EARLY JAZZ PIANO STYLES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EARLY JAZZ PIANO STYLES - Essay Example With Bennie Moten’s innovation, jazz piano incorporated some blues in it which accounted for the â€Å"blues-rooted modern jazz† (Schuller 4). Gioia’s account brought up the influence of Mexican band performers to the birth of jazz in Kansas City, New Orleans (7). It was during the time when the Louisiana Purchase only resulted to a one-eighth Anglo-Saxon population and the Latin Americans dominated in numbers in the said area (Gioia 6). Decades passed, and the influence of African-Americans grew to be more noticeable with the introduction of rhythm and blues. In fact, modern jazz is described as a hybrid of various Latin and African-American music genres, such as Broadway music, pop, blues, samba, reggae, funk, and other symphony music (Gioia 8). This essay follows the discussion of various musical works in jazz piano and descriptions of each popular jazz work in history. In particular, it discusses the popular Stride Ragtime, specifically the Harlem stride pian o, Boogie Woogie, Earl Hines’ jazz piano pieces, and G. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Descriptions of these masterpieces will also be supported by some music authors’ perception of their music for validation and complementary interpretation. Stride Ragtime: Harlem Stride Piano Among the best pianists in New York, four of them were experts in stride playing. James P. Johnson, Luckey Roberts, Willie â€Å"The Lion† Smith and Richard â€Å"Labba Labba† Maclean were among the victors in stride ragtime battle known as â€Å"cutting contests† in which they were known as ticklers (Martin and Waters 108). Stride ragtime is played fundamentally by the left hand which strides â€Å"up and down the keyboard† using a â€Å"base note or an octave played on the first and third beats of the 4/4 measure† while goes on to alternate with a midrange note â€Å"on the second and fourth beats† (Martin and Waters 108). Stride ragtime originate d from ragtime itself but was developed into stride piano using some techniques such as speed, variations, incorporation of blues, and other improvisations that were â€Å"sometimes planned† (Martin and Waters 108). Harlem Stride Piano incorporates speed and flash. The effect appears to be vigorous and full of energy, a mimicry of American society shortly after World War I in which American lifestyle was fast-paced, hectic, and seemingly always in a rush. It also depicts sounds heard in cars and other automobiles, telephones, and airplanes (Martin and Waters 108). It also suggests a pleasing and lively mood because of the seemingly ‘caricature’ accompaniment which is a perfect background to slapsticks and pathos visual shows. Eubie Blake was particularly famous for being a pianist and composer during early, middle, and late 1900s and took the stride ragtime to a new level (Martin and Waters 109). Most importantly, James P. Johnson fathered stride piano by being s o absorbed in his craft through composing jazz pieces for Broadway musicals and concerts and keeping on learning and experimenting for the said genre (Martin and Waters 109). Boogie-woogie â€Å"Noisy offspring† was labeled to another genre of jazz piano, which became an instant hit in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (Silvester 3). Boogie-woogie came to the existence in 1940s following combination of ragtime and rhythm of African music as evident by the qualities

