"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams

Assigned Listening


Genre: Country & Western

Instruments: guitar, banjo

Voice: obvious twang, deep

Lyrics:  about loneliness and wanderlust

Other Notes: no discriminable chorus

"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky-Tonk Angels" by Kitty Wells

Assigned Listening


Genre: country western

First Reaction: sounds a lot like Reba McEntire

Voice: twang, whiny

Instruments: guitar, piano, drums

Lyrics: song about relationships between men and women

"Hound Dog" by Big Momma Thornton

Assigned Listening

Era: Postwar Era

Genre: Blues

First Impressions: I had no idea anyone besides Elvis sang this

Instruments: Electric guitar, drums, possibly a trumpet?

Voice: raspy, deep

"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" by Louis Jordan

Instruments: piano, bass, guitar, sax, clarinet

First Impression: can easily be danced to;

Genre: Jazz

Era: Post War Era

Vocals: clear, smooth

Form:
.17 (instrumental intro)
.34 (verse 1)
.45 (chorus)
1.03 (instrumental break)
1.20 (verse 2)
1.31 (chorus)
1.59 (sax solo)
2.16 (verse 3)
2.27 (chorus)
2.40 (instrumental break)

"Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" by Frank Sinatra

Assigned Listening

First Impression: seems to be a call and response between each line of vocals and and instruments

Instruments: violin, clarinet, flute, trumpet (but it sounds different), bass, piano

Voice: deep, velvety

Lyrics:  The song appears to be a love song. Nancy appears to be the true love of the singers life.

"Great Speckled Bird" by Roy Acuff

Assigned Listening

Era: Swing Era

Genre: Country & Western

Vocals: goat like; obvious twang

Instruments: guitar, bass, drum, violin, keyboard

Lyrics: Talk about women and religion

Other Notes: simple call and response between vocals and guitar

"New San Antonio Rose" by Bob Willis And His Texas Playboys

Assigned Listening


Instruments: horns, trumpet, bass, drums, clarinet, vocals, tuba

Era: Swing Era

Vocals: male and female; very deep male;

Form:
.43 (introduction with instruments and some spoken lines by female)
1.20 (male vocals)
1.39 (male vocals with obvious horns and female spoken lines)
1.57 (male vocals)
2.16 (horns solo with few female spoken lines)
end (all instruments, no spoken lines)

"Ko-Ko" by Duke Ellington

Assigned Listening


Era: Swing Era

Instruments: horns, trumpet, bass, piano, sax, clarinet, vocals, tuba, drums

Form:
.10 (drum solo)
.19 (horn intro)
.32 (seems as if there is a conversation going on between the horns and tuba)
1.16 (clarinet, sax, trumpet solos with vocals in background)
1.30 (instrument free for all)
1.44(conversation between horns and bass)
End (massive finale)

"Taking a Chance on Love" by Benny Goodman

Assigned Listening


Era- Swing

First Impression-

Instruments- trumpets, saxophone, clarinet, trombone, bass, drums

Rhythm- beat held steady by bass

Form-
      .06
      .19 (call and response between sax and clarinet)
      .27 (sax solo)
      .42 (call and response)
      .52 (vocals with call and response to sax)
      1.22 (change in vocals)
      1.40 (change in vocals again)
      1.57 (all instruments together)
      2.02 (sax solo)
      2.15
      2.20 (clarinet solo)
      2.33 (sax solo)
      2.49 (all instruments together)
      2.58 (clarinet solo)

"Wrappin' It Up" by Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra

Assigned Listening

Era: Swing Era

Instruments: clarinet, sax, trumpet, bass, tuba, horns, 

Form:
.09
.18
.45 (repeat of before)
1.05 (clarinet solo)
1.23 (sax solo)
1.33 (trumpet solo)
1.40 (change in tempo)
1.59 (trumpet solo)
2.10 (strange horns)
2.19 (different strange horns)
end (mix of different horns)

