Jazz, Rock, and Race

Final Exam

2006-12-17T23:07:00.000-05:00

Identify all of the artists and get an A.
(not really, but give it a try and see how many you can get)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VskbxuehP3I

Have a wonderful Christmas and break! I enjoyed our semester together very much.

Barry

Authenticity and the 'Definitive'

2006-11-15T23:31:00.000-05:00

After listening to either the posted versions of 'All Along the Watchtower' or 'Try a Little Tenderness', post your opinion of which one can be considered the 'definitive' version upon which all others are compared. This is not necessarily a value judgement, but rather thinking about which is more likely to (or has already) become the standard.

More importantly, why do you think the way you do? What evidence in each version supports your opinion?

Fun weekend pop music discussion

2006-11-10T22:24:00.000-05:00

"The Foo Fighters are to Nirvana as ______ is to _______."

Discuss who and why.

Go.

Race in current political campaigns

2006-10-26T22:35:00.000-04:00

Michael Steele, an African American, is running for US Senate for the state of Maryland. He is running for the Republican party, which is interesting because usually we generally think of Republicans as rich, white men.

Fables of Faubus

2006-10-20T17:03:00.000-04:00

Following our discussion of the Little Rock incident and Governor Faubus' role, what are your reactions to Charles Mingus' music? Feel free to comment on either the music or the text specifically. What meaning do you think the marriage of both conveys?

Interesting Reading

2006-10-16T11:28:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to a great article that appeared in yesterday's Washington Post. It addresses many of the issues we discussed back before break and is definitely thought-provoking even if you disagree. Thanks to Kate for forwarding me the link.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/13/AR2006101301426.html

Dylan and Meaning

2006-10-03T19:08:00.000-04:00

Since we're looking at Dylan this week, I thought the following quote from a recent interview was worth reading and considering.

"Words go by awfully quick," he says. "Maybe it's hard for a listener to comprehend them all. Maybe they don't want to. I couldn't say what these songs add up to, any more than I can say what the rest of my songs add up to. They mean what they say they mean. They strike you where you can feel it, and you can feel what they mean. With this kind of music, you want to move somebody, and you have to move yourself first."

Cullen's weekend assignment on DiFranco

2006-09-30T19:08:00.000-04:00

It seems that DiFranco is extremely passionate about the issues she chose to speak/sing about. She mentions the United States as not being true to it's mission (freedom). She talks about how we, as a country, have dealt with 9-11 and the war on terroism in the completely wrong fashion. She is calling everyone to "quiet the hypocritical chants of freedom forever." In doing so she is opening up a whole can of worms. I am going out on a ledge to say that she might not even 100% know the whole story or facts. She seems to me to be an extremist. As we have seen in the media multiple times, being an extremist usually results in offending others. To me, DiFranco has some valid points. At the same time I see her offending many people such as supporters of Bush (if they still exist) and also over prideful Americans (you know, the ones that still say "the south will rise again"). The question I am posing to everyone is this; Do you think that this song inspires Americans to unite together? Think about it this way...Do you think that Americans are going to take a stand together against our current political system or would this just scatter the public opinion even more?

Overcoming Hip Hop stereotypes

2006-09-27T18:03:00.000-04:00

Provide at least one specific example of a hip-hop track that avoids the stereotypes we discussed in today's class.

My Mainstream Hip-Hop Rant

2006-09-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

So when we were talking in class about the birth of the character "Jim Crow" and how it started out as a black effort to keep part of their culture while working around a law and became the most infamous example of whites manipulating black culture into sources of entertainment for the masses, and how that had become the source for many of the stereotypes that we talked abotu in class and i happened upon a final conclusion for my reasoning behind my extreme hatred for mainstream hip-hop. (wow... longest sentence ever...) So anyways. It seemed kind of reminisent. Particularly since we started out the semester listening to and reading the lyrics of a group like Public Enemy. It was plainly obvious what the hip-hop genre was intended to be. It was a call for action, a way of motivating black groups to be proud of their heritage and to fight against the racist insitutions in this country.... flash foward to 2006... where the mainstream, corporate powerhouse has taken hip hop "under its wing" and succeeded in making millions off of the albums sold... where not ONE SONG in the billboard top ten for the hip-hop genre has anything to with anything relatively intelligent or political or activist... where everyone seems to honestly believe that all hip hop music is somehow ingrained in the ideas of careless, pointless, loveless sex, rampant drug use, money, hypocrisy, and violence. Granted... their making a shit load of money.... and thats great... but honestly.... doesnt anyone have any effing values anymore? its a sign of the times when you go to a Soliloquists of Sound show (which remains the most amazing live hip hop show i've ever seen, with the close exception of sage francis when they opened for him a few years back) and they are laughing about how a record company approached them saying they could sound like Black Eyed Peas..... mainstream hip hop is a joke to most respectable hip hop artists. Its a joke and a disgrace. and it sucks that music can be used solely as a way to make money, solely as entertainment, solely as a method of slander for black culture, rather than an artform. and it makes me really mad.......... grr....

