Revivals of Dixieland and The Blues

Paper Summary:

This essay explores the history of two different periods of Jazz: the Dixieland revival of the late 1930s and the Blues revival of the 1960s. It looks at the influential people, places and events for the two time periods. The essay also discusses the racial implications of these different periods as historically black music was "revived" by white audiences. It also explores the appropriate place of black music in white culture.

From the Paper:

"Music brings us into a place where we can experience a society or time period as if we were actually there, in a way that no history book could ever describe with words. Music is a reflection of society. Jazz music has taken on many faces throughout American history, from early slave work songs deeply rooted in African tradition all the way to our modern-jazz sound we hear on the radio today. Jazz has morphed into all kinds of different sounds admired by diverse audiences. At times, certain brands of jazz already past their height of popularity experience a "revival" as a new audience sees something beautiful and different in them that they had never identified before. These revivals bring about a renewed look (or "listen") at the music, giving wider exposure to new audiences and conserving its history for future listeners. Both Dixieland and the Blues are two forms of jazz that experienced similar revivals: Dixieland's in the late '30's and the Blues' in the '60's. Previously overlooked by white Americans and Europeans during their original peak of popularity, these revivals exposed jazz to new audiences and gave more necessary credit to the established "greats." In the following pages we will explore how both the Dixieland and Blues revivals celebrated and preserved jazz music while also examining the implications of race as whites "revive" established black music."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Collier, James Lincoln. "Dixieland." Grove Music Online. University of Pittsburgh Music Lib., PA. 1 Dec 2006 <http://www.grovemusic.com>
• Daley, Mike. "Why Do Whites Sing Black?: The Blues, Whiteness, and Early Histories of Rock." Popular Music & Society; Summer 2003, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p161-167. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. University of Pittsburgh Music Lib., PA. 1 Dec. 2006 <http://search.epnet.com>
• Davis, Nathan T. Writings in Jazz. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co.: 2002.
• Dicaire, David. Jazz Musicians of the Early Years, to 1945. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2003
• Freeman, Philip. Running the Voodoo Down: The Electric Music of Miles Davis. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2005.

More papers on Revivals of Dixieland and The Blues:

• Research Paper # 98501 : "The Changing Sounds of Jazz"
• Analytical Essay # 47023 : "The Principle of Microeconomics? and the Environment"
• Analytical Essay # 31851 : "'Song of Solomon' and 'The Color Purple'"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: