P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
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Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!
Note: The dramatic shift in percentage starting in the late 19th century was contributed to significantly by mass immigration from central and southern Europe which centered on the cities.
Year Urban Rural
1800 6% 94%
1840 11% 89%
1860 20% 80%
1880 28% 72%
1900 40% 60%
1910 46% 54%
1920 51% 49%
1990 75% 25%
2020 80% 20%
Church people
As recently as 1938, three out of every four Americans had a formal affiliation with a local church. As of 2020, it’s now less than one out of two. In the 19th century, African Americans were very active in forming their own churches which became important social and political organizations as well as spiritual ones.
Media evolution
The dates various media technology were first introduced.
Keep in mind it often took years, in many cases decades, for some of these technologies to become commonplace.
1860 – silent films
1877 – recorded music
1895 – radio
1896 – player piano
1906 – audio amplifier
1927 – sound films
1927 – television
1928 – magnetic audio tape
1954 – portable radios/transistor radio
1991 – the world wide web
To put this in context, obviously, there was no such thing as the Internet, TV, or portable music in pre-1920s America, but even things like radio and recorded music were either in their infancy or hadn’t gotten mass popularity traction yet. And there was no such thing as nightclub culture for the overwhelming majority of Americans.
For all practical purposes, in the crucial formative years of America’s music culture, all music was live, acoustic, and without amplification of any kind and the venues for music were: 1) the home, 2) the church, and 3) local social events like parades, community picnics, and dances.
From those humble beginnings, which included a great deal of communication across communities, the foundation of American music was set.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!
While doing research for my book “Death, Resurrection, and Spirit in New Orleans,” I needed more information about Mother Catherine Seals of New Orleans.
Seals was a healer, a community leader, and had a profound, if largely underappreciated, contribution to New Orleans and American music. (By the way, the correct pronunciation of her name is “Seals,” not “Sales” as I repeatedly got wrong in our conversation.)
In my search, I came across the extraordinary audio documentaries of artist-musician Matt Marble, which led me to this interview.
I’m sure that after listening to this interview, you’ll want to hear Matt’s work directly. Here’s a representative sampling with an emphasis on his jazz work.
“Secret Sound” Programs that Might be of Special Interest to Jazz on the Tube Fans
When you visit, make sure you contribute to Matt’s jar. This is an extraordinary body of work that deserves all our support—especially if we want to see more of it being produced, which I do!
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!
In his 12th book, Life Through The Eyes Of A Jazz Journalist, Scott Yanow discusses his beginnings in jazz, his busy career as a freelance jazz critic, memories of scores of live performances, his encounters with jazz greats, the history of the Playboy and Monterey Jazz Festivals, and his experiences as an occasional musician.
Colorful and insightful interviews of Freddie Hubbard, Chick Corea and Maynard Ferguson are included along with Yanow’s thoughts on jazz criticism and six appendixes that will lead readers towards the jazz greats of the past, present and future.
Scott Yanow is one of the most prolific and widely respected jazz journalists in the business. An expert on all eras of jazz from New Orleans, swing and bebop to fusion, the avant-garde and today’s jazz scene, Yanow has been a very busy writer since 1974. In his career he has written 11 other books, over 900 liner notes, and more than 20,000 recording reviews in addition to contributing to every significant jazz magazine and participating in a countless number of projects.
– Ken McCarthy
Jazz on the Tube
P.S. Our unique programming is made possible by help from people like you. Learn how you can contribute to our efforts here: Support Jazz on the Tube
Thanks.
Music credit: The Jazz on the Tube podcast theme song is “Mambo Inferno” performed by The Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra conducted by Bobby Sanabria from the CD ¡Que Viva Harlem!
