Music Belonging to the Big Band or Dance Pop Genres - Essay Example

YOUR FULL HERE] [YOUR PROF HERE] [YOUR HERE] 13 December Gender and Success: Big Band and Dance Pop, Inception to Present Day The role and portrayal of gender in American music has taken many forms and fashions. From the traditional to the outlandish, the acknowledged to the avant-garde, nowhere is this better illustrated than in the contrast of the genres of Big Band and Dance Pop. When compared side by side, they appear almost the inverse of each other. This paper will examine the established gender roles and marketable personas of both women and men in those two fields, from inception, through development, and up to present day. In the world of Big Band, women were occasionally given work as solo or group vocalists, but female bandleaders, arrangers, and musicians were nearly unheard of. Vocal groups such as The Boswell Sisters were able to make a decent living performing their signature arrangements in front of their big band style backup band. But while the ladies arrangement work was going mostly unnoticed, little did they know that all the while they sang in the spot light but arranged in obscurity, that they would be instrumental in laying the groundwork for an emerging genre of music that would become known as “swing” (Anyswinggoes.com, 2006). Men, on the other hand, had no limit to the accomplishments they could earn on the Big Band circuit. Big Band work was steady, and the demand for evening entertainment and danceable tunes was exceeding the supply of genuinely talented available performers by a fair margin. If you were reasonably talented and sufficiently motivated, there was almost no limit to the level of fame you could achieve as a man in the genre of Big Band. Most bandleaders doubled as the primary vocalist, and one by one they paraded and preened around the stages of America like peacocks; showing their feathers for all to see while making as much noise as possible in order to attract attention. While many bandleader / vocalists also composed arrangements for the band as well, relatively quiet work could also be found in the fields of arranging and musicianship if you did not have any goals of becoming the bandleader / primary vocalist, and you didn’t mind travel (Swingmusic.net). In the modern genres of Big Band and Jazz revival, female artists such as Amy Winehouse and Adele distinguish themselves thoroughly with larger than life personas and strong, distinctive voices that are as much of a trademark of their sound as the arrangements they sing to. The ladyfolk are no longer relegated to standing in front, while looking and sounding appealing, though they do that adroitly as well. The new breed of female Big Band and Jazz vocalists stamp their every song with the sheer force of their will and personality, not unlike the male bandleaders of old. Musicians still tend to be male, and so do arrangers at times, but the female voices of Big Band and Jazz are overpowering convention and gender roles, taking the lion’s share of writing and arranging credit for any personally written compositions. The gentlemen seem to be fading into the background of Big Band and Jazz as the ladies step forward towards the spotlight. Male bandleader / vocalists are about as common as their female counterparts nowadays, and more and more male jazz vocalists are leaning towards a more stripped down, intimate small club feel with minimal orchestration and musicians required, with most turning their backs on the bombastic production of the Big Band genre in all of its glory. The genre of Dance Pop seems nearly inverted in comparison to Big Band, regarding traditional gender roles and conventional gender portrayal. In the evolution of American music, jazz morphs into what will one day become ‘rock & roll’ around the 1950s, with white musicians such as Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly covering songs that were conventionally thought of as ‘black songs’ coming from a Jazz and R&B background, but in a new rock style that was previously unheard. Come the 60s, there was an emerging girl group genre that defied categorization at the time. It was most certainly not rock, but neither was it moody enough to be jazz, or hooky enough to be R&B. It was decided that this offshoot from the rock tree would be called ‘doo-wop’. By the time ‘doo-wop’ had incorporated a steady rock-like beat, and a notable tendency towards single gender harmony ensemble groups, known then as well as today as ‘boy groups, and ‘girl groups’, respectively. ‘Doo-wop’ had also finally shed all remaining trappings of any inclination to provide more than the most basic songwriting. It had become disco. The lack of engaging songwriting, combined with the relentless beat made disco officially by definition, the first form of pop, especially when taken in conjunction with their respective strong dance and night club cultures. Today, pop may still bear some lingering resemblance to its roots in the early disco, but computerized modern electronic music arrangements and nearly limitless sound choices make the Dance Pop of