mixtape: who i respect
There’s an aweful lot of hype going on today in memory of what was an amazing entertainer. His work in his youth and through his adult solo career is nothing to scoff at. The team he had around him helped him write and produce amazing songs, choreograph amazing dance moves, script and produce amazing videos, run a huge business… but, all the hype got me to thinking, who do I really admire and what entertainers have really meant something special to me and changed music and the world around them.
Scott Joplin “Maple Leaf Rag” – Scott’s work is essentially the foundation of ragtime and early Jazz as we’ve come to know it. He challenged music and himself by composing everything from short melody to full operas and was eventually awarded a Pulitzer prize for his contribution and is honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Huddie William ‘lead belly’ Ledbetter “Goodnight, Irene” – There’s a lot of controversy surrounding aspects of his life most of which were products of the times, but the single, undisputed fact is Lead Belly took folk and blues to new levels throughout his tenuous career and helped define both genres to popular culture through coverage in Time and Life magazines despite most of the stories being as much hearsay as fact and was the supposed model for a reformed sinner. In the end he’s honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Robert Johnson “Cross Road Blues” – What the man could do between his voice, his guitar and his toe tapping is almost unreal and his songwriting talent exploited it to its fullest. The legend is almost as important as the few recordings that survived to help define blues. He received the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames despite being relatively unknown during most of his actual career.
‘Jelly Roll’ Morton “Black Bottom Stomp” Somewhere between where Rag left off Jazz picked up and blues spun off you’d find Jelly Roll’s sound. He was an innovator and prolific songwriter who’s only downfall might have been overboasting his already extravagant contribution to music. He’s honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
WC Handy “Memphis Blues (Boss Cump)” – He took the blues from a not very well-known regional music style to one of the dominant forces in American music and defined and then immediately began to blur blues. Due to his it effected the typical use of the 12-bar pattern in all derivative forms of music and left a lasting impact still being felt today. He’s honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Count Basie “One O’clock Jump” Basie’s legacy is more than the sum of its parts, as he spanned from early big band right into the early rock and roll era almost seemlessly. Few musicians enjoyed more collaborations with as wide a range of people as with whom Basie worked and he left an indelible mark on every one of them. Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Louis ’satchmo’ Armstrong “Heebie Jeebies” There is something about Satchmo’s sound, between his voice and his horn, that is so distinctive and so influential it defies definition. He brought a range of styles to performance that helped redefine the music of each era he played in. He is honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
‘Duke’ Ellington “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” Ellington pushed big band from the 3-minute 78RPM single to a full art form and his effect on contributing members of his band helped define several generations of composers. Ultimately awareded thePulitzer prize for his contributions, Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award and is honored by the NAPM and Library of Congress and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Billy Strayhorn “Take the A Train” Mostly known as an Ellington classic, Strayhorn penned it and his work with Ellington’s band helped bring individual solists to the forefront of a composition. Billy was also one of the first openly gay entertainers. His legacy is rich even though he didn’t receive as many accolades as hi contemporaries.
Ella Fitzgerald “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” The first lady of Jazz was truly a supreme vocalist and performer. Her work with Ellington, Armstrong and Basie only helped cement what was a stunning style and interpretation of music and her presence was immeasurable as she essentially reinvented the Great American Songbook. Several presidential awards plus NAPM and Library of Congress honors and inducted into several Hall of Fames only touch on her true legacy.
Nat ‘King’ Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right” – As important as his style as a vocalist and accomplishments as a pianist, he was first black American to host a television variety show and was a personality beyond just being a performer and he one of the first performers to refuse to perform in segregated venues. His accomplishments are included in the NAPM and Library of Congress honors and he was inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Sammy Davis, Jr. “I’ve Gotta Be Me” – Sammy was an iconic charactor. The only black member of the Rat Pack and equally as important as Martin or Sinatra, Sammy defied catagorization as a performer spanning singing, dancing, acting and just being himself. Emmy Award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated and Tony Award-nominated only scratches the surface of his accomplishments
Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Parker / Max Roach “Ko Ko” – The three essentially helped invent be bop as a style together and changed the way their respective instruments were used. Separating them and their accomplishments could (and I probably) should have done, but together they are by far and away defining on this recording for Savoy and changed music irreversibly from that moment on. Again, all three had amazing careers and accomplishments on their own influencing music and culture, but separating them from themselves was too difficult.
Miles Davis “So What” – He may not have been a virtuoso in the traditional form but his ability to find stunning musicians to play in his bands and craft exceptionally diverse songs were two of his more astonishing traits. He helped make every musician he worked with better and blended styles and sounds so effortlessly some still are genre-less concepts. He’s honored by the Grammys, NAPM and Library of Congress honors and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
‘Muddy Waters’ Morganfield “Rollin’ Stone” – His own band spawned the careers of countless other musicians, his collaborations helped define careers and he himself is considered one of the founders of Chicago blues and an electric guitar style and tone that is still imitated today. There was no limit to what not only his playing, but his personality could do. He’s honored by NAPM and Library of Congress honors and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Willie Dixon “Hoochie Coochie Man” – The song is associated with Muddy Waters but Dixon wrote it and penned a great many hits for other blues man. His song writing and his style as a bassist were seminal points in the transition from blues to rock and to this day his catalog is still coveted by artists looking for cover songs. He’s honored by NAPM and Library of Congress honors and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
Charles ‘Chuck’ Berry “Johnny B. Goode”- In essence probably helped invent rock and roll taking influences from white country, black blues and his own interpretation of performance to generate a uniquely defiant sound. His guitar work especially is notable bringing together the use of both choppy rhythmic riffing and solistic efforts to make the instrument a centerpiece of the new sound. He’s honored by the Grammys, NAPM and Library of Congress honors and inducted into several Hall of Fames among his some of his accolades.
Jimi Hendrix “Purple Haze” – In his extremely short career redefined guitar with his unorthodox style of playing, changed recording with his approach and generally took the Clapton, Beck & Page idea of blues-rock and threw it for such a loop that players are still trying to understand it. His life was cut short by it’s own excess but his legacy is as lasting. He’s honored by the Grammys, NAPM and Library of Congress honors and inducted into several Hall of Fames.
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