Quiz 9

Thomas Barry's article on James Brown in Look magazine mentions a message song Brown recently released, and also describes his success as a businessman. Name the song and at least two of Brown's business accomplishments.

"Don't Be A Dropout" // "Say It Loud - I'm Black and Proud" He owned: A production office (85 employees) A record company Two radio stations Real estate interests

Nelson George says that part of Motown's success is attributable to their "successful integration" in their business plan. What did they do?

"Motown's embrace of white booking agents and implicit rejection of Queen shows the effects that the combination of successful integration and powerful feelings of black inadequacy could have."

Kaye ends his essay speaking about two albums that present two distinct aspects of Sam Cooke. Name those albums, and what sides of Cooke's musical personality does each capture?

"Sam Cooke at the Copa" is slick and sleek. "Live at the Harlem Square" is the other side of the coin, Sam letting loose on 'Twisting The Night Away' and 'Having A Party'

In Jason King's liner notes for the 2012 reissue of D'Angelo's groundbreaking Voodoo album, he chooses a title for his essay that comes from classical literature. 3-parts: one is the title, what is the original source, and in your own words, why is it appropriate to what King has to say about Voodoo? 1.

"The Time Is Out Of Joint" 2. The line comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet. 3. Voodoo was made in the 90's, released in 2000, and reminiscent of funk and soul from the 60s, 70s, and 80s. In this way, it kind of transcends time.

Choose a quote that captures the crux of Emily's complaint re: Leon Bridges, and either agree or disagree it - offering information or examples to strengthen your own point of view.

"The soul-revival thing can swing either way. It can suggest that we really are in this era of post-racialism that Obama's election ushered in, or it can suggest a real rejection of that idea, and that we need to return this prior moment to figure out what that movement still has to teach us." I agree with this statement but I also think that this is a limited argument. Leon Bridges definitely displays the idea of a post racist and ideal unsegregated America, but that doesn't mean that he cannot comment on political ideas of today. It doesn't mean that he cannot progress the racial politics of today. He can both display a "dream" for an ideal America while also choosing to say that we are still segregated, still in trouble, and still a racist country.

Barry quotes Dick Clark describing the evolution of black music in America. According to what we've already read and studied in class, which style of music seems out of place in this sequence and why?

"race music → rock & roll → rhythm & blues → soul music" Rock & roll seems out of place. Rock & roll was the white version of rhythm & blues. r&b wasn't called rock & roll until white people started playing it.

King says that before Voodoo, D'Angelo's previous album was about defining a new style. 3-parts: name of the previous album; the musical style it defined according to King; and what did D'Angelo do that was different from his contemporaries in this style?

1. Brown Sugar. 2. Hip-Hop Soul. 3. He brought a "bohemian passion for classic jazz."

In making Voodoo, there was an important musical figure that D'Angelo was turned on to—it influenced his music, his recording approach, even his choice of recording studio. 3-parts: name the musical legend; at least one aspect of his musical style that D'Angelo picked up on; and the studio.

1. Jimi Hendrix. 2. In terms of production, D'Angelo picked up on the vintage analog sounds of Hendrix's records. 3. Electric Lady

In Gayle Ward's article on Sister Rosetta Tharpe, she traces the singer's career from one phase to another and to a third—and she does this by describing the stylistic changes, and the kinds of venues she played in. Name the steps she progressed through—by music style, and also by venues. ???

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?uestlove calls Voodoo the end of an age—and King adds some other facts that supports this idea. 2-parts: what does Thompson offer as proof of this idea, and what does King say to support it?

?uestlove supports this "end of an age" statement by saying, "It's like with Miles' Birth of the Cool: that ended the renaissance of bop and brought a new method in. You can also look at the coming of Miles' Bitches' Brew as the ending for jazz in its creativity period... The same can be said for Saturday Night Fever—people thought it the dawning of disco. But it was really the end. Or the same could be said about Thriller - people said, oh, Michael Jackson's arrival! Or was it his exit?" King sites "Voodoo was a last gasp for sophisticated and mature major label R&B of the CD era, before the iPod, before iTunes, before social networking, before 9/11, before oil wars altered our cultural priorities and made us look at the world with a little less innocence."

Name the music executive who came to Stax and helped them realize the commercial potential of their recording artists. What did he do that no one else was able to do?

