the Montreal International Jazz Festival of Canada. Over the years, a wide variety of musical forms has been integrated into this festival. Currently, the Montreux Jazz Festival includes almost all forms of music even while jazz remaining a major part of the festival. Today a number of world’s famous musicians perform in the festival, and this festival has currently audience strength of over 200,000. In each year, new additional events are included in the festival so as to ...

The meeting of European and African musical cultures in the New World gave rise to a certain specific culture with its own worldview. This fusion of Christianity of paganism fostered the emergence of jazz, and the process of the development of these bipolar cultures resulted in swing, which is often called "the soul of jazz". However, it was the classical origins of jazz that fostered the subsequent formation and orchestral and swing styles. Hence, it is important to know about the nature of classical jazz and analyze its gradual transformation into swing and orchestral styles. With the emergence if ...

The history of the fusion of American and European popular music can be traced back to the first half of the 1960s when British musicians started to actively conquer the U.S. audience. However, before dwelling on such phenomena as Beatlemania and the British Invasion, as well as the entire congruence of European and American traditions, it is important to analyze the nature rock music and other genres that appeared popular during those times. Rock music is a common title of a number of music trends that emerged in the 1950s. With that, rock is not merely music, but rather ...

1. World War I and American Life. Explain the impact of World War I in America. Consider various social, economic and political changes in the country during and right after the war. Do you think these changes were caused by the war? War brings changes to every country. The American significantly transformed life after World War I. the country faced social, economic and political changes, which were felt both the negatively and the positively. First and foremost, it goes without saying that the population was increased since there were immigrants who were coming into the country with new ideas ...

Performance review

The performance was meant to entertain the persons who visited the Jazz bar in Toronto. The entire performance was entertaining as it involved a live musical performance with a live band present that adds the taste. The use of a mixture of instruments played live on the stage rather than recorded beats and sound track creates the perception of originality to the listeners. The performance has good beats and sound track. The person on stage is also lively thus transforming the power to the audience who enjoy the band from a distance. Additionally, the venue chosen for the performance ...

Jazz dance is no doubt a very popular style of dance today. There are many different renowned artists that incorporated jazz dance in their music such as Michael Jackson and Jack Cole and ended up being known worldwide for jazz dance. But what really makes jazz dance to be different from other styles of dance? What is the secret behind jazz dance that makes it to continue getting more popular as years pass by? Many would suggest it is because of syncopation element of the jazz dance while other always argue it is because of the freedom of expression ...

The musical theatre is a musical-theatrical scenic genre. This type of performance combines music, drama, dancing and opera. Musical theatre may be a comedy, tragedy, farce or drama. It is necessary to say that musical theatre is a genre that is somehow similar to the operetta. That is why it has not been recognized for a long time as a separate musical genre of theatrical art. However, later it has formed its own characteristics that distinguish it from other genres. Musical theatre emerged as a result of the development of the American and European operetta and the expansion of ...

New Orleans is considered to be the birthplace of jazz. Though it is hard to find the origins of this musical style, it is true that the city has a lot of factors which enabled the development of jazz. First of all, its geographical position resulted in the constant mixture of different people and cultures. Nowadays, the city is a major port of the United States. It is located on the Mississippi River close to the Gulf of Mexico. This means that sailors and salesmen use this place for trade and entertainment. The location of the city attracted many ...

In the poem “Gwendolyn Brooks” (1969), Madhubuti describes the acclaim that Brooks received in this predominately “whites only” publishing edifice. The speaker in “Gwendolyn Brooks” inveighs against Brook’s reception by white literati. Mudhubuti states sardonically, “a whi-te critical said: /’she’s a credit to the Negro race.’” All through the 1960s, Brooks gains a large black readership. In this context, her; largely connects Brooks’ evolution from a “Negro poet” to the black aesthetic that emerged in the 1960s. The second stanza, in which Madhubuti presents the explosive nature of this black aesthetic, begins with the words, “into ...

