His style then became simpler, replacing the experimentation of his earlier years with a more mature approach that used every note to its greatest advantage. He rerecorded some of his earlier songs with great results. In 1924, Armstrong enjoyed a brief stint with bandleader and arranger Fletcher Henderson in New York City. By the time jazz pianist Lil Hardin, who would become the second of his three wives, persuaded Armstrong to work independently around 1925, he had switched from the cornet to the trumpet. During the next few years he made recordings fronting his own musicians; depending on the number assembled, they were known as the Hot Five or the Hot Seven.
Danielle Boykin Duke Ellington is known as one of the greatest jazz composers ever lived. He was born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington D.C. in 1899. By the age of 17 was playing professionally. In 1923 he moved to New York City where he started recruiting people for his orchestra. He started off with an average jazz band of ten people but through the thirties and forties that number greatly expanded.
(PBS.org) There, he took a music class which made him fall in love with music. In 1914, he was released from the shelter, and (for several years) he made money selling newspapers on the street, hauling coal, and street performing (song and dance). When he was 17 years old, Armstrong began playing at dive bars around town. This public exposure earned him invitations to play in local jazz bands, gaining him a lot of popularity. By 1920, Armstrong had left New Orleans.
Antoine-Joseph, know as Adolphe, Sax was born in Belgium on November 6th, 1814. Sax worked with his father, Charles-Joseph Sax, who was also an instrument maker. Charles was an important figure to Adolphe has he made several changes to the design of the saxophone when Adolphe began making them. In 1841, after leaving the Royal School of Singing, where he studied flute and clarinet, Sax began to experiment with new instrument designs. Sax left Belgium and moved permanently to Paris.
As good old Mr. Sinatra said, “If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere.” Francis Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He was the only child of Sicilian immigrants who moved to the states to make a better life for their family. At a young age Sinatra loved music and was influenced by many of the artist of his time such as Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday. As a teenager, he dropped out of high school and began to sing at local night clubs. Radio exposure brought him to the attention of bandleader Harry James, with whom Sinatra made his first recordings, including "All or Nothing at All."
Brass bands enlivened military units on the parade ground and accompanied civilian couples on the dance floor. When politicians launched their campaigns they hired bands to punctuate their promises. And when the circus came to town, it was the band that made the first announcement with ringing brass and at showtime was on hand to accompany the daring acts with During this time brass bands were mostly civilian and every town had one. It would have been difficult to avoid band music in the nineteenth century in America. “There is nothing that rouses the universal enthusiasm of everybody as does a spirited band,” claimed the Wurlitzer Instrument Company in what was a true observation as well as a business ploy.
This year’s other two finalists came with their own notable credentials. Justin Brown, 28, originally from Richmond, Calif., is a member of acclaimed groups led by the trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and the pianist Gerald Clayton, who have been finalists in previous Monk Competitions. Colin Stranahan, 26, originally from Denver, Colo., has likewise become an active part of the New York jazz scene. (He’ll be at the Village Vanguard this week, starting Tuesday, with Kurt Rosenwinkel’s Standards Trio.) As the winner of this year’s competition, Mr. Ross will receive a $25,000 scholarship and a recording contract with the Concord Music Group.
He gained recognition with the name of Bob Dylan; therefore, he lawfully and officially changed his name to Bob Dylan in August, 1962 (A&E). Basically, his entire career started in 1961, where he left the university and started living in Greenwich Village, New York City. He was inspired by several kinds of music: blues, rock and roll, folk, gospel and country music (Bob). Most of the songs he wrote were related politics, justice, humanity, violence and suffering, etc. In 1963, he had a relationship with Joan Baez, an American folk singer and songwriter known for her soprano style and three-octave vocal range, that lasted two years.
What he read greatly influenced his musical work later in life. Liszt was a fantastically important teacher; many people think he virtually invented the idea of the master class of bringing lots of students together. During the 1830’s Liszt composed his own pieces including “Harmonies poetiques et religiesus” as well as famously took
Count Basie “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” Count Basie was born in 1904 in Red Bank, New Jersey, and grew up playing the piano. He was a leading figure of the swing era in jazz and formed the Count Basie Orchestra, which was one of the first big bands made. The band reached fame with hit songs such as “One o'clock Jump” (1937), “Jumpin' at the Woodside” (1938), and “Taxi War Dance” (1939). However, I will be focusing primarily on the song “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” and educate you with an in-depth description of the piece. It was recorded on August 22, 1938 by Decca Records, whom he had a record deal with.