Long before Kenny G, there were jazz musicians. Here are some
very early innovators of jazz who helped pave the way for the genre
of jazz and later jazz performers. And about Kenny G - I was just
kidding, everyone can use a little Kenny G in their lives now and
then. :)
Scott
Joplin
Style: Ragtime
Time Period: 1900s This American composer and
pianist is the most important figure in Ragtime music. His most
famous works are the "Maple Leaf Rag" (1899) and "The Entertainer"
(1902) (which was the theme for the film The Sting!)
He was so popular that classical composers such as Claude Debussy
and Igor Stravinsky started making "rags", too.
See the video below to hear someone play "The Entertainer".
Jelly
Roll Morton
Style: Ragtime
Time Period: 1900-1910s
Jelly Roll Morton was an Afro-Creole pianist who started playing
music in Storyville, a prostitution district in New Orleans. He
also toured with vaudeville shows. "Jelly Roll Blues" was the first
jazz song made into sheet music. Other famous compositions by him
include "Sidewalk Blues" and "Hesitation Blues".
Click here
to see famous American pianist Dick Hyman play the Maple Leaf Rag
in the style of Jelly Roll Morton and explain how his style was so
unique (I highly recommend it, he's amazing!).
Bessie
Smith
Style: Blues, jazz
Time Period: 1920 - 1930s
Bessie Smith set the bar for all blues and jazz singers from that
time forward. She was the most popular blues singer of her time.
Her most popular songs include "St. Louis Blues" and "Downhearted
Blues". She was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for her
recordings of historical significance.
Here's a video of Bessie Smith performing St. Louis Blues
in 1929. The video is great quality, and her voice is absolutely
breathtaking!:
Duke
Ellington
Style: Big band, jazz, swing, American
standards
Time Period: 1910 - 1960s
Born in 1899, this American composer, pianist, and bandleader is
considered a major influence in music. Ellington called his style
and sound "American Music" rather than jazz. When he was younger,
he would paint commercial signs by day and play piano by night.
Some of his compositions are still standards today: "It Don't Mean
a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", "In a Sentimental Mood",
"Take the A Train", "Satin Doll", "Caravan" and "Mood Indigo".
Louis
Armstrong
Style: Jazz, Dixieland, Swing, Pop music
An American jazz trumpeter and singer, Louis Armstrong was great at
scat singing, vocal improvisation, showing great expression and
emotion in his singing and his trumpet-playing. His distinct raspy
voice makes him stand out among musicians even today. Along with
his charismatic personality, he is one of the most famous musicians
of all time. His work spans from the 1920s up even until the 1960s.
Some of his early hits were "Hello, Dolly!" and "When the Saints Go
Marching In".
Here is the great Satchmo's "When The Saints Go Marching
In":
Photo Credits Wikipedia
Authentic History Center
Flapper Jane