Al Bell - head of promotion - an executive who could wield his blackness like a civil rights leader, make deals, and compete with Berry Gordy.

Look magazine in 1969 was a mainstream publication catering to primarily a white readership, and Barry seems to try his best to explain Brown's music, popularity, and primary reason for being discouraged as a black American. In your own words, what is James Brown's complaint? And explain if Barry does a credible, respectful job reporting it.

Brown e didn't want equality on paper, he wanted it in real life. He wanted to give black people "dignity" - something that the government can't write into law. I think Barry does a good job of explaining Brown's viewpoints. He notes Brown's desire for dignity vs. MLK's desire for "programs." Barry also mentions how Brown was strict with how his band presented themselves (fresh suits, addressed as "Mr." and "Miss," etc.) However, since Look Magazine is primarily for white readers, comparing Brown to Malcolm X at that time may cause readers to think negatively toward Brown. But overall, I think Barry is respectful.

Kaye describes a situation of Cooke's crossing over from gospel world to pop music with those who were pushing to make it happen, and those that were resisting. 3-part answer: other than Sam himself, who was pushing, who was resisting, and what was the song that made the transition happen?

Bumps Blackwell, an A&R for the label Speciality. 2. Art Rute, the label's owner. 3. "Loveable"

What was D'Angelo's aim on Voodoo according to the original liner notes, and who wrote those notes?

D'Angelo admitted that his objective on Voodoo was to "make strong, artistic Black music." D'Angelo and Saul Williams' wrote the original CD liner notes.

Where does Ducker stand on the complex issue of retro-soul and current relevancy of music, relative to Lordi? How soon in the discussion do you realize this?

Ducker believes that retro soul can act as a gateway to old soul music, but that it might anger listeners of soul because it is just a recreation or imitation. Lordi agrees and adds that this soul music brings us back to a time before hip-hop, before segregation was solved (not completely solved but you get my point). They definitely agree to a certain extent, and this is noticed towards the end of the essay when they start building off of each other's ideas and not disregarding one another.

Lenny Kaye's excellent overview of Sam Cooke, describes how Sam distinguished himself vocally from other gospel singers of the day. Name at least two elements in his singing style that Kaye mentions.

His voice was cool and laid back. He smoothly maneuvered through the upper range of his voice.

Much of this discussion hinges on the interpretation of "soul" in discussing music - and soul as more than just a style. In your own words, what aspect of soul is really being discussed?

I think that a large part of "soul" is the way the vocalist is able to have a feel for the song, and really portray that to the audience. For Remnik, it was Arethra's "uncanny power to evoke our love." It was more than her singing in time and on pitch, it was her "way of singing behind the beat, of spraying a wash of notes over a single word or syllable, of constructing, moment by moment, the emotional power of a three-minute song" Essentially, the feel is one of the most important aspects of the song, and it has some inherent form of improvisation. It was the ability to go beyond just the music written down and to take a hold of a song and make it your own, and truly be able to portray those emotions-that feel- to the audience

What do your ears tell you re: the difference between Aretha's live performance and recorded version of this song?

I would have to agree with Sheperd. The recorded version of this song does sound like it has something off about the vocals. We all know how amazing and talented arethra franklin is, and her for most of her music the feel is one of the most important aspects. This song sound autotuned because of the time stretching and awkward comping. However, the live version sounds 1000 times better. Arethra is clearly feeling the music and it sounds much more natural. I agree that this song would've sounded much better performed and simply recorded, than with a backing track- Arethra's live performance shows that.

In your own words, what is the gist of Ian Sheperd's complaint re: Aretha Franklin's recorded version of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep"? Please include your thoughts on Ian's possible age and experience, any prejudices he may or may not have re: new audio technology, etc.

Ian Sheperd's main complaint was that, while the producers intentions may have been good, the effect of too much vocal comping and time correcting made Arethra's voice sound lifeless and robotic. He praises Arethra's ability to perform live, and goes as far to say as he wished that the producers had just recorded her with a live band. However he feels as though the robotic and over produced backing track combined with over processing has left her the vocal's lacking almost all musicality and feel. That being said, He clearly has a disdain for modern vocal production. He describes this particular comping process as a "Car Crash" and blames it largely on the way a wide majority of songs are made today- "combining multiple takes of the same song to get the best parts of each one"

Ward offers a number of examples of how interest in Tharpe comes and goes, and has returned again in 2016. Name at least two examples of this enduring interest.