PS- SOLILLAQUISTS OF SOUND: http://myspace.com/solilla
pleease check them out they're amazing. they actually have a sense of community surrounding their music. there is meaning behind their music... and everyone could use a little bit of inspiration? maybe? eh?

Identifying Stereotypes

2006-09-25T20:55:00.000-04:00

Using the historical stereotypes discussed in class (mammy, sambo, zip coon, uncle, pickaninny), identify modern examples in film, television, music videos, etc...

Post About the Non-Green Book (my post feels neglected so I'm changing the name)

2006-09-17T21:31:00.000-04:00

First and foremost I would just like to thank Mary for having enough knowledge of my personality to realize that I would TOTALLY forget about this and do the blog for the reading I haven't done yet. Mary... love of my life... i heart you.

but anyways...

The idea of the crossroads is an integral part of the gospel music that was coming out of the the South as well as related genres. What is about the paradox of the crossroads that makes it such a pivotal centerpiece in the music? Even beyond that, what does its importance show about the position of blacks in twentieth century?

Post about the Green Book

2006-09-17T17:07:00.000-04:00

ok so Peretti talks about the rise of jazz in America in the first chapter. He says that after World War I people really started recognizing jazz and becoming fascinated with it. Why do you think Americans were more interested in jazz at this time and why do you think that is significant?

Being American

2006-09-12T00:59:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd start an entry on actually what it means to you to be American. I've had a lot of thoughts going through my head since class and doing the 9/11 concert and I was just wondering what your take on being an American is. From traveling overseas around the time of Katrina, Irish views on Americans are the stereotypical we like to buy big things and lord it over people as we are the best people in the world. But I am very not of that nature. I think being American is using the power we have, or even that I have, as being a citizen of the #1 country in the world and using that power to help others out. I think that is lost in society today with this whole War on Terrorism and the fact that I think the country is torn in two so much between Bush haters and Bush supporters. You're either with him or your not and it seems so extreme to me that if a Bush hater and Bush supporter had kids that fell in love, we'd very much so have a Romeo & Juliet on our hands.

September 11th setlist

2006-09-11T11:53:00.000-04:00

On this fifth anniversary of September 11th, what song and artist speaks most to you? Why?

Signposts of race and difference

2006-09-06T15:18:00.000-04:00

Continuing our discussions of the past two classes, post any and all examples of racial-gender-ethnic-religious stereotypes and 'roles' you witness on TV, in the media, on campus, in student interactions, etc... Please feel free to post as many as you find and respond to your classmates' posts as well.

Weekend Discussions (9/1-9/4)

2006-09-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

Using the news articles from class as well as your own general knowledge and impressions of our current culture, what do you think is our current state of racial 'awareness'? Which of the following do you agree with?

Our culture (media, television, pop music) tends to ignore aspects of race.

Our culture tends to avoid talking about race.

Our culture portrays and reinforces racial, gender, and sexual stereotypes.

Our culture addresses aspects of race and difference too much.

Please be open and honest. We are growing comfortable with each other as a class, so we are all respectful of each others opinions. Encourage as much dialogue as possible by addressing each others posts; feel free to disagree often if appropriate!

Comparison Homework

2006-08-28T18:21:00.000-04:00

The files for our mystery listening comparison are now up on the Blackboard page. Please download and post any and all thoughts and reactions, with today's discussion on meaning and musical context as one possible component.

Barry

You're in! (weekend listening)

2006-08-26T08:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome jazzers, rockers, and racers! I hope that you were able to join with no problems.

Some questions to think about - and respond to on here if you like - as you listen to Richie Havens' 'Freedom' and Mahalia Jackson's 'Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child':

How are they similar?
Despite this, what different aspects make them 'sound' very different?
What do you think each artist is trying to communicate? Relating it to class discussion, do you feel like each track represents resignation, a call for attention, a call to action, or racial or cultural pride?

In addition, any and all responses are encouraged! What were your thoughts as you listened to each? First reactions? Which will you find yourself coming back to more often?

You can post your responses using the 'Comments' function below, or create a new post if you like.

BTW, if the files are inaccessible on Blackboard for whatever reason, you can get them at http://faculty.msmary.edu/long/jazzrockrace.htm

Barry

Welcome!

2006-08-03T21:50:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Jazz, Rock, and Race blog. While this is a course requirement, I hope that it becomes a natural extension of our class discussions and ideas. Let's make this an environment in which we can exchange our thoughts freely and openly, disagree often, and above all challenge ourselves to approach everything with an open mind.