I've been getting really into The Golden Age of the Blues lately, a book about the origins of blues music and the journey it took from the cotton fields of the south to the huge affects it still has on music today. The amount of influence these artists had on so many genres and generations of music is amazing, and so interesting to dig deeper into it's roots. I started writing down the excerpts I liked the most, and although I'd rather talk about this in person, here are some thoughts into words on the book. Lucky you, trusty readers of my blog.
"Personality is what makes great jazz and blues, it is a performance of an individualistic nature that is transcendent." Oh I love it when she starts laughing at how great it sounds, that is such a perfect feeling. And the trumpet player! Oh man, all of them.
When the Africans were brought to America as slaves in 1619, they would sing and holler with each other in the fields in attempt to break up the monotony of the work they were doing, and simply to help get through the day. I think that alone is huge; the fact they could keep their spirits up and create together under such horrible conditions. Much of their influence is said to be from the amazing sounds to be heard in Africa. "The sounds of nature; of animals, birds, insects, even the sounds of the heat. This is what has inspired the African musician for many millennia." No wonder these people had so much soul, being inspired purely by nature and emotion, and creating something completely original, and something that is just so real. I think that's what I love most about the blues, you can feel the emotion behind the lyrics they are saying so deeply, and it remains so prominent in the music of the generations that followed.
Maybe the reason these songs sound so genuine is the fact that they originally were creating solely for themselves. "Poor Southern blacks and whites were just getting on with life, not in the least bit imagining that future generations would be looking into their culture, trying to analyze the subtle nuances of musical form." ...plainly singing about their strong experiences and the affect they had on them.
"Music developed rapidly during the last 40 years of the 19th century, a development made more difficult as there was no t.v., radio, cd's, records, tapes or any other process for hearing recorded music: it was literally spread through word of mouth. Songs were 'improved' upon as they made their journey throughout America". That is so crazy to think about. How much more difficult it was to simply hear this music, and then to imagine the feeling people must have gotten when they finally got the chance. I guess anticipating a concert is kind of the same feeling, but not really since we can listen to recordings of music anytime we want..
"By the 19th century, using the word 'blue' was used to describe "a fit of depression, boredom or sheer unhappiness, and it was particularly associated with the black population. Although the blues are not exclusively about complaints and worries, they're just as likely to be about sex or social comment. In actual fact the blues are often filled with a lot of humor. But given the situation that most black people found themselves after the Civil War and the early years of the 20th century it is hardly surprising that there is an ample dost of the downbeat." It's interesting to wonder why it was 'blue' to define these feelings, and the broad subjects it can cover.
The book continues on introducing the earliest and most influential recording artists, starting off with Lead Belly, and ending with B.B. King. I've been skipping around chapters, but have already discovered some incredible singers with such intense life stories and experiences. If you're really lucky I might just do some more mini reports on a singer specifically.
I think I'm also just looking deeper to get to know all of the artists that inspired Billie Holiday as well. There is no artist I've found so far that makes me feel like she does, and the musicians that play with her and the lyrics that she sings and the emotion she expresses. (okay, maybe besides Dylan..) I remember reading in Lady Sings the Blues, her semi-autobiography, that no matter how many times she sang Strange Fruit she would cry either on stage or right after, and sometimes would run off stage and get sick during a show. Imagine connecting with a song that much!
"Many of the most obvious features of jazz are derived directly from the blues, whereas the blues are primarily a vocal style, jazz replaces the voice with instruments." I love that! That's what I love so much about this video too, what her vocals project, and the musicians evoking the exact same vibes with their instruments. I think they are feeling it so much in both respects.
Billie Holiday Fine and Mellow from emre.vue on Vimeo.
"Personality is what makes great jazz and blues, it is a performance of an individualistic nature that is transcendent." Oh I love it when she starts laughing at how great it sounds, that is such a perfect feeling. And the trumpet player! Oh man, all of them.