English Literature Commentary Essay Example for Free

English Literature Commentary Essay The Crystal Cabinet is an outstanding example of Blakes use of an alternative reality to evoke readers to contemplate the boundaries of their society in light of knowledge about another world where these boundaries do not exist. Through the poem which was written just after the French Revolution, Blake offers the extreme of human experiences; as the central metaphor of the poem symbolizes a deep human truth which can be adopted with his poem, London. The poems simple goal is to tell a story and share a wisdom. The poem contains seven stanzas, several stanzas containing a different world and a different boundary; within each stanza one is able to find a rhyme scheme which closely follows a broken dactylic tetrameter. The Crystal Cabinets seven stanzas forms a superstructure upon which the story elements can be intertwined, and imagination can be overlaid as deeper themes of Blakes philosophy can be also be embedded. The first stanza is the main and central metaphor which one should focus on as it unfolds line by line before connecting with the second stanza to further evoke readers on the different dimensions and boundaries. The first two lines in the first stanza seemingly represents a form of innocence, a new born into a new world that deserved a celebration which is where and why Blake uses the term merrily. However, one notices the semi-colon after the merrily as it drifts further away from the supposed celebration, as the narrators Maiden puts the persona into a cabinet and lockd me up with a golden key; the poems happiness and joy thus comes to a dramatic halt. The broken dactylic meter in the first stanza seems to be contradicting, as merrily representing a form of happiness and freedom, is partnered with key which in terms symbolizes a place where freedom is lacked and limited, where one is locked. The cabinet in which the narrator/Blake finds himself in is formd of gold, and pearl and crystal shining bright, a contrast to the large and dull world of nineteenth century London. The second stanza, from lines 5-9, Blake is using the cabinet for which the narrator is locked in to emphasize an escape to a different world as opposed to a world for which he lives in, a dull and fearful nineteenth century world, in London. The second stanza contains two broken rhymes/dactylic meters as Blake rhymes gold and world, and bright and night together. Inside the cabinet is where we find another London with its tower Blake uses to represent a temporarily forgotten evil of which the real city contained and the imaginary one within the cabinet was freed from. The cabinet that is described through the second stanza is a cabinet full of dreams and light, of beauty and no fright. A world that is surrounded by gold, a night that has a crystal shining bright light; this as opposed to a world where the narrator/persona is captured dancing merrily and locked up into a world of limits. The images inside this crystal cabinet translucent, lovely, shining clear; all of the people and places are presented in their perfect forms. Here, Blake comes to an agreement with Platos philosophy that a world of ideal forms only exists beyond our perception. His poem presents an encounter with the world, as the fourth stanza seems to be Blake pleading in hope that his readers will one day realize the possibility and potential which one can escape from their repressed society. O, what a pleasant trembling fear! is not necessarily speaking of fear itself, but the fear that this translucent, lovely and shining clear world of his will dissipate and once again, be ruined by repression in contrast to the French Revolution and its impact on England and the people of England. Here, Blake uses another broken dactylic meter of clear and fear; the clear representing/symbolizing a form of clarity, purity, innocence, and happiness and the fear that represents the loss of that clarity. Thus, allowing one to see the desperate desire that the narrator must have towards a peaceful world, a peaceful life that is not full of danger and fearfulness. Through this poem which catapults the reader into a realm of the personas imagination, Blake description and different realm throughout the fifth stanza is a world containing love, for which was given and returned. This particular stanza differs from the first four as it is filled with joy, happiness and love, without having a halt. O, the happiness and joy for which fulfilled my soul as though a flame being burnt, no composition, no question, I seek the love as I kiss the lovely Maid and found that the love I seek was returned. Notice the Maid in the third line of this stanza, is capitalized, which in terms represents something more than just a maid we understand in modern day, for this Maid is not one who cleans up after our mess, but a context used metaphorically to describe a woman in particular, a woman whom the persona is trapped with respects and cares about, perhaps a lover. Linking to Blake as the poet of this poem, must represent a time in his human experience of a lover which made him burn like a flame and smile threefold smiles. Another point for which one notices while reading this poem is the broken rhyme of burnd and returnd; the burnd here represents a fire (danger), a wrath, however symbolizing much more than just a fire object itself, as it symbolizes a warmth, the warmth of love, which in contrast was returnd. Here in this new world of The Crystal Cabinet, the persona trapped is happy and is in a world where his desires are fulfilled, as is the desire of his lover, his Maid. When the persona suddenly breaks the crystal cabinet in the fifth stanza, after having tried to seize the inmost form, the world was fierce and shattered; and the reader is convinced that both imagination and reason are incompatible to one another. Here, the poem suggests that our lives have been so dominated by the doctrines of society that if we do try to find any reason in anything beyond the confines of the familiar lives for which weve been put in, we will not succeed, but will fail. In terms of Blake during his time, this particular part of the poem suggests that people during this time, their lives, are so dominated by not only the doctrines of society, but the doctrines of the Church, that if they do find reasoning and truth beyond those lines that have been drawn for them, they will die, and that truth does not prevail because of the imposed laws and rules. Therefore, the realm of the imagination that is transcended can not be quantified by either science or mathematics, nor can it be philosophized according to the laws of the State or the Churchs teachings, limiting the human minds, locking each human up with a golden key, only allowing the locked up humans to use their alternative reality minds to go into other realms of the world. The last stanza, striking to the reader as to the narrator, basically states that although one has been locked up into a crystal cabinet with a golden key, having experienced different realms of the world and having loved and loved back, one opens their eyes (seize the inmost form but burst the Crystal Cabinet) they break through the cabinet and once again, is back into the reality of fear and danger, back to the fearful nineteenth century world of London. As babies crying because their births are of no happy events as it only represents a continuation of this woe (linking to London as well as last line of The Crystal Cabinet), and weeping Woman pale reclind, representing the plague from the Sexually Transmitted Diseases woman get from their husbands; there is no happiness, no other dimension that is capable of allowing one to escape reality forever, as the persona is born into a world filld with woes the passing wind. In conclusion, this crystal cabinet symbolizes a unique opportunity to unfold meaning and explore further into those minds of the nineteenth century. Using the metaphorical visionary/images to help set a stage for a greater understanding of the environment, situation and journey for which is also a realization of the philosophy of William Blake. This poem is independent, yet linked through the narrative, using color scheme and the re-use of objects and words from other narrative elements, these different realms of worlds and spaces produces a unique, harmonic, and fearful resonance to viewers. It is when the four-fold vision is sought as the Crystal Cabinet breaks, in the seventh and final stanza, summing up everything the poem means and has stood for, is returned back to the original place and location for which they had entered, in the town squares of London. Here, the readers experience has thus triggered a new perception of London, as this perception is the perception seen through the eyes of William Blake himself.

