The Vernacular Tradition

1. Spirituals

1.1. Religious songs sung by slaves

1.2. FIrst gathered in a book in 1801 (pg

1.3. "this world is not my home" (pg 8)

1.4. "Not confined to the church. Was sung during work time, play time and rest time." (pg 8)

1.5. Slaves were children of a mighty God, despite their inhumane treatment.

2. Blues

2.1. Started in the early 20th century.

2.2. Borrowed harmonic and structural devices and vocal techniques from spirituals.

2.3. "Unlike spirituals and gospel, the blues were not sung by a chorus, but by a single person and a instrument." (pg 65)

2.4. W.C Handy, B.B King, Muddy Waters and Bobby Bland are just a few notable Blues musicians.

2.5. No heavenly grace promised, only "blue" feelings.

3. Hip-Hop

3.1. Began in the late 70's in New York.

3.2. Hip Hop is a "hybrid form traceble to speech and songs of the 19th and early 20th centuries." (pg 78)

3.3. Stylized talk has characteristics of blues and R&B.

3.4. Has grown into a large culture, not just a small phenomenon.

3.5. Inventive rhyme schemes, "sampling" of Jazz, Blues, R&B, and even Gospel

3.6. Notable hip hop acts are public enemy, Tupac, Rakim, Outkast and Nas

4. Gospel

4.1. Sacred songs, much like spirituals.

4.2. Born in Christian Worship.

4.3. Started in the first decades of 20th century

4.4. Spirituals delivered in "Gospel manner" (PG 19)

4.5. The distinction between spirituals and gospel is so slight that it seems contrived (pg 19)

4.6. Mahalia Jackson was described by Ralph Ellison as the "World's Greatest Gospel Singer." (pg 20)

5. Jazz

5.1. "Like Blues, Jazz proclaims the human will to keep on keepin on in spite of earthly troubles." (pg 65)

5.1.1. Workshops with several teams/departments

5.1.1.1. Operations

5.1.1.2. HR

5.1.1.3. Management

5.1.1.4. Consultants

5.2. Jazz represented a new urban america, a music of rejuvenation.

5.3. Unlike spirituals, Jazz swings and stomps and laughs.

5.4. Also did not offer heavenly grace.

5.5. Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis and Thelonius Monk are notable Jazz musicians.

6. Rhythm and Blues

6.1. Infusion of blues

6.2. "Polished" acts. A slow crossover to white audiences.

6.3. Early 1950's beginning.

6.4. Topics ranged from social protest to first loves.

6.5. "Aretha Franklin started as a church singer, then became a jazz singer before finding herself singing R&B. This shows the similarities in the three genres.