Swinging into the 30s

The transition from the Roaring 20s into the Swinging 30s underwent massive change as life transformed from an economic boom of the Jazz Age into the twin horrors of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Swing music actually began in the 1920s flourishing through the early 1930s during a time when America groped for a new beat, especially after the market crash of 1929.

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

It was through the music of big bands where swing gained its prominence. Such bands played a major role in defining swing as a distinctive style of music, among which is the music of the Big Bands led at first by Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Jimmie Lunceford, Glen Gray and Chick Webb. Later contributors to the Big Band Era included Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, and of course, Benny Goodman whose band defined the entire era thus earning him the arguable title of "King of Swing." While the aforementioned is a list all its own, one name that surely cannot be left out is Count Basie, who was a leading figure in the swing era in jazz and along side Duke Ellington, an outstanding representative of big band style.  

Remember, The Swinging 30s evolved during the era of troubled times in America known as The Great Depression. In spite of the times of unemployment and lack of food, it was a great decade for music creating emotions of happiness with hope for better times ahead. Popularity of music varied and shifted within moods of blues and jazz, vocal groups and soloists.

A question arises here that is sometimes debated: Which came first - blues or jazz? There is no known specific date for the origin of the blues sound. Many believe blues came first having emerged in the first decade of the 1900s inspired by African American traditions. Jazz (ofter spelled 'jass' in its early days) was first used to identify music in Chicago around 1915.

Blues is a simpler and more rigidly structured form of music than jazz. Blues is usually intended to convey a feeling of sadness (via flatted notes), and usually uses simple chords with emphasized downbeats, whereas jazz is usually intended to convey a feeling of cheerfulness (via syncopated rhythm), and usually uses complex chords with emphasized upbeats. In short, blues is basically a fixed chord progression whereas jazz is a general style of rhythm and chord embellishment.  Read MORE...

In jazz, unusual tonal effects of musical instruments, such as the trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone, etc,  heavily accent the rhythms. The prime musical instruments of the blues are the guitar and the harmonica. Of course, these are not the only instruments; the drums, bass guitar, piano, trombone, trumpet, saxophone are widely used for accompaniment. The most important instrument, however, in blues music is the human voice!

In the 1930s, many blues styles were prominent. Perhaps the most soulful blues music that stretched from Memphis, TN to Vicksburg, Mississippi became the Mississippi Delta Blues. The earliest recordings consisted of one person singing while playing an instrument. The blues also assumed an urban vibe, and post-war blues incorporated an electric sound. Chicago became home to the urban blues. 

“I'm a bluesman moving through a blues-soaked America, a blues-soaked world, a planet where catastrophe and celebration- joy and pain sit side by side. The blues started off in some field, some plantation, in some mind, in some imagination, in some heart. The blues blew over to the next plantation, and then the next state. The blues went south to north, got electrified and even sanctified. The blues got mixed up with jazz & gospel & rock and roll.”
― Cornel West, Brother West: Living and Loving Out Loud, A Memoir

 
Ready for a little blues sound? Let's listen to the soul of Robert Johnson...

f the blues has a truly mythic figure, one whose story hangs over the music the way a Charlie Parker does over jazz or a Hank Williams does over country, it's Robert Johnson, certainly the most celebrated figure in the history of the blues. Of course, his legend is immensely fortified by the fact that Johnson also left behind a small legacy of recordings that are considered the emotional apex of the music itself.
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/robert-johnson/449973#R4stszAqywQX5ISU.99

If the blues has a truly mythic figure, one whose story hangs over the music the way a Charlie Parker does over jazz or a Hank Williams does over country, it's Robert Johnson, certainly the most celebrated figure in the history of the blues. Of course, his legend is immensely fortified by the fact that Johnson also left behind a small legacy of recordings that are considered the emotional apex of the music itself.
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/robert-johnson/449973#R4stszAqywQX5ISU.99

If the blues has a truly mythic figure, one whose story hangs over the music the way a Charlie Parker does over jazz or a Hank Williams does over country, it's Robert Johnson, certainly the most celebrated figure in the history of the blues. Of course, his legend is immensely fortified by the fact that Johnson also left behind a small legacy of recordings that are considered the emotional apex of the music itself. Read MORE...

If the blues has a truly mythic figure, one whose story hangs over the music the way a Charlie Parker does over jazz or a Hank Williams does over country, it's Robert Johnson, certainly the most celebrated figure in the history of the blues. Of course, his legend is immensely fortified by the fact that Johnson also left behind a small legacy of recordings that are considered the emotional apex of the music itself.
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/robert-johnson/449973#R4stszAqywQX5ISU.99

If the blues has a truly mythic figure, one whose story hangs over the music the way a Charlie Parker does over jazz or a Hank Williams does over country, it's Robert Johnson, certainly the most celebrated figure in the history of the blues. Of course, his legend is immensely fortified by the fact that Johnson also left behind a small legacy of recordings that are considered the emotional apex of the music itself.
Read more at http://www.artistdirect.com/artist/bio/robert-johnson/449973#R4stszAqywQX5ISU.99

Music was so diversified in the 1930s it did not stop with the big bands, blues and jazz. Country music became more widely recognized and out of the dreams of the Wild West and freedom it symbolized came the "singing cowboy." His popularity spanned radio and film singing of life on the trail with all the challenges, hardships and dangers encountered during long cattle drives up the trails and across the prairies.

As we leave this decade, here is a nostalgic tune from the Swinging 30s...

But we are not by any means leaving the Swing Era. . .

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times. . .

Thanksgiving Greetings

Enrich the Future...

Thanksgiving is a day of celebration not only for the blessings of today but for blessings to be extended into tomorrow's tomorrows. Take a moment to count your blessings but most importantly ask yourself how you can bless someone else. Perhaps something as simple as a smile could brighten someone's day. Whatever it is, take the time to bring blessings into the world around you, one moment, one day, one person at a time. The future is in your hands!

There will be many empty seats at tables across our nation this Thanksgiving as war still rages overseas. Thousands of brave young men and women in uniform are fighting on foreign shores to protect our nation. Remember them: Our troops, soldiers, men and women, those who are away from home and the ones they love for the greater good of our nation. 

Support our Troops: Support America!

 May they be blessed this day, every day, and be reunited with loved ones in the days ahead.

Related Articles:

• First Thanksgiving Meal 
• Menu for First Thanksgiving
• The 1621 Thanksgiving
• 15 Things You Didn't Know About the First Thanksgiving
• Remember our military heroes this Thanksgiving
• ...And We Thank Thee by Micki Peluso

Black Friday Insanity

Sale! Sale! Sale! Everywhere...Sale! Sale! Sale! Save! Save! Save! In the news, on TV, on the Internet, on the radio, no matter where you turn somebody somewhere has posted a sign...Sale! Sale! Sale! Come on in! Come on down! HOT deals today! Save 10%...20%...30%... MORE!

BUT, what makes this 'salebration' any different from any other sale? Are the deals any better? The savings any greater? The items offered for sale on sale of any higher quality? Is anything NOT on sale for sale?

What's with this insanity that has everyone astir? A sale is a sale on any day when its ad says "Save 10%...20%...30%...MORE!" Items can be found at a discount! On sale! Buy one, get one! More! More! More! Better still, people don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn or camp out 'til doors open. They'll take the ad, maybe a coupon or two, and gingerly search the sale racks for an item or two. NOT on Black Friday! NO, sir! Got to get there first or 'what I want, when I want, where I want, how I want' won't be there! Yea, like that is going to happen...I will bet you there are upteen more of that same item in the stockroom just waiting to be pulled out at the right time! What's even worse is the thought of how much items have been marked up in order for them to be marked down for that so-called 10%...20%...30%...MORE savings.

Embrace the Past...

