Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World Book Reviews Ruy Castro Bossa Nova: The Story of the Brazilian Music That Seduced the World A Capella Press To virtually all Americans, the words "bossa nova" are synonymous with Brazilian jazz. The idea that bossa nova represents Brazilian popular music is all wrong. Brazilian muse Ruy Castro takes on this distinctive musical tree in Bossa Nova, going from its deepest roots to its most distant branches. I think it important to note that I listened to all the recordings mentioned in the text... Yeah, yeah. This review has the goal of orienting readers to the general flow of the story, revealing unexpected events and offering Castro's take whenever possible. I. Castro appreciates the tastes of young people in Brazil in the late '40s, when the children of bossa nova were growing up. Those who are less than a hundred years old might not believe it, but Frank Sinatra was a sex symbol in those days. Donato, however, had the right idea. II.
Cajun Music | Entries D.L. Menard, sometimes called the “Cajun Hank Williams,” is one of the best-known Cajun songwriters. Learn more » Cajun music is an accordion- and fiddle-based, largely francophone folk music originating in southwestern Louisiana. Instrumentation Cajun music is marked by its exclusive use of the diatonic accordion (zydeco musicians, in contrast, use either the triple-row, chromatic, or diatonic accordion). A typical modern Cajun band, performing for a public dance, includes accordion, fiddle, guitar, bass, and drums. Style In a public dance setting, most Cajun songs can be described as two-steps or waltzes, in accordance with the tradition's most common dance steps. Both early recordings and field recordings made by folklorists in the homes of Cajun musicians throughout the twentieth century point to a broader array of song types than those found in public dance performance—an older tradition related to, but distinct from, the indigenous accordion and fiddle based styles. Songs
Reading/Research Room The following summary of the history of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco music is based entirely on information included in the sources listed at the bottom of the page. Anyone who wants to gain an understanding of the development of French music in Southwest Louisiana needs to start with these sources. The best way to experience the history of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco music first hand is to listen to the many historical recordings now available. Both Cajun music and the Creole music that evolved into Zydeco are the products of a combination of influences found only in Southwest Louisiana. Origins of Cajun Music As Barry Ancelet explains in his monograph Cajun Music: Its Origins and Development, the Acadians who came to Louisiana beginning in 1764 after their expulsion from Acadie (Nova Scotia ) in 1755 brought with them music that had its origins in France but that had already been changed by experiences in the New World through encounters with British settlers and Native Americans.
History of Salsa While some respected cuban music historians have popularized the myth that salsa originated in Cuba the earliest evidence of it was in the Puerto Rico with Rafael Cortijo and Ismael Rivera. Salsa started having as background the rich heritage of the Plena, the Afrocaribean form of music that that evolved in Puerto Rico and the influence of more melodic rhythms brought in and developed by mainline Puerto Rican musicians that lived in the United States during the 20's, 30's and 40's and began returning to Puerto Rico after the second world war. These arrivals not only gave the newer Puerto Rican musicians a rich treasure of sounds from all over Latin America, including the Cuban Son and the Guaracha, but also placed on them the responsibility of being creative before those that knew the difference between talent and gimmickry. So the emerging Puerto Rican musician generation began to experiment in new combinations and ways to improve the established styles such as plena.
Cajun music Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music, and have influenced pop culture through mass media, such as television commercials. Aural analysis[edit] Cajun music is relatively harsh with an infectious beat and a lot of forward drive, placing the accordion at the center. Subgenres of Cajun music[edit] Traditional Cajun[edit] Country and Texas swing Cajun[edit] Main article: Western swing This style involves heavy elements of Texas country music influence and a move away from the traditional accordion. Dancehall Cajun[edit] Cajun "renaissance"[edit] Contemporary Cajun music[edit] Doug Kershaw recorded "Louisiana Man", an autobiographical song that he had written while in the army. Lyrics[edit]
Cajun and Zydeco Music at zZounds Cajun and Zydeco music are popular forms of music in Louisiana. The Cajuns are French-speaking people who migrated to Louisiana from eastern Canada in the 18th century, and therefore, most of the singing of Cajun music is in French. The mixing of different cultures in Louisiana has influenced the development of Cajun and Zydeco music over the years. Cajun is an up-beat form of music that is ideal for the Cajun jitterbug, while Zydeco is a bluesy and raunchy kind of dance music that was created as a variation of Cajun. Here is a list of websites with more information about Cajun and Zydeco music. History: Cajun and Zydeco Music History: A summary of the origins and evolution of Cajun and Zydeco music. Cajun and Zydeco Music: Cajun and Zydeco Music: A website that is dedicated to Cajun and Zydeco music around the world. Cajun and Zydeco Dance: Basic Cajun Dancing: Find out the basic positions, footwork, and moves of the Cajun dance. Instruments: Musicians:
HISTORY OF LATIN MUSIC The history of the Moorish empire prior to Spain extends from the ancient Moabites, and extends across the great Atlantic into north, south and Central American thus the Moorish domination of the seas. It is important to point out that as time goes on what is now known as Latin America is highly influenced by European colonization and the slave trade with Africa. Currently, Latin America, the countries of the Western Hemisphere south of the United States, include the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Central and South America and contain an amalgamation of cultural influences, namely European, The Moors, Mexican, and other African tribes. Europe contributed the religions two main languages, Spanish and Portuguese. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries these rhythms spread, developed, and canonized throughout the Caribbean, around the same time that another American art form was beginning its conception. What is Latin Music? Suggested Reading Books:
Rhythm and blues "R&B" redirects here. For the modern style of music also called "R&B", see Contemporary R&B. Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B or RnB, is a genre of popular African-American music that originated in the 1940s.[1] The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular.[2] In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, saxophone, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy.[3] Lyrics focus heavily on the themes of triumphs and failures in terms of relationships, freedom, economics, aspirations, and sex. The term rhythm and blues has undergone a number of shifts in meaning. History[edit] Precursors[edit]
Cajun vs Zydeco Description Cajun Music Cajun music has a long and complex genealogy. French people who settled in Acadia, Nova Scotia, preserved a musical heritage rooted in medieval France. After their expulsion by the British in 1755, those seeking refuge in subtropical south Louisiana apparently carried no instruments, though they had obtained fiddles by the 1800’s. In Louisiana the Acadians shortly began to encounter and intermarry with other ethnic groups, fostering their evolution into a new ethnic group - the Cajuns. During the 1920s & ’30s, Cajuns experienced a period of increased Anglization, prompted largely by the discovery of oil in south Louisiana and the building of new highways. By the late 1940s, however, the accordion again dominated Cajun music, resurrected by accordionists like Iry LeJeune, Lawrence Walker, and Nathan Abshire, and by war veterans seeking relief in "old-time" music. Then, in 1964, Cajun musicians (Dewey Balfa) appeared to critical acclaim at the Newport Folk Festival.
Where Did Reggae Music Originate? jamaica flag Reggae music originated in Jamaica during the late 1960′s. Many people think that Reggae is one music that describes every sound that comes out of Jamaica but their wrong. The reggae beat and style that originated after the development of Ska and Rock-steady. Reggae has a distinctive sound that distiquiese it from the others due to its regular chops and the off beat that’s referred as the skank. The Tempo is generally slower than that found in Ska and Rocksteady. The Rastafari movement has played a vital role in Reggae music even up today, 1 out of 3 Jamaican are Rastafari. The Oxford English Dictionary says that the origin is not found (unknown) but could be derived from the Jamaican slang word rega-rege what translates to quarrel. Thanks to musical genius such as Bob Marley during the 1960′s reggae was not only becoming famous in Jamaica but internationally known.
Early R&B Soul Music History The earliest forms of the rhythm and blues and soul genres arose from a combination of gospel music, jazz and the blues. This combination of music grew to become one of the most dominant forms of entertainment in the latter half of the 20th century, sowing the seeds for everything from rock music to funk to hip hop. Originally prominent in the inner cities, R&B and soul became the chroniclers of the black experience in the United States, while appealing to white audiences. As a mixture of blues, jazz and gospel, R&B began to catch on in several cities. By combining blues and jazz, the bands would usually have an electric guitar backed by a piano and a saxophone. Marketed towards black audiences, the earliest R&B hit maker was Louis Jordan who had a string of hits in the late 1940s. The 1950s saw a string of R & B artists take the sound and expand it. At the end of the decade, a young gospel singer by the name of Sam Cooke was on the cusp of becoming the "King of Soul."
More on Cajun and Zydeco Music More on Cajun and Zydeco Music In the 1750s, French-speaking Acadians were expelled by the British from Canada's maritime provinces and migrated to Louisiana. The Arcadians brought with them music that had its origins in France. Creoles, the African American descendants of slaves, were developing their own music, and the music of the two cultures influenced one another. And, although some refer to Cajun as the domain of white descendants of the Canadian exiles and Zydeco as that of French-speaking black Creoles, it was an African-American accordionist, Amedee Ardoin, who highly influenced the sound we recognize today as Cajun music. There was little difference between Cajun and zydeco until the end of World War II, when the outside world began to influence the music. Creoles started using the piano accordion, not just the old Cajun diatonic accordion, for the versatility it lent. Comparing Cajun and Zydeco Music