Module 2

This week, our listening assignment focused on the influence of jazz on popular music taste, and the Tin Pan Alley song tradition.

The first two songs on the list were written in the typical ragtime style.  Castle House Rag written by James Reese Europe was an interesting tune to hear.  I found it to be very upbeat, and just all around happy.  Because the recording the book wanted us to hear was very primitive and grainy, I listened to some more versions on YouTube as well.  My favorite was:

The other example of a rag, Tiger Rag was my favorite listening from this week.  Granted, I am partial because I am also a clarinet player, so I have a soft spot for any song with such an important role for the clarinet.  Tiger Rag is an upbeat tune that features the cornet, clarinet, and trombone.  It is one that is just so catchy that it makes you want to repeatedly listen to it.  It never slows down from beginning to end, and follows suit of many other rags, Tiger Rag is a series of musical phrases one after the other that are varied to hold the listeners interest.  One thing that is unlike many other songs of the time is the fact that there is no identifiable melody.  Many different musical tools are employed throughout through, such as stop-time sequences and uncommon instrumental techniques.

In contrast to the Original Dixieland Jazz Band’s version of Tiger Rag, King Joe Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band shows one of the earliest recordings of African American Jazz musicians from New Orleans.  Though recordings from the ODJB were much more successful, commercially, recordings from the Creole Jazz Band are highly regarded now in terms of a more mature jazz style.  Dipper Mouth Blues has a more relaxed feel than the previous rags and incorporates more improvisation.  Its form has three basic sections, A, B, and C, with the cornet playing the main melody.

East St. Louis Toodle-oo by Duke Ellington was another example of popular jazz at the time.  It employs a two beat rhythm with three brass players, three reeds, and a rhythm section with the banjo playing on the off beats.  The trumpet player Bubba Miley uses a unique combination of his mutes and own voice to create a totally different timbre for the trumpet.

Our next group of listenings moved on to Tin Pan Alley traditionals.  The first example of this is My Blue Heaven, performed by Gene Austin.  Beginning with an instrumental hook, it follows the typical two-part verse-refrain found in Tin Pan Alley songs.  Gene Austin, considered to be a crooner, creates a tranquil and intimate version of My Blue Heaven.  I found this version to be absolutely beautiful and soothing.  Another famous Tin Pan Alley song we listened to was April Showers sung by Al Jolson.  Jolson’s version of this song was so popular that he recorded it multiple times in his career.  We listened to two versions of this song- one from 1921, the other from 1932.  Both were very different, most likely to hook in the audience both times around so they would be encouraged to buy the same song again.  Though many people would find Jolson’s recordings very “old-fashioned”, I found them to be fun to listen to.  Because I grew up in the 90’s, I never really had a chance to appreciate the simplicity of songs such as this.  Popular music today is not as focused on good voices, as that can easily be changed using electronics, so it is nice to listen to someone who actually had talent.

Our last two listening examples were How Deep is the Ocean, written by Irving Berlin and sung by Bing Crosby, and I Got Rhythm, performed by Ethel Merman.  How Deep is the Ocean is another Tin Pan Alley standard, and Bing Crosby, a crooner, sings it by employing a greater range and expressivity than that I had earlier heard from Gene Austin.  This song is very intimate and follows the same ABAC structure of Aprile Showers.  One thing that is different, however, is that it moves from a minor to major key throughout the song.  Our final listening example, I Got Rhythm, was one that I already knew, but in a different way.  I had never heard Ethel Merman’s version of it, and I definitely found it to be different than the version I knew.  Simply an up-tempo love song, I Got Rhythm follows the typical verse-refrain structure.  Ethel Merman’s version was clearly a “pre-microphone” rendition of the song, showing off her “belting” skills.  Though listening to belting is not my favorite, I can appreciate Ethel Merman’s version of this song.  The version I originally heard of this was by Jimmy Dorsey and had no singer.