WikiPortallus: Music of Chicago.html

Prior to the 1929 stock market crash, Chicago was central to the music industry, and many of the important early jazz recordings were made in the area,⁴ all prohibition-era forms of jazz could be found in Chicago speakeasys as far back as the early 1920s. Chicago music continues to expand today.⁵

Blues

Chicago's music scene is well known for it's blues music for many years. Chicago Blues uses a variety of instruments in a more rock and roll type of music, instruments like electrically amplified guitar, drums, piano, bass guitar and sometimes saxophone or harmonica which is generally used in Delta blues, which originated in Mississippi. Chicago Blues has a more extended palette of notes than the standard six-note blues scale; often, notes from the major scale and dominant 9th chords are added, which gives the music a more "jazz feel" whilst still being in the confines of the blues genre. Chicago blues is also known for its heavy rolling bass. The music developed mainly as a result of the "Great Migration" of poor black workers from the South into the industrial cities of the North such as Chicago in particular, in the first half of the 20th century.

Jazz

The Chicago style

The distinctive Chicago style of jazz originated in southern musicians moving North after World War I, bringing the with them the New Orleans "Dixieland" or sometimes called hot jazz. styles.⁶ Louis Armstrong's recordings with his Chicago-based Hot Seven band (which included members of his New Orleans Hot Five) came out during this period. This style of playing was adopted by white musicians who favored meters of 2 instead of 4.⁴ Emphasis on solos, faster tempos, string bass and guitar (replacing the traditional tuba and banjo) also distinguish Chicago-style playing from Dixieland.

Modern Chicago Jazz

Innovative jazz musicians who have come to public attention since the early 1990s include David Boykin, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Jeff Parker, and Jim Baker. Common to many of this new generation is an embrace of a wide variety of styles and techniques.⁸

Soul

During the mid 1960s to the late 1970s a new style of soul music emerged from Chicago. The sound of Chicago soul, like southern soul with its rich influence of black gospel music, also exhibited an unmistakable gospel sound, but was somewhat lighter and more delicate in its approach, or sometimes called soft soul. There are many popular R&B/soul artists from Chicago such as R Kelly, Dave Hollister and Carl Thomas. There are also many Chicago soul labels, including, Vee-Jay, Chess Records, OKeh, ABC-Paramount, One-derful, Brunswick, and Curtom.

Rock

Over the last few decades Chicago has had a thriving Rock and Roll music theme. The rock band Chicago was named after the city, although its original name was the Chicago Transit Authority. The band's name was shortened to Chicago after the CTA threatened to sue them for unauthorized use of the original trademark. Popular 1980s band Survivor is also from Chicago.

Hip-Hop/Rap

Music Venues/Institutions in Chicago

Venues

Institutions

Music of Chicago.html

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History