“Hey! Don’t rattle your ice and please don’t have a conversation while you’re reading this!” That’s what Charles Mingus would’ve said if you attended one of his concerts. Mingus is the master of double bass, jazz composer, creative genius, fat, hot tempered, depressed and silly man. Seemingly he has nothing to do with Meghan Trainor. When we compare the two musicians it becomes clear that Trainor has always been about spreading a positive message, while Mingus’s message is usually fiery and angry. Evidence of his intense vexation became clear when he broke a guy’s jaw with a single punch. I couldn’t imagine why Mingus had a reputation of being intolerant! Charles Mingus’s actions reveal a tortured, intolerant negative man. Meghan’s musical messages seem to repute the opposite of Charles Mingus. She empowers people by fighting for social justice in a positive manner, while Mingus’ music reflects his anger. His anger towards social injustice.
While Charles Mingus and Meghan Trainor could not possibly be more antithetic, they do share one thing in common, their passion to stand up for what they believe in through song.
This post will lay out jazz history, it’s disappearance and influence in pop culture and finally what makes jazz the greatest music genre that has ever existed.
Where Does Mingus’s Music, Jazz, Come From?
Mingus’ culture and jazz music comes from somewhere more complex than a person or place. Jazz, developed in America during the slave age, in areas like Louisiana. During some periods in Louisiana African culture was accepted and not oppressed. When the new world was discovered many cultures mixed and shared ideas. Most slaves were oppressed in the 1800’s but the jazz timeline created by The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz states: “‘New Orleans city council establishes ‘Congo Square’ as an official site for slave music and dance.'” The music developed from New Orleans because most other places in the Americas would not allow slaves to have access to their own culture.
Scholastic’s History of Jazz article says this about New Orleans:”New Orleans had a great tradition of celebration. Opera, military marching bands, folk music, the blues, different types of church music, ragtime, echoes of traditional African drumming, and all of the dance styles that went with this music could be heard and seen throughout the city. When all of these kinds of music blended into one, jazz was born” (Wynton Marsalis).
In the late 1800’s the first stepping stone towards the creation of jazz emerged out of African and European music; thanks to Scott Joplin ragtime was born. PBS article called 20th Century Music explains that this music “developed within the bonds of slavery.”
A separate PBS article called the Devil’s Music: 1920’2 Jazz explains that people thought of jazz as an “unacceptable music genre”. Because jazz stemmed from slavery “racism bore strongly upon the opposition to jazz, [it] was seen as barbaric and immoral.” Some may see jazz as immoral because it was one of the first race inclusive musical genres. Contrary to this view many others agree that being race inclusive is what makes jazz advantageous. The equality in jazz makes it a more superior musical style because it also serves as a stepping stone towards achieving equality and fairness for all.
It’s amazing when Europeans and Africans work in harmony instead of hate because great forms of art and music emerge.
If jazz and its culture is so profound, why doesn’t it show up in pop culture?
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Where Is Jazz in Popular Culture?
To figure out why jazz is overlooked today we must ask ourselves these questions: Why do your parents speak to you in a condescending manner? Why do they turn a blind eye to your message because they don’t understand modern language? Why are they unwilling to listen? I think there are Four main reasons parents fail to see your point of view.
1: Generation Gap.
2: Closed Mindedness to other ideas
3: They think they’re right
4: They lack patience
Jazz is excluded from popular culture because of the similar reasons parents do not see their children’s point of view.
Teens are in an entirely new generation, they think their music and culture is superior, and thus are closed minded to jazz. Finally, they lack the patience it takes to understand another culture.
The Ironic Thing
While jazz is not included in popular culture today, it influences every song you listen to.