"Cross Road Blues" by Robert Johnson

Assigned Listening


Genre: Blues

Instruments: guitar

Voice: Scratchy

Form:
.14 (guitar)
.20 (vocals/guitar call and response AAB form)
.55 (vocals/guitar call and response)
1.26 (vocals/guitar call and response)
1.56 (vocals/guitar call and response AAB form)

"Blue Yodel No. 2" by Jimmie Rodgers

Assigned Listening


Genre: Hillbilly Music

Instruments: guitar, banjo, bass

Lyrics: about losing a love and becoming depressed

Form:
.27 (verse 1-AAB)
.42 (Yodeling)
1.02 (verse 2-AAB)
1.17 (Yodeling)
1.29 (Banjo solo)
1.50 (AAB)
2.05 (yodeling, but different than before)
2.28 (verse 3-AAB)
2.40 (yodeling)
3.02 (verse 3-AAB)
End (yodeling, different than before)

"Gospel Ship" by The Carter Family

Assigned Listening


Genere: Hillbilly Music

Vocals: have an obvious twang, harmony during the chorus, raspy

Instruments: banjo, bass, piccolo

Lyrics: appear to be about death, but use metaphors to deliver the message

"That Black Snake Moan" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

Assigned Listening


Genre: blues

Instruments: guitar

First Impression:

Vocals: deep, obvious twang

Form: Call and response between guitar and vocals throughout the entire song

"St. Louis Blues" by Bessie Smith

Assigned Listening


Genre: Blues

Instruments: Trumpet, clarinet, sax, piano

First Impression: Call and Response between vocals and sax

Lyrics: seem to be about lost love and wanderlust

Vocals: deep, powerful

"I Got Rhythm" by Ethel Merman

Assigned Listening


Era: Tin Pan Alley

Instruments: piano, violin, trumpet, bass, clarinet

Voice: deep, powerful, scratchy

Lyrics: seem to be about looking at looking at the positive side of situations

"April Showers" by Al Jolson

Assigned Listening


Era: Tin Pan Alley


Lyrics: tell the story of hope; not to give up because things will be better after the "April Showers"

Voice: goat-like, deep

Instruments: horns, trumpets, clarinet, flute,

"My Blue Heaven" by Gene Austin

Assigned Listening


First Impression: soothing

Instruments: Violin, piano, whistle of some sort

Voice: higher

Other notes:
-call and response with vocals and piano

"Tiger Rag" by The Original Dixieland Jazz Band

Assigned Listening


Era: Jazz

Form: changes most noticeable at...
      .15
      .23
      .31 (flute solo)
      .38
      .46
      .53
      1.01
      1.16 (repetitive)
      1.31
      1.46
      2.01 (change from before)
      2.17 (change in horns)
      2.31
      2.47

Instruments: piccolo, banjo, flute, horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba

"Castle House Rag" by Europe's Society Orchestra

Era: Jazz Age

Instruments: flute, trumpet, clarinet, tuba, trombone, horn, bass, drum, something making washboard sound

Form:
.04
.19 (all instruments; sounds unorganized until last few seconds)
.34
.51
1.00
1.07
1.21 (similar to beginning)
1.26 (totally different with chiming)
1.36
1.42 (repetitive)
1.54 (repetitive)
2.08 (repetitive)
2.24
3.10 (speedsup; free for all with instruments)
end (drum solo)

"After the Ball" by Charles K. Harris

Assigned Listening

Era: ragtime

First Impression: Harris's voice is very scratchy; music reminds me of something I would hear on a carousel.

Instruments: piano

Voice: scratchy, pitchy

Lyrics: Tell the story of a lost love

"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" by Stephen Foster

Assigned Listening

Instruments: flute, violin, trumpet, bass, guitar

Tempo: slow

Form:
.14 (flute intro)
.47 (chorus--vocals with flute; bass introduced at .33)
1.02 (verse 1)
1.08 (flute solo)
1.27 (chorus again, but different)
1.43 (flute solo)
2.14 (verse 2)
2.30 (verse 3)
2.34 (flute solo)
2.56 (chorus different)
3.27 (flute & violin  solo)
3.44
End (chorus but different)