Negro music in America; 36

Negro music and America. Or. Negro music in America. An exploration of it and its impact on American culture. Here's your host for the series Tony look at VOC as the 30s moved along the big bands came into public favor with a rush. One of the innovators of big band arrangement Dan Redmond the talented musician and composer wrote and recorded in 1931 a number called chant of the weed. It was a smash hit that influenced all of the swing bands that followed. Here it is as recorded by Dunn Redmen and his band in New York in 1940 chant of the weed. As I remember back in the days of the big swing bands there were three styles suites

wing hot swing in a powerhouse swing. The most versatile of the big negro dance bands could play all three as three styles with notable success in each department. Jimmy Lunsford started his climb to fame with wild fast numbers like is there anything song White Heat a savage and primitive hot riff number. It really is exciting. So hang on your heads here comes Jimmy Lunsford's band playing will Hudson's white heat. Next Jimmy Lunsford and his band play for us. Sigh Oliver's brilliance goring of

baby won't you please come home. Starting with a traditional jazz band style and then opening into Joe Thomas's vocal the band swings in rare good humor on this one. I have tried to

make. It. As a Lunsford bend improved its ensemble style and moved along with cyle over his arrangements it evolved a great blows it was never actually scored on paper but was created by the band as a unit. Over a period of time eventually it replaced white

heat as Jimmy's signature theme. Here is the Uptown blues. After listening to the Uptown blues I can't help but wonder which one of Jimmy's two musical

signatures you like the best. The one for the Lunsford band is permanently ranked with Ellington's Basie's in Goodmans bands as among the relatively few important big jazz bands of the 1930s. After the war started however like the other bands it suffered vital personnel losses and the Lunsford worked hard at coming back its vogue faded and he finally died while on tour in 1947. He left a fine heritage in his music and musical ideas which influenced many arrangers and big band leaders right up into the 1950s. Next week we'll look at some of the big white bands whose musical qualities or influence strongly by the negro music. May grow music in America I was told to look at a box presented transcribed by the SEIU Radio Network. Got it again the next week as we continue our exploration of the negro and American music. This says the SEIU Broadcasting Service. This

program was distributed by national educational radio. This is the National Education already own network.