In the paper, I will discuss why it was New Orleans that became the birthplace of jazz. One may argue that there were bands performing ragtime throughout the US in the end of the XIX century. The whole American South was singing the blues. It is possible to name more than a dozen cities, where there were all those constituent elements which evolved into jazz music. Anyhow, it was mainly New Orleans where for the first time jazz music emerged. Further, I will dwell on reasons that led to this. Perhaps the most convincing evidence that the birthplace of ...

Benny Goodman

Well-known as the "King of Swing" Benny Goodman was more than just a great clarinetist and bandleader. Goodman created the ensemble, famous for its amazing unity and integration (both musically and in terms of race). He enjoyed great social influence, since taking black musicians in his jazz band during a violent bigotry and segregation. Goodman made large orders for the greatest composers of his era, including B. Bartok, and A. Copland. He performed and recorded works of Stravinsky, Brahms, and many others. His virtuoso solo for clarinetists has become an example to follow. Benny Goodman introduced with his own ...

The aim of this paper is the attempt to analyse individual and society in one of the Miloš Forman’s films Ragtime which is based on the novel of E. L. Doctorow. The beginning of the twentieth century in the USA is very interesting and promising time. But what makes this period so enticing to explore? Obviously, it is the society, the people themselves, their decisions, convictions and passion. Forman, a Czechoslovakian with an unusually keen eye for American society (Ebert 3). Telling the stories of outstanding characters, their love, desires and hatred, Ragtime shows the America and its ...

Soul jazz is described as a characteristic form of music that closely resembles R&B, and gospel with its rhythms and melodies. Soul jazz is noted for its bluesy style and according to The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (2016) "implicitly dance music, even to the point of using stylized dance forms" (1). Key individuals within the soul jazz movement are Horace Silver and Ramsey Lewis. The former was a composer and an influential musician who produced soul jazz music in the 1950s and 1960s. One of this most famous pieces is "Song For My Father," which Keepnews (2014) writes ...

LIST YOUR INSTRUCTOR’S NAME

LIST THE COURSE LIST THE DATE THE ESSAY IS FILED Benny Goodman’s Contributions to Jazz History Benny Goodman began his musical career early in life. At age ten, “The King of Swing” learned to play the clarinet. Before he was 14, Benny became a professional musician, performed in several Chicago bands and eventually left school to pursue his career working in popular bands. By 16, Goodman was recognized as an emerging talent. He played Southern jazz, ragtime and Dixieland music. His NBC radio show “Let’s Dance” gave him national prominence and was the start of a new ...

Robert Hayden was a significant African American poet and essayist. His poetry fell under the influence of different writers from different literary movements, among them are Hughes, Keats, Dunbar, Yeats, that makes it difficult to refer him to one particular writing style or movement. Hayden belongs to the literary period of 1965 – the time when African American writings moved from the margins of American literature to its center, bringing new writing styles and techniques. It is for sure that Hayden’s poems are striking and full of feelings and emotions that are conveyed to the reader through the range ...

Quite often, older artists are ignored because they are thought of as out of date and no longer being ‘relevant’ to the contemporary world. However, there are a select few artists who truly are timeless and have a message for every generation. One such artist is Lou Donaldson – the great Jazz saxophonist. Donaldson has travelled the world and experienced a great deal and seen a great deal more. This is reflected in his music and carried into the ears and minds of every listener. Donaldson’s version of Jazz has a very strong infusion of Blues which keeps the ...

Three important changes in American society that took place in America in the 1920s The roaring twenties changed the lives of Americans and gave many opportunities for people. Many inventions and renovations were made that played an important role in history. Movies were a great new form of entertainment after World War One. Live piano or organ music would often accompany a silent movie. A synchronized soundtrack was recorded photographically in 1923. It was printed and then attached to the side of a motion picture film. In 1924 Samuel Goldwyn and Louis B. Mayer founded the big Metro-Golden-Mayer studio. ...

John Coltrane, who was born on September 23, 1926, grew to be one of the most conspicuous jazz artists of the 1960’s as evidenced by his saxophone playing that revolutionised the music industry. During the crest of his life, Jazz music rose to share the stage with blues and rock ‘n’ roll among music genres, and it further stood out stuck out for the manner in which it transformed, took musical chances, and with specific songs, seized the country’s mood so heartrendingly. It is important to note that at the time John Coltrane was growing up, racism ...

