Special occasions owned a distinctive type of African music. The African Diaspora, West African music, and music of the Colonies all had various musical instruments. West African music was representative, or the head of African music before the slave trade to America. It was incomparable to any other music in the style of which it was played as well as the motivation as to why it was played. West African music was documented around the 1600's when explorers kept note of what had been found when traveling.
The European part being mainly the melodies and harmony of the Andalucia region of Spain (the homeland of the Conquistadors), while the African part in Salsa is mainly from the western coast of Africa where the slave trade was most prevalent.” ("Justsalsa.com," n.d, p. 1) It is said that “Between 1930 and 1960 there were musicians from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and South America coming to New York to perform. They brought their own native rhythms and musical forms with them, but as they listened to each other and played music together, the musical influences mixed, fused and evolved.” (latinmusic.about.com, Lilich, n.d, p. 1) “This type of musical hybridization gave birth to the 1950s creation of the mambo from son, conjunto and jazz traditions. Continuing musical fusion went on to include what we know today as the cha cha cha, rhumba, conga and, in the 1960s, salsa.” (latinmusic.about.com, Lilich, n.d, p. 1) The type of instruments used in salsa music is what makes salsa music so unique. Salsa music has a heavy use of percussion (clave, maracas, conga, bongo, tambora, bato, cowbell.) Other salsa instruments include
James is also considered the master of funk music. Having the best stage presence, James Brown was also an icon for rock and roll. The activities throughout James’s career helped make seventies funk and soul music what it is today. First of all, James
The 2001 census found 5,000 Rastafarians living in England and Wales (bbc.co.uk) Rastafarians are known by different names such as Rasta, sufferers, locks men, and dreadlocks or dreads. The success of reggae singer Bob Marley’s music in the 1970s has helped to spread Rastafari worldwide. Beliefs There is no formal Rastafari creed and there are slight differences in the views of different groups. The most definitive list is found in the 1977 book The Rastafarians, The Dreadlocks of Jamaica by scholar Leonard Barrett who lists what he regards as the six basic principles of Rastafari. He developed the list by attending public meetings and through anthropological research into the movement (www.bbc.co.uk) Rastafarians’ believe that they are the
AAS 100 Chastity Smith #109 November 3, 2011 Critique #1 African American Music African American music began in the 1960's. The music they had back then was called either "Soul Music" or "Gospel Music." Most people would say that Soul music is like the younger brother of Gospel Music. They are basically the same thing but Soul Music there is more funk and energy while Gospel Music is more feeling base and it raises people's spirits. Both of these are the reason why there is R&B today.
Behind every great social movement there is an unofficial soundtrack. The hippies had the music of Woodstock and such artists as John Lennon and Bob Dylan. The “contemporary neo-fascist movement” (Eyerman, 2002) had what many call “white power music.” Perhaps the most powerful example of the blending of music and social movements is the Civil Rights Movement. Musicians during that time period drew from a variety of musical forms that included gospel, funk, jazz, blues, and soul, to express them selves. Many of those same songs from that time are still very powerful and resonate deeply today.
By assembling an impressive roster of talented artists, Motown managed to break down the social and racial barriers and become the most important independent record label of the early 1960s in the history of pop music. (Cruz, Web Article) Berry Gordy Jr., a former professional boxer, Korean War veteran, and automobile worker, was a promising songwriter when he took the decision to establish Motown Records. (Fontenot, Web Article) Under the urging of Smokey Robinson, a
Soul music is a mixture of gospel with rhythm and blues. Although soul developed much earlier than 1950, it first gained popularity within the late 1950s and came to be called soul jazz which self-consciously used melodic figures or riffs derived from gospel music or folk blues. Soul has its roots in African-American culture and first made its appearance in the
Being the “melting pot” country, led to many immigrants coming from many different countries, and they bring the sounds with them. During the early stages of America, many immigrants come from Europe and Africa. In the beginning the term “Root music” was used to describe music made by white of European ancestry music, often in the south. As the century progressed, the definition of folk music expanded to include the song styles - particularly the blues - of Southern blacks as well. In general, folk music was viewed as a window into the cultural life of these groups.
The montuno involves a rhythmic backbeat infused with often-improvised solos. These solos became the focus of the mambo, and the most important part of the song. Danzon is widely considered the official style of music in Cuba. The danzon style of music was heavily influenced by the French-Haitian contradance, which was imported to Cuba from Haiti. Originally, danzon orchestras consisted of e typical orchestra instruments.