Black History Month: Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker was one of the most influential jazz saxaphonists and composers in the entire genre. Many of Jazz's most prominent names saw Parker as one of the key people in developing the genre. I also think it's noteworthy to mention that Parker was born and raised in Kansas City.

The Bird

 

Black History Month: Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys is one of those singers that I would classify as having an extremely high music IQ. What I mean by that is that when it comes to music, she performs with an almost technical clarity. Messy is the last adjective that comes to mind when I think about an Alicia Keys song. That being said, Keys is also one of the most soulful singers around today. She's not afraid to bring emotion to a song, and that's one of the qualities that makes her great. Her song "No One" is the perfect mix of soul and emotion. Not to mention the vocals she displays on the song are amazing.

No One

How It Feels To Fly

Black History Month: Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin is possibly one of the most recognizable and highly praised singers of all time. Her voice in a word is stunning. It's not just that Franklin has range or can belt the high notes, it's that she has complete control over a voice that exudes confidence, emotion, power, and vulnerability all at once. Aretha Franklin is also notable for her work in the gospel genre as well as the Soul/R&B genre. Here are a couple of songs that exemplify Franklin's artistry:

Respect

Hello Sunshine

 

Black History Month

So I had this idea a few months back to do a series focusing on black singers and musicians during the month of February, seeing as it is Black History Month. Well I know I'm a few days late getting started (I was getting over a cold for the last few days), but I figure I can do a little catch up. So here goes my feature of 28 notable black singers and musicians. Granted, this is by no means a comprehensive list, and this is not a list ranking the artists against each other. This is just a daily feature. You might ask why I decided to focus on singers/musicians. The answer is, I feel that America pretty much owes its musical heritage to black singers and musicians. Any modern form of music heard today can pretty much be traced back to Gospel, Blues, Soul, Jazz, and R&B. For that reason, I want to spend the month honoring these contributions and some of the artists who made and are still making them.

Back In The Swing of Things

If you didn't already know, I'm a college student heading into my final semester of college. I'm an English major, so this year I am taking a J-term class about Harlem Renaissance Literature. We had our first class period today, and I have to say, it was nice to get back in the swing of things. You see I've already taken all of the other English classes offered at my school, so I don't have any literature classes this final year of college. It's kind of depressing. I thrive on literature based classes, and not having that in my academic career this year makes it hard to stay motivated. So being in this class has been refreshing so far. Yes it sucks to have homework during winter break, but it is really amazing to be reading and discussing literature again. I could read literature on my own, but that's only have of the experience. Having a group of people to discuss it with is what really makes the difference. You get to hear so many different perspectives and takes on a work that way. Sometimes you hate what someone is saying about a work, but other times their train of thought can open up completely new ideas about a work that you otherwise wouldn't have considered. Here's hoping that this class goes well and that the joy of literature far exceeds the pain of homework.

New Year: 2013

New Years means a lot of things to a lot of people. For some, it's a time to look back on the past, and for others it's a time to look toward the future. For me, the great thing about New Years is the aspect of hope that comes with it.

When I was a kid, New Years was just a day where you tried to stay up and watch the ball drop. Now that I'm older though, I've tried to find some meaning in it. Yes, in many ways it can be a vacuous holiday. People make resolutions they won't keep, and use it as an excuse to wipe away the wrongs of the past year. Maybe that's not a horrible thing. At the root of these actions is hope. On New Years, people hope that they can avoid last year's mistakes and do even better in the year to come. I think this hope can fuel us. Sure most people probably don't meet the resolutions they set, but at least people are aiming to improve. That's what is great about the opportunity of a year to come.

Auld Lang Syne

Tonight I wasn't feeling very happy. Normally New Year's Eve is the last hurrah of the holiday season. It's a time when people can celebrate together. That didn't really happen much for me this year, and I was kind of feeling down about it. After a while I decided to try and do something about being depressed and I tried to look up the scene from Elf where Zooey Deschanel sings Auld Lang Syne on YouTube. I didn't find that, but what I found instead where covers of the song done by talented YouTube cover artists. Here are a few of my favorites!