The term folk music is used to describe various music genres, most of which are traditional and were passed on from generation to generation. Some of these are originally from Europe, from Great Britain in particular. American music is that which is not related to music of other origin. This is roots music from which rock, jazz and blues evolved. Music of indigenous peoples is also American folk music. There the relationship between folk music and its American cultural heritage as an element of the country’s identity. There were different genres such as: spiritual music, blues, jazz and ...

The Zazou was a subculture during the Nazi occupation of the Latin Quarter of Paris. The origins of the Zazou can be traced back to 1939 when a French cabaret singer, Johnny Hess, released his famous song “Je suis swing” that ignited the youth that flocked to the cabarets to express their individuality during a time when conformity under occupation was enforced (Seward 2007). The music scene was an outlet for a group of youth that felt oppressed and rebelled through their clothing and dance style. This subculture was brought about at a time when cultural differences, and any ...

Sonny’s Blues is a short story written by James Baldwin and the story deals with the life of a young man who is trying to find his true identity in life. Sonny finds his purpose in music while living in Harlem. He is black and he loves jazz and playing the piano. There are many conflicts in the story, but music is the motif that resolves all of them and makes lives of people fulfilled. Sonny is the young man who is struggling to find his path in life and he has full support from his six years ...

One of the most significant and important musicians of all the times, Louis Daniel Armstrong was an American singer, composer and trumpeter. His talent has been accepted by the masses and has made him one of the most influential personalities among all the representatives of the American jazz scene. Having a variety of nicknames from his colleagues (Pops or Satchmo), Armstrong has had a career of almost five decades, in the period of 1920 – 1960s remaining one of the most important musicians and composers in different representations of jazz actual for each period within these decades. He has become ...

Space in 2001: A Space Odyssey, Voyage to the Moon and Space is the Place

Space-based science fiction has mined a great deal of symbolic and subtextual meaning out of the vastness of space. At once, space has been something to fear and aspire to, and respect in all instances. Three of the most fascinating cinematic portrayals of space have their own unique spins on the black void of the cosmos – Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey paints space as a mysterious frontier that both threatens the very existence of humanity and heralds its ascension to a new level of consciousness. Georges Melies’ 1902 silent film Voyage to the Moon advances Jules Verne’ ...

Miles Davis was, arguably, the most influential jazz musician of the modern era. A trumpeter, his varied musical styles influenced a number of musicians. The life of Miles Davis deserves closer attention. The composer's life, musical style, and his influence on musicians of his generation, and those of later generations paint a picture of an extremely gifted and rare musical genius. Born to Miles Davis, Jr. and Cleota Henry in Alton, Illinois on May 25, 1926, the young Miles Dewey Davis III was raised in an upper-middle-class family with all the privileges accorded to a white residential neighborhood, in ...

James Baldwin wrote the short story Sonny’s Blues in 1957 and one of the main themes in it is music. The story is about the relationship between two brothers who lost their parents and the older one takes care about the younger one, Sonny. Music is about expressing feelings and Sonny is a person who is very emotional and prone to the feeling of sadness, which is why he finds comfort in music that takes away all the pain. The narrator is the older brother and he is a serious man who teaches algebra in school. Sonny is ...

What was the most Interesting thing you learned about Music?

Principally, my exposure to various styles and types of music has evoked new insights into my mind. Initially, my perspective about music was narrowed to entertainment, a notion that lately realized as oblivious of the actual parlance of music in the social discourse. Importantly, I have learned that music is a systemized melody that is used to pass or express a given message. Thus, the meaning and the message that a song delivers is by far greater than the melody it bears. Indeed, I learned that music bears the socio-cultural aspect of a community, which is the biggest predisposition ...

The novel "On the Road" is a story of how Kerouac travelled across the great United States of America together with his friends. It is a great piece of work since the author was able to capture wonderful scenes and marvelous pieces of artwork. The main character is seen amidst a backdrop of poetry, drugs and drug abuse plus great musical jazz. 1957 was the year that the novel was published, and Kerouac is the narrator who tells the whole story in the novel (Kerouac 1). Kerouac came up with the idea of telling his travels story in the ...