Summer English Blog

Essential question June 26th: How does ones past life effect who they are as a person? After reading 140 pages of my book, I have begun to notice a common thread between all of Miles' actions as a musician and a person. A lot of the people that he has spent his time with in New York came from either very poor environments, or very racist environments. Miles and some of his Julliard friends have not come from this environment. Miles' father was a very wealthy black doctor in the town of St Louis. In addition, Miles' father was a very pro black activist who influenced Miles to think very differently about the ways that black people should be treated in a society. Miles was also well respected in the area that he grew up in due to his fathers profession. This taught miles the importance of respect and professionalism. When looking at the details of his career spent in New York, it is easy to see how these aspects of his childhood carried through. In my past blog, I shared ...

Miles - The Autobiography Miles Davis and Quincy Troupe 1-80 pgs Moving to New York and attending Juliard School Of Music allowed for Miles to meet a lot of very influential musicians as well as gain a lot of knowledge. The knowledge that Miles gained was from both the musicians that he was around as well as his access too the music libraries in NY. Shortly after moving to New York, Miles expresses shock as he finds out that a lot of the top jazz musicians believed that if you went to school for music as well as learnt music theory that you would end up playing as if you were white, as he describes it. In other words, playing without feeling. When expressing this shock, Miles states something that is extremely universal and powerful. "Knowledge is freedom and ignorance is slavery, and I just couldn't believe someone could be that close to freedom and not take advantage of all the shit that they can" (Miles 61) Miles' background was heavily routed in civil righ...

Miles The Autobiography 1-40      10 words    June 22nd NAACP - National association for the advancement of colored people. (pg 5 Pro Black - people who uplift and empower the black race in all aspects. (pg 6) Metaphysics- a branch of physiology that deals with the first principals of things. This includes abstract concepts such as knowing, substance and cause. (pg 10) Harlem Rhythms - A radio show that featured primarily black musicians in the 30s and 40s. (pg 15) Nut House - Another term for a mental hospital. (pg 30) Sanatorium - A hospital. In this situation, most likely a mental hospital. (pg 32) Roadhouse Music - A subcategory of music that combines blues and country music. (pg 34) Honky-Tonk - A bar that provides music of the culture. Mostly found down south filled with country and blues music. (pg 34) "Bucket of Blood" - Refers to the fights likely to break out in certain clubs. (pg 35) Jumping - Another term for bopping... or a livel...

For my summer English blog, I have chosen to read about the lives of my three favorite jazz musicians. I chose this topic because jazz is one of my favorite styles of music. I spend so much time listening to these amazing musicians, but I do not know about who they really were as people and what it is that made them so powerful and unique. I am interested in learning about the significant events in their pasts that attributed to their musical career and how they became so successful. I would also like to explore the similarities and differences between my life now and their lives then. I feel as though learning about these musicians lives, I will have a better understanding and appreciation of jazz and for the people who essentially created it.     Miles Davis                                Herbie Hancock                         ...