Sean Wilson and jazz’s secret engine of innovation


Jazz fans who know even the smallest amount of jazz history know the important role church music played in the music’s development.

Everyone from Louis Armstrong to Ornette Coleman has acknowledged the DEEP impact the music of the church had on their art.

Less known is the huge contemporary role gospel plays not only in training young musicians, many of whom become jazz players but also in being an engine of innovation for the music itself.

If you’re a keyboard artist and are inspired to learn more…

Click here to learn how you can study with Sean.

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
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Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!

Music and Life: Thoughts on Music, Phrasing, Woodwinds and this Modern World

Get the book here: Music and Life Thoughts on Music, Phrasing, Woodwinds and this Modern World

Music and Life: Thoughts on Music, Phrasing, Woodwinds and this Modern World

Get the book here

More about Mike: Mike Vaccaro

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.

Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!

 

The country church people roots of American music

Related Jazz on the Tube podcasts

Vic Hobson, barbershop quartet, and the education of Louis Armstrong
https://www.jazzonthetube.com/vic-hobson-and-the-roots-of-louis-armstrongs-music/

“Country” Eddie Durham was one of the key quarterbacks of swing
https://www.jazzonthetube.com/ed/

Ornette and the Texas Hillbillies
https://www.jazzonthetube.com/ornette-in-amarillo/

When Robert Johnson played that Italian wedding in Newark
https://www.jazzonthetube.com/bruce-conforth-and-the-real-robert-johnson/

A look at the raw numbers…

America was mostly rural until the 1920s

Note: The dramatic shift in percentage starting in the late 19th century was contributed to significantly by mass immigration from central and southern Europe which centered on the cities.

Year            Urban        Rural

1800           6%               94%

1840           11%             89%

1860           20%             80%

1880           28%            72%

1900            40%            60%

1910            46%            54%

1920            51%            49%

1990            75%            25%

2020            80%            20%

Church people

As recently as 1938, three out of every four Americans had a formal affiliation with a local church. As of 2020, it’s now less than one out of two. In the 19th century, African Americans were very active in forming their own churches which became important social and political organizations as well as spiritual ones.

Media evolution

The dates various media technology were first introduced.

Keep in mind it often took years, in many cases decades, for some of these technologies to become commonplace.

1860 – silent films
1877 – recorded music
1895 – radio
1896 – player piano
1906 – audio amplifier
1927 – sound films
1927 – television
1928 – magnetic audio tape
1954 – portable radios/transistor radio
1991 – the world wide web

To put this in context, obviously, there was no such thing as the Internet, TV, or portable music in pre-1920s America, but even things like radio and recorded music were either in their infancy or hadn’t gotten mass popularity traction yet. And there was no such thing as nightclub culture for the overwhelming majority of Americans.

For all practical purposes, in the crucial formative years of America’s music culture, all music was live, acoustic, and without amplification of any kind and the venues for music were: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) local social events like parades, community picnics, and dances.

From those humble beginnings, which included a great deal of communication across communities, the foundation of American music was set.

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.

Kevin Finch and Wes Bound: The Genius of Wes Montgomery


Ken McCarthy has a fascinating chat with Kevin Finch. He’s the director of “Wes Bound,” a new film about guitar maverick Wes Montgomery.

You can watch the full documentary here.

You can also check out Kevin’s highly recommended YouTube channel, Further Wes Bound, here.

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.

Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!

Matt Marble and Secret Sound

While doing research for my book “Death, Resurrection, and Spirit in New Orleans,” I needed more information about Mother Catherine Seals of New Orleans.

Seals was a healer, a community leader, and had a profound, if largely underappreciated, contribution to New Orleans and American music. (By the way, the correct pronunciation of her name is “Seals,” not “Sales” as I repeatedly got wrong in our conversation.)

In my search, I came across the extraordinary audio documentaries of artist-musician Matt Marble, which led me to this interview.

I’m sure that after listening to this interview, you’ll want to hear Matt’s work directly. Here’s a representative sampling with an emphasis on his jazz work.

“Secret Sound” Programs that Might be of Special Interest to Jazz on the Tube Fans

When you visit, make sure you contribute to Matt’s jar. This is an extraordinary body of work that deserves all our support—especially if we want to see more of it being produced, which I do!

Mary Lou Williams

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Alice Coltrane

Vincent Lopez

Kelan Phil Cohran (a colleague of Sun Ra)

The Black Hawk Chant – Mothers Leafy Anderson and Catherine Seals

Merceditas Valdes

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.

Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!

Dangerous Rhythms with T.J. English

The Mooche (1952)

– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube

P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.

Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!

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