Jazz and Blues of the 1960’s
Assigned Reading
: Pages 73-85, “Struttin’ that Thing” and pages 157-168, “Blues and Trouble,” from the book by Paul Oliver, The
Story of the Blues
. (Xerox copies if possible)
Audio materials
: Albums previously recorded on cassettes, Blllie Holiday,
Lady Sings the Blues
, Ramsey Lewis,
The
“
In
”
Crowd
, B.B. King,
Live at the Regal
.
Vocabulary Words
: jazz, migrants, tenements, cabaret, anonymous, trumpet, trombone, copyright, contemporary, syncopation: 1) definitions, phonetical pronunciation, 2) use in good sentences, 3) spell words correctly.
Procedure
: Begin lesson by assigning vocabulary words if possible. Discuss the reading lesson. Listen to Billie Holiday’s record. Compare her voice to Mahalia Jackson’s. If you can mention the movie released during the 1970’s starring Diana Ross who portrayed Billie. Discuss the ups and downs of the 1940’s and 50’s. Listen to B.B. King’s record. Then listen to the instrumentals by Ramsey Lewis. Ask students for a preference. What political activity in the 1960’s made the blues popular again?
Outside reading: Pages 161-172 of
Famous Negro Music Makers
by Langston Hughes.
Activity
: Divide class into four or more groups. Assign the reading of the play by Langston Hughes, “Tambourines to Glory,” found in his book,
Five Plays
available at the Institute. Allow each group to assign parts for at least one scene. Point out the musical selections found in this play. If students are not able to sing the lyrics then have them read them aloud as they read the play aloud. Do the lyrics have any special significance to the plot of the play? Are there any other songs that could be substituted for these if it were necessary?