The first wave of shoppers depicted sheer madness...madness of the worse order, I mean MADness! Running, bumping into one another, even literally knocking down the door! OOPS! An old gentleman fell. Someone help him up! Nah! Can't take the time or MY item will be snatched up by the lady at my right. MINE! I got here at 3:00 AM, 20 minutes before her. 

Notice that was just the first wave! There was ultimately a lull. Others were waiting at home enjoying morning coffee and homemade muffins 'til their time was right. This group appeared on the scene ready to scavenge what was left hoping some 'meat' still clung among the scraps left on the racks.  

Empower the Present...

Black Friday is not just for Friday anymore. While many prepared for time with family and friends to feast on turkey and dressing savoring thoughts of saving enough room for succulent pumpkin pie, others left home before sunrise to stand in the cold, waiting in line - long-long-long lines - for doors to open announcing the beginning of Thanksgiving Day sales. Then, there are some who enjoyed the holiday feast only to end the day shopping for pre-Black Friday bargains after all the bone picking was done. Makes one wonder what was on their minds - giving thanks for all they had or giving thanks for all they hoped to have after taking advantage of the sales.

Is something being lost here? When having more is more important than more time with family then something is wrong, very wrong. This brings us back to earlier questions to still ponder: What makes this 'salebration' any different from any other sale? Are the deals any better? The savings any greater? The items offered for sale on sale of any higher quality? Is anything NOT on sale for sale?

Enrich the Future...

With the age of advancing technology, one does not have to leave home to shop. Nor does one have to leave home to take advantage of special sales. There is Walmart & Walmart Online, K-Mart & K-Mart Online, Best Buy & Best Buy Online, etc. Pretty much if it is to be bought, it can be bought at an online store which allows one to stay in the comfort of home leaving the cold and crowds to eventually fade as ghosts of times past.

Of course, retailers would much prefer customers to shop in store hoping the more they see the more they will buy. One is more likely to pass up an item online vs. seeing it in real life, being able to feel it! However, there are things to be bought and sold both ways. Just remember, they are things. Stay home, spend time with family!

Bottom Line... 

There is no difference in this 'salebration' than any other sale. The deals aren't any better. The savings any greater. The items offered for sale on sale aren't of any higher quality. There are items NOT on sale for sale but bargains are still always available. 

What is your madness...in store or online?

Are you one who prefers to experience the insanity, the madness of Black Friday sales? If so, good luck and watch out for the other guy! There is a chance someone might get hurt when Black Friday madness takes a tragic turn.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Empower the Present...

Thanksgiving Day is a federal holiday in the United States.

©iStockphoto.com/Olga Lyubkina

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day: A Holiday Feast 

A cornucopia of fruits, nuts, and veggies 
Turkey, trimmings, cakes, and pies 
More than anyone could possibly ask 
Instead of a treat, becomes our demise

***

Family and friends prepare favorite recipes

Bringing various homemade dishes to explore

Gluttons for punishment, a natural instinct

Lead us back for more and more

***

Thirst quenched and bellies stuffed to the gills

Rocking chair conversation not too deep

Is it the rocking motion or the turkey

That finally puts us all to sleep?

 Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Gratitude 

A cornucopia of thoughtfulness and gratitude,

Thanks from the heart, as well as the lips,

More blessings than anyone could ask
Comes with all the trimmings this day equips
***

Family and friends unite in fellowship

Granting praise for all the gifts of the year

A candle is lit and with prayerful hands

The true meaning of Thanksgiving is clear

©2009 Remembering
Sharla Lee Shults

MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING BE FILLED WITH MANY BLESSINGS!

Did Pilgrims Eat Popcorn?

Embrace the Past...

The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth
by Jennie A. Brownscombe. (1914)
A mythologized painting showing
Plymouth settlers feasting with Plains Indians.
en.wikipedia.org

With Thanksgiving comes a special time to embrace the past. The feast of which we are most familiar took place when the Pilgrims arrived and the Wampanoag Indians gathered in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1621. This was a time of autumn celebration and that's right, it took place in the 17th century!

