Chicago, Illinois

Chicago• Multiple music styles were honed in Chicago• We’ll look at two:

• Jazz: 1920, 1930s• Blues: 1940s, 1950s

• But first… why Chicago?

The Great Migration

• Post-Civil War: explain Sharecropping

• 6 million African Americans, 1910-1970, mostly after the Depression

• Train routes (see map next slide)

Train routes

Northern cities• Chicago, Detroit, New York• To a lesser extent Pittsburg, Cleveland

• 24 hour factories• Higher wages and standard of living• Less racism

• Chicago, 1940s and 1950s: all hours blues clubs

The Spread of New Orleans Jazz

• Many of the top N.O. jazz musicians loved to Chicago or New York

• By the late 1910s/early 1920, these are the biggest centres for N.O. style jazz

Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941)• B. New Orleans• Piano, vocals, composer, band leader• 1923: moves to Chicago• “Piano professor”

Ex: Jelly Roll Morton’s Hot Peppers – “Black Bottom Stomp” (1926)• Tailgate trombone: swoops, sliding sound

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971)• B. New Orleans• Trumpet, vocals, composer• 1922: Chicago

Ex: Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven – “Potato Head Blues” (1927)

• Less polyphony • Dixieland style but with more solos• Louis on cornet (lower, mellower than trumpet)

Louis Armstrong (cont.)• Established soloist as central figure in small jazz

groups• No distinguishing of “artistic” and “entertainment”• Pop songs with solos• Vocals and popEx: Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

– “West End Blues” (1928)• Pop/Jazz• Solos; Call and Response

Louis Armstrong (cont.)Ex: Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five

– “Heebie Jeebies” (1926)• Pop vocal performance• Polyphonic horns• Scat solo: horn solo done by the voice

Ex: Louis Armstrong – “I Cover The Waterfront” (1933)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIIZ3hQEsqs

Jazz’s Critical Reception

• Discussed critically as of late 1910s• Racial divide• High/low art divide• “Racial Characteristics” of jazz playing

– Evil influence on young people– Immorality

Post-Ragtime Piano Styles• These set the stage for jazz piano:

Stride and Boogie-Woogie• Both grew out of the piano professor tradition• But more urban and Northern (Chicago and NYC)

Stride Piano

• Left hand like ragtime, but with more melodic runs• Right hand, more improv and blues elementsEx: James P. Johnson – “Carolina Shout” (1921)

Ex: Willie The Lion Smith – “Fingerbuster” (1964)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDMOkgSdy3E

Boogie-Woogie Piano• Left hand: riffs; either walking bass or the fives• Right hand: riffs, more rhythmically repetitiveEx: Pinetop Perkins

– “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie” (1928)

Ex: Meade Lux Lewis – “Honky Tonk Train Blues” (1940)

Chicago Blues• After the Great Migration to northern cities, a

new electric blues style emerged, known as Chicago blues.

• Delta vs. Chicago

Muddy Waters• Delta:Ex: Muddy Waters –“I Be’s Troubled” (1942)• Later re-recorded in Chicago:• Ex: Muddy Waters –

“I Can’t Be Satisfied” (1948)

• What is Muddy using on his guitar?

Recognize the form?

Chess Records• Most important Chicago blues record label/studio• Leonard and Phil Chess, Polish, Jewish• Role of

Willie Dixon

• Influence back in the Delta

Ex: Muddy Waters –“I Just Want to Make Love to You” (1954)• Hyper-masculinity

• Classic Chess sound:• Muddy (vocals and guitar)• Little Walter (Harmonica)• Otis Spann (Piano)• Jimmy Rogers (Guitar)• Willie Dixon (Bass)• Elgin Evans (Drums)

Howlin’ Wolf• Chester Arthur Burnett• 1910-1976

• b. White Station, Mississippi

• Learned guitar from Charley Patton

• The other major Chess performer

Howlin’ Wolf• 1951 recorded at Memphis Recording Service with

Sam Phillips

• Songs licensed by Chess • 1952 moved to Chicago

Ex: Howlin’ Wolf – “Smokestack Lightnin’” (1956)

Muddy/Wolf Rivalry

Little Walter• 1930-1968, b. Louisiana• Harmonica player (harp)• Amplification creates new sound: distortion• Recorded and toured with Muddy• Only harmonica player in Rock n Roll Hall of Fame

Ex: Little Walter –“Juke” (1952)

The “Blue” Note

• 12 tone system• Other ways to divide notes

• Demo

• Africanism

• Crush notes on piano

Chuck Berry• b. 1926, St. Louis, Missouri

• Chess Records• First recording 1955

Ex: Chuck Berry –“Maybellene” (1955)

Top 10 R&B and Pop (significance)

Chuck Berry

• Ex: Chuck Berry – “Johnny B. Goode” (1957)

• How is this blues? Or is it something else? (guit. demo)

• How is it different from the Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters songs we heard?

