Listening Journal Week 2

The Songs from these two chapters represent two very distinct styles of American Music. The first being Jazz music which was popular during the 1920's and 1930's as well as what American's classify as the "standards" also popular during this time. Each of these styles differs from the other in many ways, however, both include some of the same instrumentation and form. For example, the Jazz style that we saw in the recordings by The Original Dixieland Band and Jesse Europe's Orchestra followed a much more free style of form. Most of the Jazz songs had room for improvisation and "scat singing" which was not something that was popular in the style of the classic Tin Pan Alley Songs. The Jazz pieces did not seem to follow such as strict identifiable form as the Tin Pan Alley Pieces. My favorite piece from this section was East St. Louis Toodle-OO performed by the Duke Ellington Band. This piece seemed to have a melody, performed by a muted trumpet, as well as the typical improvisational style of the Jazz. Although not one of my favorite singers, Ethel Merman's performance of I've Got Rhythm perhaps is one of the most famous songs from the Tin Pan Alley Selections. I have performed this piece myself several times and thoroughly enjoy the rhythm, lyrics and form of the piece. I can see why it was recorded by so many artists after it's original release in 1930. Bing Crosby's voice is a much better representation of vocal technique during this time period than Ethel Merman's. His performance sounds genuine and thoughtful. Again following a verse refrain format, the song is accessible to many different voice types and talent levels. It's poetry is meaningful and the use of questions in almost every line makes the song more intimate and intense. I also listened to the Frank Sinatra version of this song, which was recorded about 10 years later. Using a slightly different orchestration, it still presents the same intimate meaning.