Louis Prima. What can you say? The man who gave swing a vibrant energy, Prima was quite the talented trumpet player who was influenced by Louis Armstrong and the rich heritage of his hometown of New Orleans. He was best known for his performances with singer Keely Smith, and for his Las Vegas nightclub show during the 1950's. Prima's unique, rambunctious on stage persona put his band in high demand among some of entertainment's finest. The Brat Pack were known to frequent Prima's show once they had completed their nightly acts.
In 1967, Prima signed on to voice the character of King Louis in Disney's Jungle Book, which he performed the hit song "I Wanna Be Like You" on the soundtrack. King Louis was considered to be an exact portrayal of Prima's personality.
Some of Louis Prima's most famous songs:
Angelina Buona Sera Jump Jive An 'Wail Just A Gigolo That Old Black Magic - Won Grammy in 1958 for this rendition with Keely Smith Sing Sing Sing Oh Marie Night Train The Lip I've Got the World on a String
Prima will always be remembered for his energy while performing. His crazed antics, charming personality, and talented trumpet playing are what truly make him that krazy kat... King Louis. Enjoy!
It's that time of year again...spring time!!! What better way to enjoy the season than outdoors, relishing in someamazing jazz! There are several jazz festivals on the horizon that I am pretty excited about. Here, I'll be talking about some upcoming events and where to find them. So here it goes!
Hyatt Newport Jazz Festival - May 14th, 15th, and 16th Hyatt Regency Newport Beach
Southern CA's most famous Smooth Jazz Festival returns to the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach on May 14th, 15th, and 16th 2010. Come and enjoy three days of world class performances by 25 top jazz artists. Tickets are on sale now!
Expected line up:
Friday, May 14th Summer Jazz Amphitheater:
Gentlemen of the Night Marion Meadows Paul Taylor Michael Lington
Saturday, May 15th Golf Course and Festival Grounds:
Boney James Brian Culbertson
RnR Rick Braun Richard Elliot
Bobby Caldwell Eric Darius
Lawn Stage Performers:
Ronnie's Band Otis Day and the Knights
Sunday, May 16th Golf Course and Festival Grounds:
Dave Koz
Guitars & Sax Peter White Gerald Albright Kirk Whalum Jeff Golub
Jazz music is difficult to define by one sound or one identity. Throughout time, jazz has evolved significantly into specific styles, sounds, and techniques. A misconception about jazz is that it all sounds the same. Oh how wrong this misconception is. Jazz has many sounds that have resulted in several distinctive styles. Keep in mind that not all styles are for everyone as they all are not alike. In order for one to understand and appreciate jazz they must do one thing... listen. Finding the specific style of jazz that suits your interests most is the true key to appreciating and understanding such a unique genre. Here are just some jazz styles and examples to help illustrate their notable differences.
Ragtime - Often referred to as the founding form of jazz, ragtime originated in the southern United States during the late 1800s. Ragtime consists of vibrant rhythms associated with African dance. It was primarily composed for the piano.
Dixieland - "New Orleans Jazz" - This style of jazz is an integration of blues, ragtime, and brass instruments. Most common instruments played in Dixieland jazz include a trumpet-cornet, clarinet, trombone, and, sometimes, the saxophone. In the rhythm section, instruments could include a banjo, piano, drums, string bass, or tuba.
Original Dixieland Jazz Band - Jazz Me Blues (1921)
Big Band - Following the dixieland era, big band became really popular in the 1920s. Big band jazz was performed by an ensemble of at least 10 or more instruments ranging from saxophones, trumpets, piano, drums, guitar, and bass. All these instruments combined created a very high energy sound, known as swing, that was very popular to dance to.
Count Basie Orchestra
Bebop - Following the popularity of big band, bebop was a very different style of jazz. Bebop consisted of a small group of musicians (usually between 4-6). It had very complex melodies and chord progressions that were difficult to dance to. This style also gave birth to what we know as "scat" singing.
Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - Ko Ko
Cool - Cool jazz evolved from the bop styles in the late 1940s and 1950s. Cool jazz had a smoother mixture of bop and swing tones. Cool jazz is also known as "West Coast Jazz" because of the many innovations coming from Los Angeles. By the end of the 1950s, cool jazz spread nation wide with significant contributions from east coast musicians.
Miles Davis - Birth of the Cool
Modal - Modal jazz is based on individual scales or modes rather than keys. With modal jazz, there are fewer chord changes, which allows more time and freedom for melodic improvisation.
Miles Davis - Freddie Freeloader Because jazz is so diverse, there are countless styles. These are just some that greatly demonstrate the sound and help to give a better understanding of jazz music to those who are just starting out with their discovery. Happy listening!
One of my absolute favorite saxophonists is Illinois Jacquet. A tenor sax player, Jacquet was best known for his solo in "Flying Home", which was recognized as the first R&B sax solo. Not only was he a pioneer of the "honking" tenor sound that became a regular feature of sax playing and a hallmark of rock and roll, he was also a skilled and melodic improviser, both on up tempo tunes and ballads. Illinois Jacquet is considered to be one of the most influential tenor saxophonists in jazz music history.
Flying Home
I Don't Stand A Ghost of A Chance With You
Jacquet's solos of the early and mid 1940s and performances at the Jazz Philharmonic concert series greatly influenced rhythm and blues, the rock and roll saxophone sound, and continue to be heard throughout the jazz scene.
Kind of Blue... what can I say? Easily considered one of the most influential albums to music, Kind of Blue is an ingenious collaboration of Miles Davis, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. This album is not only considered to be one of Davis' best selling records but also the best selling jazz record of all time. In 2008, Columbia Legacy Records released the 50th anniversary edition of this jazz masterpiece.
Clearly, I'm quite a huge fan of Kind of Blue. It was the very first jazz album I bought, and I literally played it everyday for nearly a year straight. So, yes, I'm a little bias. Below is a link to So What, my favorite song. Enjoy!
Welcome to my jazz blog!Jazz music is a true passion of mine that was so graciously taught to me by some AMAZING musicians. Luckily, jazz was an accidental discovery of mine. When I say accidental, I mean I originally took a jazz history course in school in search of what I called "lounge" music (ex. Peggy Lee's Fever) but instead stumbled upon one of the most diverse, creative, and captivating genres of music. Needless to say, finding and learning about jazz has truly given me a greater appreciation for music and its creation.
Here I'll be sharing videos, songs, pictures, artist info, suggestions, and, hopefully, personal jazz concert experiences! Please bear in mind that I don't necessarily understand the technical structure of music (note combination, chord progressions, etc.), but I do know what I like and what sounds good.
With jazz being a beautiful combination of blues, improvisation, polyrhythms, and syncopation, there's a sound and style of jazz for everyone's taste. Take the time to discover which style is for you and enjoy what this blog is all about... jazz. Feel free to comment!
My name is Marty. Well, actually, my name is Michelle but I gave myself the nickname "Marty" when I was three because I was in love with Marty McFly. I'm a crazed college student, trying to find her way in this world. I really believe that I was born in the wrong era. I have an old, old soul that comes alive with jazz. Jazz music has accidentally become a passion of mine, and what a great accident that turned out to be. Music with a great melody, tune, and meaning are what my ears thrive to. Jazz music has enriched my ears, heart, and soul, and I share it with you through this blog only hoping that all who read it can enjoy jazz just as I do.