Hero in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey Essay -- One Flew

Hero in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey Randle Patrick McMurphy, the main character in â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest†, is the perfect example of a hero. He is committed to a mental institution after faking insanity to get out of a work camp. From the beginning of his presence on the ward, things start to change. He brings in laughter, gambling, profanity and he begins to get the other patients to open up. All of this, however, clashes with the head nurse, Nurse Ratched, who is trying to press conformity and obeying authority. It is then a battle between McMurphy and the nurse, McMurphy trying to set the patients free and the nurse trying to make them â€Å"normal†. The most obvious hero type of McMurphy is an out-law hero. This is evident in his struggle against the nurse and the combine which represent society. He is an outlaw because he is his own person. He has freedom to act how he wants, think what he wants and be what he wants, and society is out to make him be like everyone else, to conform. At first, McMurphy’s rebellion against authority is just a selfish attempt to make his life on the ward more comfortable. But later on he realizes that the other patients rely on him and need him to help them be free. This is seen in the book when Cheswich drowns himself after McMurphy starts to give in to the nurse. Then, McMurphy sees that he has to be the leader and continue to resist authority. In this way McMurphy is sort of the like Christ, whom...

Herzberg Two Factor Theory

Maslow's need theory has practical limitations in translating needs into something operational, since the criteria for satisfying social needs differ from individual to individual. Frederick Herzberg developed a two-factor theory to provide some direction for managers in resolving motivational problems. He derived to this conclusion by a survey he ran back in 1959, in which he asked engineers to describe events that led to such feelings of satisfaction about their work and events that led to dissatisfaction. In this theory, Herzberg distinguished between two different types of factors, those who can give an individual the feeling of satisfaction which he called motivating factors and those that can give him the feeling of dissatisfaction which he called hygiene factors. Hygiene factors include â€Å"technical supervision, interpersonal relationship with peers, salary, working conditions, status, company policy, job security and interpersonal relations with superiors†. All of these factors are job contextual and also include maintenance factors. These are considered extrinsic, as they are out of the limit of work and employees. Hygiene factors are satisfiers to the extent that they produce dissatisfaction if absent, but once satisfied the effect soon disappear – satisfaction is temporary. However, they are not motivators for better performance. Motivating factors relate to job content and are concerned with increased satisfaction and the desire to work harder. This factors provides satisfaction and motivates towards more effort and better performance, their absence does not produce dissatisfaction. Some of the motivating factors are â€Å"advancement, the work itself, recognition, and the possibility of growth†. Herzberg’s theory can be applied to better understand the problem of high staff turnover. In this scenario, hygiene factors are salary (dissatisfaction on salary), security (safety risk), work condition (outdoor job), supervision (lack of support from management), personal life (own attitude – introverts) and relationship with peers (influence by bad attitude colleagues). Motivators are personal growth and recognition (demoted staff) and responsibility (autocratic leadership). Hence, Herzberg’s theory can be applied by management of the organisation to better motivate their staff. Various job enrichment techniques can be implemented, for example removal of controls, increase in accountability, participation in decision making, introduction of new tasks and the granting of additional authority. Management can focus on motivation through rewards that linked to performance and equitable.

