GLST 490 – Days 11-12

Soul and Mid-term Review

Housekeeping ItemsI don’t think there are any presentations today. We

will review soul, then review for mid-term on Thursday (will not include soul).

But first I wanted to share with you some excepts from the views of Nazis and Stalinists on jazz (their views were similar in some respects in that they were threatened by its liberatory spirit). The Nazis:

Pieces in foxtrot rhythm (so-called swing) are not to exceed 20% of the repertoires of light orchestras and dance bands;

“In this so-called jazz type repertoire, preference is to be given to compositions in a major key and to lyrics expressing joy in life rather than Jewishly gloomy lyrics;

Housekeeping ItemsAs to tempo, preference is also to be given to brisk compositions over slow ones so-called blues); however, the pace must not exceed a certain degree of allegro, commensurate with the Aryan sense of discipline and moderation. On no account will Negroid excesses in tempo (so-called hot jazz) or in solo performances (so-called breaks) be tolerated;So-called jazz compositions may contain at most 10% syncopation; the remainder must consist of a natural legato movement devoid of the hysterical rhythmic reverses characteristic of the barbarian races and conductive to dark instincts alien to the German people (so-called riffs);Strictly prohibited is the use of instruments alien to the German spirit (so-called cowbells, flexatone, brushes, etc.) as well as all mutes which turn the noble sound of wind and brass instruments into a Jewish-Freemasonic yowl (so-called wa-wa, hat, etc.);

Housekeeping ItemsAlso prohibited are so-called drum breaks longer than half a bar in four-quarter beat (except in stylized military marches);The double bass must be played solely with the bow in so-called jazz compositions;Plucking of the strings is prohibited, since it is damaging to the instrument and detrimental to Aryan musicality; if a so-called pizzicato effect is absolutely desirable for the character of the composition, strict care must be taken lest the string be allowed to patter on the sordine, which is henceforth forbidden;Musicians are likewise forbidden to make vocal improvisations (so-called scat);All light orchestras and dance bands are advised to restrict the use of saxophones of all keys and to substitute for them the violin-cello, the viola or possibly a suitable folk instrument.”

Housekeeping ItemsThe Stalinists:“The dry knock of an idiotic hammer penetrates the utter stillness. One, two, three, ten, twenty strikes, and afterwards a wild whistling and squeaking as if a ball of mud was falling into clear water; then follows a rattling, howling and screaming like the clamor of a metal pig, the cry of a donkey or the amorous croaking of a monstrous frog.The offensive chaos of this insanity combines into a pulsing rhythm. Listen to this screaming for only a view minutes, and one involuntarily pictures an orchestra of sexually wound-up madmen, conducted by a Stallion-like creature who is swinging his giant genitals.” – Maxim GorkyThere were many other insults directed against jazz: “the moaning in the throat of a camel,” the hiccupping of a drunk,” etc.

Soul Music• As with rock n' roll, soul largely – though not

exclusively – originated in the south. Though rock was originally a multi-racial music, blacks were increasingly forced to the margin and the new “race music” of the 1950s and 60s became “soul,” a not-too-subtle reference to the soul brothers and soul sisters who produced it.

• It emerged from rhythm and blues and gospel, especially the latter and, as Palmer says, it “came to represent a self-consciously 'black' idiom, proudly displaying its roots in gospel singing and in the rhythm and dynamics of the holy dance or shout.”

• In the '50s, gospel singers, like Sam Cooke, experimented with bringing more of a pop feel to their music, and pop music borrowed more from gospel. As Palmer notes, Ray Charles took known gospel tunes and changed them from being about Jesus to being about women and sex....

Soul Music• This scandalized some who saw in this an attempt to

turn God's music into the “devil's music.” Charles was an early practitioner of soul, which he fused from gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz and even country.

• Others came out of the gospel tradition as well. An early feeder stream was doo wop music – with a strong emphasis on vocal harmonies – which emerged on the East Coast and California. And Aretha Franklin – considered by many to be one of the greatest singers of all times – grew up singing in her father's church in Detroit.

• Just as rock n' roll had been the soundtrack of teenage rebellion in the '50s, soul was partly the soundtrack – along with protest songs like those of Bob Dylan – for the 'freedom riders' and civil rights marchers of the early to mid-60s who sought to desegregate southern society. Although most soul was not overtly political, there were a few exceptions, like Curtis Mayfield with songs such as “Keep on Pushing” and “People Get Ready,” which had a strong influence on Bob Marley and other reggae artists.

Soul Music• Despite the vast majority of soul artists being black,

whites played a strong role through such studios and companies as Stax/Volt in Memphis and Fame in Muscle Shoals (Palmer describes how white producer, Rick Hall was assigned to produce music by Wilson Pickett, and with an all-white band!).

• And, at Stax/Volt in Memphis, the house band was Booker T and the MGs – two white and two black musicians – who not only backed some of the best known soul artists, like Otis Redding, but were also very successful as an instrumental band in their right, releasing a string of hits beginning with “Green Onions.”

