Blog Summary

I was supposed to write this blog summary last week but someone already had wrote one for that week so I thought I would wait and see what people had to say about Jamboree.

The Little Rabbit talked about enjoying Jamboree because of the imperialism (potato) group. The Little Rabbit enjoyed Jamboree which wasn't expected. Mary Beth talked about having to get up so early to work at the booth for Jamboree. She also talked about how the Charleston really drew some people in. Mary Beth also thought it went better than expected. Greenstar also thought Jamboree went well compared to what she expected it to be. She talked about how we had quite a few people come down and join the swing dancing. Similar to Mary Beth, Greenstar liked the Charleston and thought it made people feel more comfortable to join in. Dano talked about seeing the other set ups at Jamboree. Dano talked about how swing dancing was fun but wishes more people would have shown up. Ashley had a good time swing dancing but she thought the overall participation at Jamboree was low. She also talked about how it's hard to dance continually for the whole class period when we only know a few steps.

Not a whole lot of people posted about Jamboree so that's all I got.

Gospel Playlist 2

This playlist, like the last one, was very passionate and interesting to listen to.

I really didn't like "You'd Better Mind" by the Pace Jubilee Singers. They were passionate about what they were singing but I didn't like the main woman's voice. This song was really repetitive and not fun to listen to. I thought it was pretty dull.

In "Black Diamond Express To Hell," Rev. A. W. Nix preaches almost in the form of a poem and randomly breaks out into song. He was passionate about what he was talking about. One question that I have: Is his passion for what he is talking about real or does he just want to appeal to the people he is speaking to, to keep them listening. I want to know what he looks like when he is preaching. I bet it would be very entertaining. Throughout this sermon, the Reverend would repeat certain words or phrases such as "NEXT STATION!" This stood out very clearly and made me laugh everytime he said it. He would yell this when he came to that part of his speech.

"Your Enemy Cannot Harm You (But Watch Your Close Friend)" by Edward W. Clayborn was very bluesy, similar sounding to what we have been listening to in class. It didn't seem as much like the other gospel songs on these playlists. Throughout this song, Clayborn wasn't just singing random lyrics because they would sound good or rhyme, he was instead just speaking his mind and that made it more meaningful. I thought that his voice was decent but not amazing.

I enjoyed listening to these gospel songs. I really like the way they sound and how passionate all the performers are.

Gospel Playlist 1

I actually enjoyed some of the music on this playlist. All of the singers performing these songs were very passionate about what they were singing about.

One song that stood out to me was "Move On Up A Little Higher." The woman singing had a very deep voice and was very passionate about her music. While studying and listening to blues music, it was sometimes hard to understand what was being said but this song was easy to understand and a listener could make out all of the words. I really like the piano in the background, it really added to the song. The steady pace kept the song moving along well. I like this song but the tune was somewhat repetitive. The end of the song was memorable because it just slowly winded down.

I listened to one of the sermons called "You Must Be Born Again" by Rev. Benny Campbell. This was very different from what I am used to hearing in a church. This sermon, just like the music I listened to, is very passionate. The Reverend would repeat certain words to make an imprint on people, to make them remember his message. He also breaks out into song randomly.

Another song that was memorable was "Prayer for the Doomed" by the Chosen Gospel Singers. This was an all men choir, and their low voices were very nice to listen to. I really liked their sound and the harmonizing. The main singer was very passionate. Because this song was so slow, it really makes the listener think about what is being said and what message it is sending.

One last song that was memorable was "Blind Barnabus" by the Golden Gate Quartet. They all had very good voices and have nice harmonization. This song was very upbeat and happy. It makes you want to bounce around or at least bob your head a little. The fact that the song was so upbeat made it fun to listen to. Once again, this song was very passionate like the others.

Episode 5

This episode continued talking about Harry Smith and the Anthology of American Folk Music. In 1952, Harry Smith approached Mo Asch because he was in need of money. He had a large collection of folk music records that he wanted to sell. At that time folk music was referred to by some as hillbilly music or race records.

Mo Asch suggested putting his old records together in a new way. Harry Smith had a little over 80 recordings and he put them together in an organized fashion.

Harry and Mo had a strong relationship. They each had a lot of respect for each other even though Harry was asking Mo for money quite often.

The director of the Harry Smith archives said,

"Harry did not select the songs based on which were his favorites."

Harry Smith said,

"I was looking for exotic records."

I believe that both of these quotes are important because it explains why the Anthology of American Folk Music was such a big deal. The variety and culture present was appealing to people because everyone could find something they liked. Good music reflects the culture and the time period as stated on an earlier episode. Harry Smith understood that and applied it to his work.

yay i'm done

Well I did my performance today. I think it went well. I said everything that I was planning on saying. I really hope I didn't bore all of you too bad. I tried to keep it interesting because I know that nobody likes to listen to something if it puts them to sleep. So sorry to anyone who was dozing off, I tried. I was interested in the topic but I know that doesn't mean that everyone else will be. Thanks for listening. :)

Episode 4 - The anthology of american folk music part 1

In this episode, Harry Smith, born in 1923, was mentioned a bit. He won the major achievement award for anthology of american folk music. It's been 40 years since his films came out. He said,

"My dreams came true. I saw America change through music."

I think that this quote is important because it is really true. Just look around you and its clear that music is a huge part of our society today and in the past. This quote is also important to our class because that is what it is based on. Music. Without it, we wouldn't have a class at all.

Something else that was also mentioned was another type of music; straight forward music but obscure lyrics. The song that was played was "I wish I were a mole in the ground." I thought that this was pretty comical. It was ridiculous and made me and laura laugh.

So once again I lost interest pretty quickly with this episode.

Episode 3 - Folkways: An American Canon

In this episode, Moses Asch was mentioned quite a bit at the beginning. One of his quotes that I found to be meaningful was one that was said while he was talking about true music.

He said, "If it's true of the time, people will need this as a reference book."

I think this is a very important quote. It tells us that if a song is truly good that means that it will directly reflect the time period. It has to be meaningful to last through the times. That also relates directly to our class. We wouldn't have a roots music class if it wasn't for this exact type of music; meaningful and reflective of the times.

This episode mentioned the fact that you should be open to music but at the same time know what you want. Moses Asch would play music and if it was "unworthy" would turn it off within 30 seconds.

In this episode, there was a poem that was read that was written by Moses Asch's favorite poet. The poem was called "The Women Gather." One of the lines in this poem read,

"Most of us love because we have a need to love not because we find someone deserving."

I thought this was ridiculous and I don't think I need to explain myself. I think that everyone can figure out why.

Well overall I was pretty bored with this episode. Sorry