Within the history of Thanksgiving lies nuggets of trivia that nudge at the heart and tickle the funny bone. 

Did you know...

• Turkey may not have been the main meat that filled the guests' bellies at the first feast?
• George Washington declared Thanksgiving to be a February holiday?
• Fledgling colonists lacked butter and wheat flour for baking, thus no pumpkin pie?
• Whether mashed or roasted, white or sweet, potatoes had no place at the first Thanksgiving?
• While cranberries were plentiful, in wasn't until 50 years later that sauces and relishes were made with the tart orbs?

"Although Thanksgiving celebrations dated back to the first European settlements in America, it was not until the 1860s that Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be a national holiday" (History of Thanksgiving. (2012). The History Channel website. Retrieved 9:52, November 20, 2012, from http://www.history.comhttp://www.history.com/videos/history-of-the-thanksgiving-holiday.)

What about corn?  

So far there has been no mention of corn: roasted, boiled or popped. While corn and kidney beans were staples of the Pilgrim's diet, is it possible there was no corn gracing the table of that first Thanksgiving feast? If it was present, i.e., Indian corn, it presented itself in a form much different from that which we are familiar today. From this, a thought is interjected:

Popcorn is prevalent today as one of America's favorite snacks but . . .

Did Pilgrims Eat Popcorn?

Some believe to this day

Popcorn was a “parched” treat

Brought by the Indians

To the first Thanksgiving feast 

 

A banquet of harvest tradition

Surpasses any myth of yore

Hearty, bountiful plenty

Did grace every table galore

 

Venison, goose, duck, and eel

Beckoned the most squeamish lad

Time of rejoicing and feasting

Meant only the best to be had 

A cornucopia of fruits

Berries, grapes, apples, and plums

Competed with homegrown veggies

Squash, peas, beans, even white corn 

There were no potatoes

Pumpkin pie hadn’t been invented

Bread puddings, milk, and honey

Left no appetite unattended 

 

Indeed more beer than water

Quenched the harshest of thirsts

With gin and wine not far behind

Unbeknownst which came first 

 

But what about the popcorn?

Were pilgrims the early munchers

Of that salty, puffed corn treat

Or was someone else the launcher? 

 

Not until over a century later

Did sweet yellow corn none the least

Become the corn that traditionally “popped”

As part of a Thanksgiving feast



©2012 Awakenings
Sharla Lee Shults

 

Thanksgiving Clock

How long until Thanksgiving? Click the Turkey . . .

 

Are you ready?

The Power of Monday

 catnipoflife is Awakenings sister site. For Monday inspiration, click HERE!

Roaring into the 20s

The Jazz Age (Roaring 20s) and Louis Armstrong: Nostalgia reigns when you repeat those words to just about anyone growing up in the 20s to the end of the 20th century. The 1920s roared because of the high rise in popularity of music and dance. Cultural changes abounded!

No way to depict every hit song, writer or performer during this era. Hopefully, you will leave today with a feeling, a heart-to-heart, gut feeling about the life & times of the 20s.

Are you ready? Let's ROAR... Ever heard the expression Riding On A Rail? Its meaning here will be quite different than than depicted in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Nothing painful. No kind of punishment. Just excitement like riding a mono-rail roller coaster for the first time. You know...exhilarating! With music comes natural rhythm which in turn leads to body movement...really hard to listen to the music of the Roaring 20s without wanting to dance the night away! Thus, a burst of newly invented dances came about in this era. 

One cannot enter or leave the Jazz Age with mention of the flapper. The 1920s brought with it significant changes in lifestyle and culture, especially on the part of the woman. Judging from the savoir faire hailed by the flapper, fashion, radio, music and dance were all culturally connected. Whether she always did the right thing might be debatable but the flapper certainly aired a confidence unsurpassed for the times...a rebel flaunting contempt for what was considered acceptable behavior. 

