One great jazz musician was Lionel Hampton. Lionel was a bandleader, actor, jazz vibraphonist and percussionist. He has worked with other famous jazz musicians such as Buddy Rich, Quincy Jones and Charlie Parker. Lionel was raised by his grandmother in the south before he relocated to Chicago. In the 1920’s he started playing the xylophone and drums. His first instrument was the fife drum.

When he was a teenager he played drums for the Chicago Defender Newsboy’s band. When he lived in California, he played for the Dixieland Blue-Blowers. The first band that he recorded with was The Quality Serenaders, then he left again to go play with another band, Les Hite band. It was here that he began studying the vibraphone. Louis Armstrong asked Lionel to play the vibraphones on two songs. That is when he made the vibraphone a popular instrument.

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Lester Young was one of the true giants of jazz, a tenor saxophonist, who had a different approach in which to play his horn, floating over bar lines with a light tone rather than adopting Coleman Hawkins’ then-dominant forceful approach. As non-conformist, Young (nicknamed “Prez” by Billie Holiday) had the ironic experience in the 1950s of hearing many young tenors try to emulate him.

He spent his early days near New Orleans, Louisiana. Lester Young lived in Minneapolis by 1920 and was playing in a legendary family band. He studied violin, trumpet, and drums, starting on alto saxophone at age 13. Because he refused to tour in the South, Young left home in 1927 and instead toured with Art Bronson’s Bostonians. He switched to tenor saxophone.

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Lena Horne is one of the most popular African-American jazz legend singers. She was born in 1917 Lena Mary Calhoun Horne in New York City. She performed with the greatest jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington and Artie Shaw. She lives in New York City today and does not appear in the public eye anymore. Lena is most famous for the movie Stormy Weather, in which she sung the title song, in the 1940’s. Contrary to how music careers usually begin, Lena grew up in an elite family. She lived in a black bourgeois area in Brooklyn, New York.

Her father Edwin Horne left them when she was three-years-old. Her mother Edna Scottron, daughter of an inventor, was an actress with a black theater group and traveled a lot. Lena’s grandparents raised her. Though, she was said to have been a part of the Black elite, racial discrimination still existed. Lena Horne and her friend Paul Robeson embarked on a lifelong effort to fight for Civil Rights.

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Coltrane grew up in High Point NC, moving to Philadelphia PA in June, 1943. He was inducted into the Navy in 1945, returning to civilian life in 1946. Coltrane worked a variety of jobs through the late forties until when he joined Dizzy Gillespie’s big band in 1949. He stayed with Gillespie through the band’s breakup in May 1950 and worked with Gillespie’s small group until April 1951, when he returned to Philadelphia to go to school.

In early 1952 he joined Earl Bostic’s band, and in 1953 he joined Johnny Hodges’s small group, staying until mid 1954. Although there are recordings of Coltrane from as early as 1946, his real career spans the twelve years between 1955 and 1967, during which time he reshaped modern jazz and influenced generations of other musicians.

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There was a time in history when Jazz the music was banned during World War II when it was considered a plight for freedom against Hitler’s Nazi regime due to what it represents. Jazz music is the product of America that was creatively invented by African American from culture, and all the elements of the American life that influenced this style of music.

Jazz music is a symbol of freedom, hope and the ability of express ones self in through one of best art forms which is music. Meaning, African Americans fought oppression since the beginning of slavery, and Jazz music represented that resistance. Jazz music has a foundation of the basic rules of composition, but it has since expanded its way toward newer forms of music.

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The song “Jelly Roll Blues” was the first jazz compilation every published (1915), and this catchy tune really put both Jelly Roll and the jazz piano on the musical map. There is no debating the fact that Morton was the original father of jazz piano, and he is entirely responsible for the jazz piano tunes that we know and love today. If you have heard this great musician play, you may be interested to know that a fantastic recording of his is currently at the Library of Congress. This recording was the last one that Morton ever did, and it is one of the best recordings in history.

When the African slaves who were brought to the colonies were first introduced to Christianity and Christian music lyrics they brought with them their own free spirituality and deep appreciation for life. That enthusiasm bled over to create ebullient and emotional gospel music that brought together the unlikely pairing of European Protestant hymns and the fierce rhythms of Africa. Not content to leave their message in the church, however, many gospel artists took their lyrics and went mainstream. Thus was born gospel jazz.

Typical instruments used in jazz Music include: Saxophone, Trumpets, Trombone, Clarinet, Piano, Guitar, Double Bass Drums and More. Subgenres to this type of music are the following: Avant-garde Jazz, Bebop, Cool Jazz, Dixieland, Free Jazz, Hard Bop, Jazz Fusion, Kansas City Jazz, Latin Jazz, Mainstream Jazz, Modal Jazz, M-Base, Swing, Third Stream, West Coast Jazz and more. Jazz has pretty much influenced a big part of the world like Australia, Brazil, Spain and others.

The abilities of the human voice is phenomenal in the fact that one could imitate another person or instrument, or sing several octaves on the piano. Jazz instruments can express emotion, but the natural gift from within the human voice is conveyed in a variety of ways.

The Jazz singers with a unique voice quality have been heard in many clubs, and recordings in the past. These Jazz Legends have helped make Jazz music popular especially with the use of the voice.

There are also the average Jazz singers who deserve to be in the spotlight also for having what it takes to make it successfully in Jazz. One style of Vocal Jazz Singers is the soulful bluesy sound with Singers such as Diane Schuur, Nina Simone, Bessie Smith, Etta James, Della Reese, and more.

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The music most associated with Italy is opera, the tradition growing from the late 1500s and contributing greatly to the rest of Europe. Other Italian music is important to its people too, such as classical instrumental music and folk music. Italians are descended from many ethnic roots and immigration has brought its own influences. The country imported a mix of jazz, pop and rock during the 20th century, whilst retaining a passion for its own homegrown culture.