• John Lennon: “If you had to try and give rock ‘n’ roll another name, you might call it Chuck Berry”

Bo Diddley• AKA Ellias McDaniel• 1928-2008• b. McComb, Mississippi

• Blues to rock n roll• Chess

Ex: Bo Diddley – “I’m A Man” (1955) see lyrics

Bo Diddley• The Bo Diddley Beat:

Clave (Sub-Saharan Africa and Afro-Cuban music) – demo

Ex: Bo Diddley –“Bo Diddley” (1955)

• Self-mythologizing

• Beatles and Stones

Detroit, Michigan

John Lee Hooker• 1917-2001• b. Coahoma County,

Mississippi• Detroit 1943

• Difficult to play with

• One chord, boogie-rhythm style (demo)

Ex: John Lee Hooker – “Boogie Chillen” (1949)

Regional Centers for R&B/Soul

• Stax in Memphis, and Memphis sound generally

• Motown in Detroit: pop crossover

• Chicago sound: Curtis Mayfield

• Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama

• Atlantic Records, NYC: Distribution

• Smaller: Philadelphia, Cincinnati

Gospel• Fisk Jubilee Singers (1871-2000s)• Fisk U, Nashville, est. 1866• European and Northern tours• African-American religious songs

influenced by Western Classical tradition

Gospel• John Alexander’s Sterling Jubilee Singers• Continues Concert Spiritual Tradition• Gospel quartet sound (but 5)• Marketing, crossover both ways

Ex: John Alexander’s Sterling Jubilee Singers –“Jesus Hits Like an Atom Bomb” (late 1940s)

Gospel• Rev. CL Franklin (1915-1984)• b. Sunflower County, Mississippi• Started preaching at 16• Detroit

Ex: “Two Fish and FiveLoaves of Bread”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLdrFtxKq5s

Soul Music• Starts same time as Rock n Roll

• Gospel: Divine love, God• R&B: Human love, sex• Taboo mix of

blues and gospel

• Very connected to R&B: labels, audience, performers, and releases and re-releases

Ray Charles (1930-2004)• b. Albany, Georgia, grew up in Greenville, Florida• Blind by 6• Crooner since late 40s• Often credited with starting Soul (“I Got a Woman”)• Atlantic, 1954Ex: Ray Charles –“I Got a Woman”(1954)

Aretha Franklin (1942-)

• b. Memphis, Detroit at 5

• Gospel with Dad• Teen Gospel records• 18: Columbia – lush pop• 1967: Atlantic (grittier, FAME band)

Ex: Aretha Franklin –“I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” (1967)

• Detroit, Michigan: 1959-1972• LA: 1972-1998• Modern re-launch/use of name

• Berry Gordy, Jr.• African-American-owned• Crossover intention

• Independent label, run like a major: • Division of labour, • Professional songwriters, arrangers, etc.

Motown (cont.)

“Charm School:” • etiquette, choreography, vocal coaches, etc.

• Competitive atmosphere: hits and you’re in• Deliberately aimed at crossover, white clubs

Funk Brothers• “Hidden” house band at Motown in Detroit• More technically-oriented, jazz background

(compared to Stax)

• Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” (1971):First time Motown creditedbackup musicians

• Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Film)

Motown SoundPop production style:• Orchestration, strings• Horn and vocal arrangements• Prominent tambourine• Flawless performance, groove not as central • Little improv

Process:• Division of labour

Ex: The Temptations – “My Girl” (1964)

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

• 1957-1972 (various names); 2010-Present

• “Girl Group”

• Holland-Dozier-Holland• Pop values, orchestral brass• Less funky, less improv

Ex: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas –“Nowhere to Run” (1965)

Marvin Gaye(1939-1984)

• Session musician

• Early pop style

• Social consciousness

• What’s Going On (1971): Berry Gordy’s “No” to politics, esp. black politics

• Atypical jam style, spacey, less pop-oriented

Ex: Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On” (1971)

Stevie Wonder(1950-)

• Motown at 11• Multi-instrumentalist

• Clavinet:Ex: Stevie Wonder –“Superstition” (1972)