Take a look at Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass. Chord progressions that were common in jazz, like the 2-5-1 progression, appear in Meghan’s hit. PBS article 20th Century Music reveals another way in which this music has influenced modern styles:”Rap music, with its semi-autobiographical lyrics and deep rhythms were just one more evolution in the blues tradition.” Jazz brought inspiration to rappers in terms of how lyrics are written and it influences how the beat plays underneath the song. During the development of rap, hip- hop was also developing and being influenced by jazz: ” DJs began isolating percussion rhythms from songs.” Certain rhythmic patterns that were not commonly found in classical, but were found in jazz can also be traced to hip-hop.
Jazz that was a result of mixed cultures “helped lay the groundwork for the next two decades of popular music” as it influences pop’s chord progressions, rappers lyrics and hip hop’s rhythm.
Jazz is what makes today’s music as it is one of the biggest influences in modern songs. From pop’s notes and chord structures, to hip hop’s rhythm and to rap’s lyrical composition, you hear the byproducts to jazz almost everyday without even realizing it. If jazz influences virtually all types of music then what makes it different from pop or rap?
The thing that makes jazz so unique is the idea of improvising.
Improvisation.
The main thing that makes jazz unique is the idea of improvising. Improvising is a concept only used in jazz and occasionally used in rock. So what is improvising? The Dictionary’s definition of improvising is provided here: “the art or act of improvising, or of composing, uttering, executing, or arranging anything without previous preparation.”
From someone who’s learning and performed improvised solos improvising is really the idea that a soloist can be a composer as they are soloing, making it up as they go. If a musician uses notes that fit within the structure and if they play in time with the rhythm section then anything can be played.
It’s a radical thought that was never heard before in music until Louis Armstrong was born. Scholastic’s article History of Jazz gives us Confirmation about Armstrong’s new idea: “Armstrong developed the idea of musicians playing during breaks that expanded into musicians playing individual solos.” Thanks to Louis Armstrong Improvisation has become vital to jazz.
Improvisation is really just freedom to express ourselves through music and it is “the most defining feature of jazz.” I believe it’s the reason jazz is still alive today.
Where Is Jazz Today?
I can say from personal experience that jazz is very alive today. Jazz is almost an underground culture. For example in the Twin Cities Area there are jazz clubs like The Dakota and Jazz Central Studios where people get together and play. Jazz musicians know and talk to each other around the country as jazz festivals are held in most major cities.
More evidence of jazz existence lies within kids today. Although jazz is often unspoken about, groups of ultra passionate kids around the world are talking about jazz. Many of you (my classmates) see me as the only person who still loves jazz. Although that may be true to some degree in our small town of Elk River I’m certainly not the only jazz lover in the Minneapolis area.
When people take a boarder scope or view of our world it becomes evident that many people cherish this intensely impassioned music.
How it Transcends above any other kind of Music and Why It Can Never Die
Jazz is unsurpassed in complexity than any other form of music. Its elaboration is derived from its completely unique improvisation component. It also has a culturally rich background entangled in American history, especially African American history. Jazz does transcend every genre of music in complexity as the style of most music genres drives its structure from jazz.
Even though it clearly trumps all other music, jazz is excluded from popular culture. Despite its exclusion jazz will always have significant influence over popular music. Jazz casts a large influence over today’s music and is a passion of many people including teens our age. Because of it’s influence, passion, uniqueness and its heroic story of mixed culture and soul jazz will not go unheard.
“I’m optimistic about the soul therefore I am optimistic about jazz.”
-Sonny Rollins
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Jazz never died. But, Mongolian throat singing overcame it in radio ratings. Mongolian throat singing caused the downfall of jazz because if you see this graph: https://bit.ly/2IWzLX6 . People took an immediate liking to the odd and emotional feeling of throat singing. Throat singing creates euphoric effects similar to being in a target at 9:30 pm. Miranda liked jazz, but that was before she left with the kids. My father was a big blues fan. When I was little, before he left me 12 years ago, you could here him singing B.B. King. This is how throat singing took over the world by storm.
-Throat singer
Really good post, thanks for sharing. I am just a little confused on what Meghan Trainor has to do with this though.