Monday, May 18, 2020

Louis Armstrong An Era Of Fast Beat And Improvised Style

The 1920s, also known as the Jazz Age, was an era of fast beat and improvised style. Jazz was one of the many things which helped to symbolize the decade’s spirit of freedom (Digital History). The roots of Jazz music go back as far as slavery in the 1600s. As Africans were taken from their homes and forced to come to North America, they were able to keep many of their traditions, one including music (January, Brendan, and Francois Roca). Through the years, African music styles combined with European instruments to create the most popular form of music in the twentieth century, jazz (January, Brendan, and Francois Roca). One person who made a large impact on music of the twentieth century was Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong through playing†¦show more content†¦Louis Armstrong was a talented musician who made a lasting impression on jazz music. He was as a soloist whose music could be performed within bands (Howes, Kelly King, and Christine Slovey). One of the many thi ngs Louis Armstrong was known for was his unique sound and style. As Louis was in Chicago, his playing began to improve. He had developed a new style of playing known as improvisation (January, Brendan, and Francois Roca). During the middle of a song, instead of playing what he was supposed to, Louis would break away and add something he would make up. This would give the song a different tone. Today, this is one of the main factors people love about jazz music (January, Brendan, and Francois Roca). Many people saw Louis Armstrong as a warm hearted person. At first, many musicians, such as his band members, were intimidated by his ability to play so well. Many of his band members looked down upon and even feared him. His band members eventually warmed up to him and later gave him the nickname â€Å"satchel mouth† or â€Å"Satchmo† due to the fact he always had a smile on his face (January, Brendan, and Francois Roca). As Louis Armstrong became more popular his music started to spread. He began to get many offers; one he took was joining a jazz group in New York City.

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Causal Effects Of Oil On Regional Conflict - 2148 Words

Introduction Oil, although a natural resource should be seen as a harmless, plentiful substance, in the modern world it is now considered a symbol of wealth; which in my view is representative of political and economic power. Countries that have oil reserves, or who can exploit oil ownership are often seen and acknowledged of the most powerful nations in the world. China, Russia, and the United States of America all have vast reserves of oil and are widely considered to be the top three Super Powers as they are categorized as being . I consider oil to be a primary cause of conflicts globally, for example the hostilities in the Niger Delta. It is a common thought that oil and conflict go hand in hand wherever found. The purpose of this†¦show more content†¦Their leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, wanted greater control of the natural resources within the Delta, and to have a national conference to renegotiate Nigeria’s federal constitution. Many activists have wanted these negotiations to be held for years, but Asari is willing to use force to get these talks, and that is where he varies from many of these other political activists. Asari has links to organised crime within the region. The protests in this region have been described as being â€Å"akin to American gangland fighting for the control of drug trade†. [4] These attacks on the oil companies are serious enough for the government to ‘reward’ the violence by holding discussions with these warlords. The reason for this is that the country is a petro-state. This means that the country’s economy relies heavily on oil revenue, about 50 per cent of the GDP, 95 per cent foreign exchange earnings and 80 per cent of its budgetary revenues. This came about after the civil war, beforehand Nigeria was a relatively small producer of oil, but after it became a global producer of oil, 5th biggest producer in the group OPEC. Because of this civil war, oil companies such a Shell have had to form close partnerships with the Nigerian government, and indeed military dictatorships in order to exploit the abundance of oil in the country. Very little money from the oil production has gone into the communities where the oil is

The Climb to the Top free essay sample

My life as a kid was a sweet life. I lived in a beautiful house in Puerto Rico surrounded by horses, cows, chickens, birds, beautiful flowers and green grass. Out of all the beautiful surroundings, there was one particular thing I loved and it was a huge tree that was in my backyard. As a child I used to climb the tree every day. Every time I went, I climbed higher and higher, reaching new branches, obstacles, and pathways on my way up. One day I reached the top and I could see my island. All the trees, plants, mountains, animals, and birds flying made it look endless, like it had no limits. I was on top of the world, and nothing could stop me. I felt like anything was possible. Then, there’s the day which seemed like it was the end of my life and everything collapsed. This specific day changed my life forever in a way that I would have never imagined. We will write a custom essay sample on The Climb to the Top or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It was a nice summer day; sunny, clear skies, and cool breeze. I started the day as usual with my sister and I collecting eggs for breakfast. After breakfast my family headed to the park to see my baseball game. In the evening we went to a carnival in my town. My grandma was selling the blankets she made for babies under a tent. My parents were having a good time with their siblings and friends, and I was with my cousins playing and going on the rides. Suddenly, the mood of the day changed when my parents called me over to my grandma’s tent. Still to this day I remember the exact words my dad said to me, â€Å"Son, how would you like to move to the United States?† I couldn’t believe what he said. My body got goose bumps; I felt this cold feeling go up my legs, body, and to my arms. I just froze and was speechless and all these thoughts just hit me fast at once in the blink of an eye. I then ran away from him as the tears rolled down my cheeks. I see the bathroom sign and go in and start to cry. My perfect life was being taken away from me. Two weeks later I was on my journey to the land of the free. We arrived at New York on late July, and got picked up by my aunt and uncle. They drove us to Springfield, Massachusetts where we would live for seven years and counting. Once we got there I met my mom’s family I have never met. September comes and school starts. I was afraid to go to a new school and make new friends. Most kids ignored me and some tried to talk to me, but I couldn’t understand them or talk back. A few months later winter arrives and I couldn’t believe how cold it got. Every time I went outside, my face, fingers, ears, and toes got numb even though I had two layers of socks, pants, shirts, coats, and gloves on. Snow was only fun the first week until I had to shovel the sidewalk. My first year in the United States was not fun or easy but I worked hard and got through it. Now that I’m grown, I look back on the journey that I’ve been through; living in a new place with no friends, new language, new school, strange surroundings, and different climate. Despite all those problems, difficulties, and obstacles I still remembered that special tree. I thought how I never stopped trying, past new obstacles, and reached higher. So that’s what I set my mind to and that’s how my mind is still set. That tree taught me to never give up and reach higher. