Jazz Influence On African American Culture

Jazz as an art form has a rich history as one of the first indigenous American musical styles. Born in the south, Jazz was a way for African American’s to express themselves musically in a time of suppression, and its differences from the music at the time would change music culture forever. Jazz would often discuss the plight and struggles of African American’s lives through slavery and oppression. Over the years, it has adopted many different forms and styles through creative genius of such as Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong amongst other legends. Their influence and character that they introduce into jazz has transformed and modernized it over the many decades that followed. Today, artist groups such as the Leland Baker

As I neared the hall, I noticed the walls were strewn with graffiti of obscenities and other graphic images. One that stood out the most was one exclaiming the words “F*** Donald Trump”, amongst other beautiful artistic work. Immediately as I pulled into the venue, I was introduced to a group of poorly dressed individuals slumped against the walls of the street building. They stared me down eerily as I approached the hall, and until I reached the lot, successfully causing me to lock my windows and doors. The front side of the Feté music hall did not attempt to differentiate itself from it’s surroundings. The two main glass doors were tinted so one could not see in, and the walls were covered with dirt and mud. The two bulky bodyguards at the door were a welcoming site however, and as the large glass doors slammed shut behind me, I felt comforted that I had just secluded myself from the spooky

It had the similar ambiance and construction to a movie theatre entrance, with concessions and a ticket booth that led you towards the main room. Although the main room was very small and dark, it was a sight for sore eyes after what I had seen to get here. The small stage was the main focus of the room, as all tables were directly facing it. Each table had a dimly lit candle centered on it as well as a red table cloth. The blue focus lighting on the stage allowed me to see the set up of instruments, a drum set, piano, string bass, and a two saxophones ready to be played. Aside from the stage, a warm, red lighting engulfed the remainder of the room, allowing me to see the scan rest of the room. The walls were decorated with strange portraits of what looked like Ancient Greece, and were scattered across the walls. Another section of the wall had a constellation looking portrait that was illuminated with alternating red and blue lights. Despite all of the colored lighting, the feeling in the room was still generally calm and calming. It was easy to observe the general age of the room, the majority of the audience looked to be in their late 20s’, and all their curious faces were directed at me as I walked inside. After a few minutes in awkward silence, one of the ladies from the bar walked over to my table and asked how we heard of the event and why we were there. At first, I thought it was a nosy woman looking to