• Atlantic Records, with Jerry Wexler as producer, also played a major role in nurturing Aretha Franklin's career.

Soul Music• After the assassination

of Martin Luther King, the racial politics changed, and blacks began to elect to work with their own. In the wider society, black militance and separatism became more prevalent.

• James Brown, “the godfather of soul,” began to come out with songs like “Say It Loud (I'm Black, I'm Proud).” He also started to encouraged black entrepreneurialism and black support for black businesses.

source: Google ImagesJames Brown also inspired African musicians, thus leading to the emergence of “Afrobeat,” which migrated back across the ocean in the form of bands like Antibalas.

Soul Music• Unlike in the past, black

businessmen began to try to control the production and distribution of some of the music – for instance, singer Sam Cooke (who was murdered in 1964) and musician and songwriter, Curtis Mayfield.

• But the most successful music mogul of all was Berry Gordy, founder of Motown (short for Motor City).

• There were at least two distinguishing characteristics of Gordy's approach.

Source: Google Images

Soul Music• First, he used 'assembly-line' techniques – learned from his

experiences working at an auto plant – to produce records at “Hitsville USA”. There was an intense division of labour with one backing band (the Funk Brothers), several song-writing and production teams, and different artists. Different teams were encouraged to compete with one another. 'Quality control' meetings were held every week, and only the cream of the crop of the material recorded was released.

• Berry not only recorded his artists, he also handled the distribution of the resulting records which, for the small firm he was in the beginning, was quite unusual.

• A second defining characteristic was that, while all his artists were black, with one token exception – the band Rare Earth – he intended his music to appeal to people of all races (“The Sounds of Young America” was how he characterized it), and it did. It had huge appeal and it still does. Even the Beatles were influenced, recording at least two Motown songs.

Soul Music• As the '60s passed into the 70s, soul began to evolve

into funk, sometimes with rock elements (for instance, Sly and the Family Stone). Artists like James Brown led the shift and were joined by new bands like the Ohio Players and Earth, Wind and Fire. Even jazz artists, like Herbie Hancock, jumped on the funk bandwagon.

• Gradually, funk became increasingly blended with pop and became disco. Although largely a black idiom, disco was successfully cashed in on by white artists such as the Bee Gees and KC and the Sunshine Band.

• Disco was noteworthy for its apoliticism, its commitment to partying (including sex and drugs), and its emphasis on narcissistic self-presentation. It eventually evoked a reaction, part of it based on racial politics, and partly based on a genuine distaste for the values expressed by the music.

• Soul and rhythm & blues live on, but in fairly formulaic forms.

Review of Material We Have Covered So FarMusic is universal in human society (specifics?),

and serves a variety of functions. Some may be emphasized more than others from one society to another, but what are they are?

Why do ethnomusicologists take a relativistic approach to music and what does this mean?

What is the difference between a “maestro” approach to music vs. music as a participation sport, and how are the behaviours associated with each different?

Nettl divides music into three aspects: sound, behaviour, and the ideas cultures have about music. Use a couple of examples to elaborate on these concepts.

While we often associate music with pleasant sounds, need this always be the case? And, if not, why not?

How people respond to, and evaluate, music often depends on the context. Examples?

Review of Material We Have Covered So FarHow does the notion of diaspora apply to

music – for instance, with Romany music?What is the role of music in fostering cultural

cohesion and identity?What is cross-fertilization in music?What were some of the key historical context

factors that provided the backdrop for the emergence and popularization of jazz?

What are thought to be some of the reasons for the emergence of bebop?

How did changes in the blues mirror changes in Black life more broadly?

Review of Material We Have Covered So Far

What was the role of New Orleans' Creoles in the emergence of jazz, and what were of some of its precedents? Why did New Orleans emerge as probably the most important hearth for jazz. What were some of the key sub-hearths?

What tends to distinguish jazz from other forms of music?

Name key technical innovations that have had significant impacts on music in North America over the last 100+ years?

In what way has jazz become a world music?

Review of Material We Have Covered So FarWhat factors helped induce the major migration

waves of southern blacks to the north?What relation did r & b have to rock n' roll?Why was the south the initial main hearth for

rock n’ roll?What role did small, regional studios and record

companies play in the emergence of rock, and what was the response of the majors?

What are some of the similarities in the cultural backlash generated by both jazz and rock n'roll?

How has cultural appropriation played itself out in jazz and rock n' roll?

Review of Material We Have Covered So FarHow was rock n’ roll, and its associated culture,

related to the emergence of adolescence as a distinct life stage?

What factors helped it emerge as the dominant sound for youth (apart from hip hop – to be discussed)?

What was the process whereby British rock emerged from American influences, and how did it in turn re-cross the Atlantic to revolutionize the way American musicians approached the genre? What was the role of the blues in all of this?

In what ways has rock become an international genre?What factors have contributed to its diffusion

throughout the world?What accounts for its staying power (60 years and

continuing strong)?