Interest in Tharpe returned in 2016 thanks to a video of her performing "Didn't It Rain" going viral. Her career was also rejuvenated during the British Invasion (See answer above)

Nelson George presents a true paradox in his description of the two record labels—Motown in Detroit, Stax in Memphis. Explain this paradox by way of who was in charge of each company and how they ran their companies, who they saw as their audience, and their approach to creating music.

Motown was black owned - rigid and formulaic - and aimed for a pop market. They were totally committed to reaching white audiences. Stax was white owned - more open and experimental - and aimed for a R&B market. They were also extremely accessible to outsiders. Their music appealed more to black audiences.

Name the future soul legend who came to Stax in Memphis and the circumstances that allowed him to record for the label.

Otis Redding - He was the driver for another band (Johnny Jenkins and the Pinetoppers) and was allowed to record two songs in the extra time (40 minutes) at the end of the session.

At one point King describes the concept behind creating Voodoo: what was it?

Put together a kick-ass ensemble of R&B musicians bent on grooving together. Record them live, in real-time, jamming face-to-face in an effort to capture their conviviality and chemistry.

Kaye mentions a few other R&B singers who drew from gospel influences in the 1950s. 2-part answer: name at least two of these singers, and what was the primary difference between them and Sam Cooke?

Ray Charles and Clyde MacPhatter and Sonny Til. The difference was Cooke's stage presence and songwriting ability. "There was no mistaking Sam's voice... bolstered by his unerring ear for a chorus amidst verses that relate vignettes of time and place, framing the deceptively simple lyrics."

In Eric Ducker's conversation with UMass professor Emily Lordi, Lordi mentions a distinction between two styles of soul music in the contemporary music scene. 3-parts: name these two styles, at least one musician she provides as an example of each, and in your own words, describe how Lordi distinguishes the two.

Retro Soul; Neo Soul Retro Soul: Raphael Saadiq Neo Soul: D'Angelo Retro soul: more about paying homage than innovating; it's more about the beautiful imitation Neo soul: returning to that moment in order to build upon it and make something new that's both musically and politically resonant for the contemporary moment.

Name at least two musical elements that Ward offers as evidence of how Tharpe distinguished herself on guitar.

She developed a distinct 5 finger picking pattern. She cradled the guitar theatrically - playing up her relationship with the guitar like Hendrix

Kaye marks a number of artists—in the R&B and rock'n'roll worlds—who were influenced by Sam's singing style and songs. Name at least one from each world.

The Valentinos & The Rolling Stones

Tharpe's career was in slow decline by the early 1960s before it was lifted up again and got her back on the road. According to Ward, what happened and where?

The bands of the British Invasion caused British youth to become interested in "black American blues musicians who had influenced the young British acts". "With imprints of U.S. R&B records hard to come by in Britain and mostly unplayed on BBC radio, young Brits flocked to live shows" - so Tharpe began touring with the American Folk, Blues, and Gospel Caravan

D'Angelo and ?uestlove said they had their own musical Yodas on this project. What were they describing, and name at least two.

They deliberately studied classic black music albums. Called soul masters like Al Green, George Clinton, and Prince their "Yodas"—and found creative ways to draw on their techniques and ideas to show love for the dead state of black music/show idols how much they taught them. Respect for masters who came before, in some ways a responsibility to continue and take the cue from what they were doing musically and vibe on it.

Nelson George says that black entrepreneurs of the early '60s—Berry Gordy, Al Bell, Sam Cooke, others—were not concerned when the British Invasion started to happen. Why was that?

They were not concerned with the adaptation of black music because their audience was not. Black people saw rock & roll as white boys' music that did not emulate their taste or culture.

Nelson George quotes Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun explaining the difference between black and white music audiences in America. Two parts: in your own words what's that difference, and what do you think?

With black music and black musicians Ahmet said that black musicians and music are always looking towards the future and moving forward with their music while white music and musicians still pay homage to the past by singing songs like "Dixieland." Black musicians are always looking forward because we had such a horrid past in America why would they want to look back and sing songs like "Dixieland" that is paying homage to slavery--a song wistfully asking to bring it back.