Skip to main content

Death In Vegas - Anita Berber

But ragtime is also good in the more austere sense of the professional critic. I cannot understand how a trained musician can overlook its purely technical elements of interest. It has carried the complexities of the rhythmic subdivision of the measure to a point never before reached in the history of music. It has established subtle conflicting rhythms to a degree never before attempted in any popular or folk music, and rarely enough in art music. It has shown a definite and natural evolution always a proof of vitality in a musical idea. It has gone far beyond most other popular music in the freedom of inner voices, yes, I mean polyphony, and of course harmonic modulation. And it has proved its adaptability to the expression of many distinct moods. Only the trained musician can appreciate the significance of a style which can be turned to many distinct uses. There is the sentimental manner, and the emotional manner and so on, but the style includes all the manners, and there have not been so many styles in musical history that they couldn't be counted on a few people's fingers.

It may be that I am deceived as to the extent of ragtime's adaptability... And I know that we are dealing here with a set of musical materials which have no more than commenced their job of expressing a generation.

We must admit that current ragtime is deficient on the melodic side. Some of the tunes are strong, but many of the best ragtime pieces have little beyond their rhythmic energy and ingenuity to distinguish them. If we had a folk song tradition in America our popular melodies, doubtless, would not be so permeated with vulgarity. The words, also, too often have the chief vice of vulgarity sluggish conventionality without its chief virtue, the generous warmth of everydayness. And this latter quality, when it exists, resides not so much in the words themselves, as in the flavor of the songs, the uninspired but tireless high spirits of the American people.
Source: Evolution of Ragtime & Blues To Jazz by Dr. Karl Koenig


Death In Vegas - Anita Berber
  • Written and produced by: Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes
  • Release Date: 2004
  • Genres: Alternative rock, Trip Hop

"Death In Vegas was formed in 1994 by Richard Fearless and Steve Helier and signed to Concrete Records under the name of Dead Elvis. Due to objections from the Elvis Presley estate, they were forced to change the name, and instead Dead Elvis became the name of their debut album."

See previous Song of the Day

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Spiritualized - Spread Your Wings

Spiritualized - Spread Your Wings Released in: February 1995 Duration: 6:17 Vocals: Jason Pierce "The first Spiritualized release was a space rock esque cover in 1990, a record which heralded the official split of Spacemen 3. On 15 June 1997, Spiritualized became the last band to play at Factory Records' Manchester nightclub." See Previous Song of the Day  

Steve Winwood - Domingo Morning

There have also been plenty of blues festivals and events in Ireland, which have brought the styles to a greater number of people. The Cork Jazz Festival is a massive annual offering that attracts thousands, while there’s also the Dublin Blues, Roots, and Brass Festival that brings in local and international blues enthusiasts. The events are a prime opportunity to celebrate the heritage of these music varieties and showcase some of the best talents around. The influence of reggae and blues music in Ireland goes beyond the music scene and has had a broader impact on the entertainment industry. It’s clear that the incorporation of these genres into Ireland’s entertainment landscape has helped bring diversity and richness to the culture of the country. This has, in turn, led to the attraction of more diverse audiences to Irish entertainment. Companies that offer entertainment to people in Ireland now must consider this diversity, and market their offerings to a broad spectrum of consumers...

Duke Pearson - I'm An Old Cowhand (Take 5)

Sanctified gospel music, especially in the western part of the state, is represented by members of the Holiness or Pentecostal church, such as The Church of God in Christ founded... in 1897 near Memphis. One of its present ministers, Reverend Robert Wilkins, a practicing herbalist now 90, became active in church work after several years as a highly regarded blues singer. Sanctified singers perform in a shouting musical style, accompanied by hand clapping, tambourines, guitars, and other instruments. A number of Holiness singers were recorded in Memphis during the 1920s... Of the many Pentecostal churches presently in Memphis, that of Reverend J. 0. Patterson is prominent, where the exceptional soloist Mattie Wigley still performs with the choir.        Among its many songwriters Tennessee has had three who were prominent in Black sacred music... Campbell, 1885 - 1963, composed 45 gospel songs and was also music director of the National Baptist Convention, one of seve...