Ma Rainey, real name Gertrude Pridgett, was one of the first professional blues singers. She successfully entered this sphere and became known as the Mother of the Blues. “Deep Moaning Blues” is a memorable song because of her strong vocal and energetic spirit.
Bessie Smith became one of the greatest blues singers in history and created 160 songs. She was lucky to record songs with other famous musicians, including Fletcher Henderson and Louis Armstrong. Smith became famous in the 1920s thanks to her powerful voice and improvisation because she managed to incorporate life experience into her work. “St. Louis Blues” deserves attention since the song features loudness, powerful vocal, and a constant tempo. Guitar and wind instruments made the song pleasant for me. “I Need a Little Sugar” is famous for its sexually suggestive lyrics combined with a constant tempo in a minor tonality. “Backwater Blues” is a memorable song because Smith created it for the Cumberland River flood in 1926. In 1927, the song with an evident piano part was an anthem of the Mississippi River Flood.
Ethel Waters was a prominent blues singer who fought for the rights of African American women. She made jazz mainstream since her songs addressed essential topics. “Stormy Weather” relies on a minor tonality to reveal disappointment in her life because stormy weather is compared to the singer’s feelings and emotions.
Robert Johnson was the most successful in 1936-1937 when he recorded 29 songs. Some of them became canonical because of Johnson’s falsetto voice and exceptional guitar play. “Hellhound on My Trail” is a great blues song that features harmony because of a perfect match between voice and a guitar. “Me & The Devil Blues” impresses with groove and alternating rhythmic surprises.
B.B. King was acknowledged in the Blues Foundation Fall of Fame in 1984 and by a Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1987. “The Thrill is Gone” is the ideal combination of guitar, drums, remarkable voice, and groove. Even though “Why I Sing the Blues” is in a major tonality with an energetic and constant tempo, it comments on essential themes, including poverty, slavery, and racism.
Scott Joplin, also known as the King of Ragtime, is a famous composer and pianist. He performed in the late 19th-early 20th century, and his performance impacted the future development of jazz and blues. “Maple Leaf Rag” is an energetic piano composition created in a major tonality.
Jelly Roll Morton became the first jazz composer who actively relied on improvisation. He blended ragtime with dance rhythms and established the jazz style. “Dr. Jazz” is a lively composition that relies on the active use of wind instruments that became a standard of jazz tunes. “Tiger Rag” is a piano composition in a major tonality, which encourages listeners to dance. “Wolverine Blues” combines piano, wind instruments, and drums to achieve the same tonality. “Finger Breaker” features energy, a high and constant tempo, and the use of a piano.
Sidney Bechet became famous for his saxophone and clarinet plays. He developed and used the loose, which was a fluid, rhythmic style. “Egyptian Fantasy” shows how wind instruments can be combined with drums to create the Jazz Swing feel through alternating rhythmic surprises (Berendt & Huesmann, 2009).
Louis Armstrong is the most famous jazz musician in the world. He created remarkable songs and actively fought against poverty, racial segregation, and discrimination in the 20th century. In “West End Blues,” multiple instruments are combined to create a composition that merges major and minor tonalities. “Struttin with Some Barbecue” relies on wind instruments to establish a groove and lively spirit. In “Heebie Jeebies,” piano and wind instruments are accompanied by Armstrong’s powerful voice, which creates a perfect match that is pleasant for listeners. “Black and Blue” demonstrates that groove can be found in a minor tonality thanks to the cohesive group sound of piano and saxophone and Armstrong’s deep voice. “Hello Dolly” is one of the most famous songs by Armstrong. It evidently has the Jazz Swing feel because of off-beat accents, rhythmic subdivisions, and alternating rhythmic surprises (Berendt & Huesmann, 2009).
Bix Beiderbecke became famous in the 1920s when he revealed his talents as a cornetist and improvisator. “Riverboat Shuffle” demonstrates the exceptional use of cornet to create an energetic composition of a constant tempo. This musical work can be additionally described by the purity of tone, and this feature became Bix Beiderbecke’s visiting card.
The Original Dixieland Jazz Band (ODJB) is well-known for making jazz recordings in 1917. The ODJB recorded jazz commercially and succeeded in this area. “Livery Stable Blues” is a combination of multiple instruments to create a lively composition of a high spirit. Unexpected rhythmic changes contribute to the establishment of the Jazz Swing feel.
The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK) created one of the most influential and successful jazz bands in the 1920s. It was a wide jazz band that faced criticism because of the belief that black musicians could only play real jazz. “Tim Roof Blues” is a combination of piano and wind instruments, which resulted in a calm composition of a minor tonality.
Reference
Berendt, J.-E., & Huesmann, G. (2009). The jazz book: From ragtime to the 21st century. Lawrence Hill Books, 2009.