today only minimally similar to its disco roots. Pretty boys such as the Bee Gees and John Travolta saw no conflict between being full of masculine bravado, and wearing heels and rhinestones in order to go out to the club. The beginning days of fully evolved dance pop began in the 1980s. Men and women were equally encouraged to be lead vocalists and solo artists, but more men than women still frequented the musicianship side of things, as well as arranging and orchestration. The wild gender-bending days of early pop were distinguished by a near overturn of conventional gender roles. Men cultivated long, wild manes of hair, makeup and spandex. The ladies were conversely not afraid to cut their hair short, and represent themselves in motorcycle jackets and ripped up jeans. In his song ‘Walk on the Wild Side’, Lou Reed says, “Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls, it’s a mixed up muddled up shook up world…” (Reed, 1972). Knowing the release date of that song makes it seem oddly prescient when appraising the no-holds-barred genderless orgy of art, and fame, and showmanship that was pop in the 1980s. In the world of Dance Pop today, the writing level has either stayed the same, or markedly improved. In the cases where it is still mostly the same, marketing friendly pop tarts purr and writhe through an auto-tunes assisted electronic morass, while boy bands preen and prattle, buried in the same void of genuine artistic contribution or desire. But there are those, such as Robyn and Lady Gaga for the gals, and Finger Eleven or Maroon 5 for the gentlemen, that not only feature witty, sharp, incredibly focused lyrics and arrangements, but a nearly full integration of orchestral and electronic instruments, as well as more than acceptable vocal quality and expression. Gender is has become largely irrelevant in modern Dance Pop, and more focus is now being spent on writing quality as a whole. In the absence of solid writing, the possession of an attractive body and the ability to dance well never hurt anyone, especially when combined with a minimum of vocal talent, a willingness to follow instructions, and a sunny, cooperative outlook. Whether you are male or female, if actual singing, writing, and arranging talent is not as necessary as it once was, then with hard work, determination, and just the right A&R guys, any obscure no talent nobody can achieve at least the superstardom of a Billboard 1 hit wonder, regardless of gender (thefbomb.org, 2011). Artists such as Marilyn Manson stretch the perceived boundaries of what is conventionally regarded to be status quo gender roles by adopting a highly histrionic stage persona, and spending a larger amount of time than some girls on carefully crafting his appearance. Every mismatched color contact, every straightened lock of hair of glossy jet black hair, every moan, sigh and painstaking eyeliner application; it all combines to give the same message crystal clear, as well as to simultaneously say nothing at all. Gender no longer has relevance in the world of Dance Pop, and adhering to conventional social norms will not make it so any more so any more quickly or effectively than deliberately flouting those norms for attention and showmanship. Today, in almost any genre of music, both men and women have nearly absolute assurances that the flexibility in genre convention that allows for greater expression of sexuality and identity. Also renders traditional gender roles and our concepts of them as we see them to be more or less purposeless and directionless. Music today can morph and shift into a kind of genderless performance art; a no-man’s-land inhabited by artists such as Kiss, the New York Dolls, David Bowie, k.d. lang, and Marilyn Manson. The gender of the performer in question has now taken a back seat to the quality and innovation of the performance as well as the writing quality of the songs. Artists no longer need to feel a pull towards deliberate transgression for shock value, nor do they need to feel pressured to accept and conform to traditional gender expectations. The societal drive for men and women to achieve fame, fortune, and recognition through producing music belonging to either the Big Band or Dance Pop genres is still as strong as ever. But from a modern perspective, having that success tied directly to public perception of your willingness and inclination to alter gender indicative behavior in order to present the best possible impression is now no longer relevant, as adherence to predetermined gender roles no longer serves any purpose in the Music Industry at large. Works Cited Hussain, Samir. “The Birth, Life, Death and Revival of Swing”. Anyswinggoes.com. 2006. Retrieved 13 December 2011. http://www.anyswinggoes.com/features/108736033039853.shtml Swingmusic.net. Entire website. Retrieved 12 December 2011. http://www.swingmusic.net/getready.html Reed, Lou. ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ 1972 Emma E. “Reversing Gender Roles With A Little Help From Ke$ha” Thefbomb.org. 24 August, 2011. Retrieved 13 December 2011. http://thefbomb.org/tag/feminism-and-music/ Read More