Enjoy a taste of the music and dance within an excerpt from Awakenings...

  *** 

Embracing all styles modern 

Appeared the fashionable flapper 

Short sleek hair, shapeless shift dress 

NOT often referred to as dapper

Revealing bare knees during the Charleston dance
The flapper was a bird out of a cage
Typifying the reckless rebel spirit
Who danced the nights away in the Jazz Age  

 
 

  

What about Louis Armstrong? His name was mentioned in the beginning and he IS an integral part of 1920s music. He relished an active music career from 1914 to 1971 but came to prominence in the 1920s as a result of his musical inventiveness with the trumpet and cornet. He is known as The Jazz Original carrying with him the nicknames "Satchmo" (short for "Sacthelmouth" referring to the size of his mouth) and "Pops" (his humor and positive disposition made people around him feel good). He will always be remembered as one of the most influential artists in the history of music with lyrics and sound still going strong well into the 21st century.

 

Louis Armstrong's stage personality matched his flashy cornet and
trumpet playing. Armstrong is also known for his raspy singing voice.

His raspy voice reverberated with a charismatic air in much the same manner as his trumpet playing. Both grabbed the listener with a sound typical of being right there in the heart of New Orleans. He lived the worst of times, the best of times but none of the times without music. 

He began to scat sing (improvised vocal jazz using non-sensical words) and recorded "Heebie Jeebies" in 1926. This new type of jazz was hailed across the country by both black and white musicians. He is considered the most important improvisor in jazz and taught the world to swing. His infectious, wide grin won the hearts of people everywhere.

 

 Remembering the man...and his music!

  

 

How would you like To Live In The 1920s? 

What captures you the most about life in the Roaring Twenties? 

And the music goes on beating to the rhythm of the changing times. . .

The Jukebox, Caruso & LIFE

This Day in History

November 23, 1889—The 'Jukebox' Made its Debut

The Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco

The "nickel-in-the-slot-player" was an overnight sensation making its debut at the Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco on this day in 1889. For a nickel (the buying power of $1.08 today), one could hear a single recording with the quality of sound resembling the peep-show nickelodeon. Different from the photo above, the first jukebox built by the Pacific Phonograph Co. consisted of an Edison Class M Electric Phonograph inside a free-standing oak cabinet to which were attached FOUR stethoscope-like tubes. Each tube operated individually, thus, each required the insertion of a nickel to activate the sound. This allowed four people to hear the same song simultaneously. Hey! Don't knock it...It had to start somewhere! 

For a nickel apiece a thrilled group tunes in on a screechy jukebox of the 1890s.
Photo: Bettmann/Corbis

November 23, 1903—Caruso Sings in America 

In 1903, Enrico Caruso made his American debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, appearing in “Rigoletto.” Italian tenor Caruso's debut in La Scala (1900) was a disaster, yet he went on to become an international star from 1903 - 1920. He appeared in various silent films and participated in the first U.S. public radio broadcast in 1910. Caruso's love letters reveal a life of epic operatic drama.

"I suffer so much in this life. That is what they [the audience] are feeling when I sing, that is why they cry. People who felt nothing in this life cannot sing." —Enrico Caruso

November 23, 1936—First Issue of Life Magazine

Cover of first issue of Life magazine, featuring a story on the new
Social Security Board. Courtesy of Clark Bane Hutchinson.

LIFE began as an American humor, light-entertainment, general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. The LIFE Magazine we are mostly familiar with debuted with Volume 1, Number 1 dated November 23, 1936. Margaret Bourke-White had the honor of the cover photo, the Fort Peck Dam, on that inaugural issue. 

With every past issue of Life Magazine one will find pages upon pages of history to devour in any single sitting! Along with Look Magazine, Life would become one of the two major magazines of the era. Both Life and Look magazines popularized photojournalism in the 1930s.

"Embrace the past of word and song for the present is empowered to keep both alive as enrichment for the future."