DuPont

Some tragic events In the asses alerted the public to the devastating effects that a iatrogenic substance can have on a developing fetus, although the drug may be perfectly harmless to the mother. Doctors had prescribed the drug thalidomide for pregnant women as a tranquilizer, but they discovered that the drug caused fetal defects such as missing arms, legs, hands, and feet, in addition to many soft tissue malformations. Fetal defects [191 included both physical and functional alterations, such as the possibility of growth retardation, deformities, behavioral problems, genetic alterations, or a higher than aroma tendency to develop cancer.The Du Pont policy E. L. Du Pont De Memoirs & Co. , the world's largest chemical manufacturer, has long been concerned with chemical toxicity and exposure. Du Pont uses only a small number of hazardous substances – such as lead, aniline, and redistribution – that require special control. Over the years, the company has promulgated sev eral policies dealing with reproductive hazards, particularly one that addressed the problem of fetal damage from chemical exposure.If Du Pont discovers that a chemical is a developmental toxin (toxic to the fetus), the company first uses engineering and administrative procedures to eliminate the risk of exposure or to reduce it to an acceptable level. Engineering procedures: special ventilation equipment administrative procedures: regulation of exposure time, use of protective clothing However, If no â€Å"acceptable exposure level† has been determined or If engineering and administrative procedures cannot reduce exposure to an acceptable level, the Du Pont policy read: â€Å"females of child bearing capacity shall be excluded from work areas†.The feminist organizations protested, Incriminating this policy as a clear form of gender discrimination. They claimed that a considerable number of women are excluded from very well payday jobs, and requested the right for any fertile woman to Du Pont rejected the suggestion that a woman who was appraised of the health risk could then sign a legally valid waiver, because the exclusionary policy was to protect the fetus, not the woman.Under this policy Du Pont stated that â€Å"the waiver of subsequent claims by the female worker would be of no legal significance because the deformed fetus, if born, may have its own rights as a person which could not be waived by [21] the mother. Although some state supreme courts upheld this position, omen's groups continued to view protective exclusion as sex discrimination, especially given the growing evidence that industrial chemicals that can affect a future fetus may also adversely affect the male reproductive system.Du Pont considered the excluded party's sex to be irrelevant, on grounds that the policy's goal is to protect the susceptible fetus. Du Pont noted that â€Å"the complexity of the issue lies in the separate, but not separated, nature of the affected g roups – fetus and females†. Du Pont excluded women only because they are capable of becoming pregnant and bringing the fetus into the workplace. Du Pont regarded the difficulty of determining pregnancy during the early stages, when the fetus is most vulnerable to damage, as a sound reason for the exclusion policy.However, women's advocates continued to view companies such as Du Pont as simply remiss in developing technological solutions for the control of embryologist. A common union complaint is that industry makes the worker safe for the workplace to the point of exclusion, rather than making the workplace safe for the worker and fetus. Management, however, contends that acceptable levels of exposure cannot be achieved using available risk data. 1991 US Supreme Court's decision In January 1981 The New York Times examined a startling development in the nation's workplaces.Fertile women workers were, in increasing numbers, electing to undergo voluntary sterilization rat her than give up high-paying Jobs involving exposure to chemicals that are potentially harmful to a developing fetus. This disclosure precipitated discussion of a new civil rights issue with questions raised about whether a company should be aloud to discriminate against a woman to protect her unborn child, or whether the practice of keeping a woman out of certain well-paying Jobs because she was fertile was simply another form of sex coordination in the workplace.Ten years later, on March 20, 1991, the US Supreme Court decided in the case of Auto Workers v. Johnson Controls, Inc. [a relatively obscure company, manufacturing car batteries] that employers cannot legally adopt fetal protection policies that exclude women of childbearing age from a hazardous workplace because such policies involve illegal sex discrimination. However, the Supreme Court decision was, in some respects, narrow. It left American corporations in a state of uncertainty about what type of policy would effectiv ely protect fetus from reproductive hazards.

John Reed, account of Bolshevi essays

John Reed, account of Bolshevi essays How useful is the eyewitness account of the Bolshevik revolution by John Reed for an historical understanding of the Bolshevik revolution? John Reeds, Ten Days that Shook the World immediately stands out as a crucial primary historical source on the Bolshevik revolution. His eye witness account of the events in Petrograd are important as the revolutionary actions that took place similarly replicated events that took place all over Russia. Reed creates an insight into the events, actions, feelings and emotions of the Bolshevik revolution that has not been replicated. There was no other similar documents to Reeds at the time and thus Ten Days stands out as one of the key primary sources on the time period. Despite scholarly debate as to the accuracy and excess emotion rather than fact in Reeds work, it is widely agreed that his text is crucial for a complete understanding of the Bolshevik revolution. As Bertram D. Wolfe writes, Whether because of or despite the dream which possessed him, as literature Reeds book is the finest piece of eyewitness reporting the revolution produced. 1 Immediately, in the preface to the book Reed makes clear the reasons why he has written the text. Just as historians search the records for the minutest details of the story of the Paris Commune, so they will want to know what happened in Petrograd in November 1917, the spirit which animated the people, and how the leaders looked, talked and acted. It is with this in view that I have written this book.2 Here we see the sort of understanding he wants his readers to have achieved, an eyewitness account of the Bolshevik revolution with details on the spirit of the people and incredible insight on the leaders actions and beliefs during the revolutionary period. Like all historical documents, Reeds is undoubtedly biased. He attempts to be a reporter of facts and events but in the preface admits that in...

Free Essays on Exxon Valdex Oil Spill

On March 24, 1989 a 987 foot ship, the second newest in Exxon Shipping Company's 20-tanker fleet, was loaded with 53,094,510 gallons or 1,264,155 barrels of North Slope crude oil headed for Long Beach, California. Shortly after midnight, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker was grounded at the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska that ruptured eight of its eleven cargo tanks. As a result an estimated 11 million gallons or 257,000 barrels of crude oil spilled across 1,300 miles of the Alaskan coastline. This horrific event is considered one of the most publicized and studied environmental disasters in history. The Exxon Valdez spill is considered the number one spill worldwide for the most damage to the environment. Factors such as the timing of the spill, location, length of miles of shoreline, and the plentiful wildlife in the region altogether does not compare to other spills in terms of the environment. There were no human lives directly lost as a result of the oil spill but there were four deaths reported in the clean up efforts. After the spill, more than 35,000 bird carcasses and 1,000 sea otters were found after the spill. This is only considered to be a small fraction though, because most carcasses usually sink. But an estimated 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales and billions of salmon and herring eggs died. Exxon and many concerned people wondered how such a terrible event could happen. Considering tankers had safely and successfully transferred crude oil at Prince William Sound more than 8,700 times in the past 12 years since oil began flowing through the trans-Alaska pipeline. It was discovered that the captain was seen in a local bar, and admitted to having some alcoholic drinks. Several hours after the accident, a blood test showed alcohol in the captain’s blood. The state charged him with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol. However, and ... Free Essays on Exxon Valdex Oil Spill Free Essays on Exxon Valdex Oil Spill On March 24, 1989 a 987 foot ship, the second newest in Exxon Shipping Company's 20-tanker fleet, was loaded with 53,094,510 gallons or 1,264,155 barrels of North Slope crude oil headed for Long Beach, California. Shortly after midnight, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker was grounded at the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska that ruptured eight of its eleven cargo tanks. As a result an estimated 11 million gallons or 257,000 barrels of crude oil spilled across 1,300 miles of the Alaskan coastline. This horrific event is considered one of the most publicized and studied environmental disasters in history. The Exxon Valdez spill is considered the number one spill worldwide for the most damage to the environment. Factors such as the timing of the spill, location, length of miles of shoreline, and the plentiful wildlife in the region altogether does not compare to other spills in terms of the environment. There were no human lives directly lost as a result of the oil spill but there were four deaths reported in the clean up efforts. After the spill, more than 35,000 bird carcasses and 1,000 sea otters were found after the spill. This is only considered to be a small fraction though, because most carcasses usually sink. But an estimated 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles, up to 22 killer whales and billions of salmon and herring eggs died. Exxon and many concerned people wondered how such a terrible event could happen. Considering tankers had safely and successfully transferred crude oil at Prince William Sound more than 8,700 times in the past 12 years since oil began flowing through the trans-Alaska pipeline. It was discovered that the captain was seen in a local bar, and admitted to having some alcoholic drinks. Several hours after the accident, a blood test showed alcohol in the captain’s blood. The state charged him with operating a vessel while under the influence of alcohol. However, and ...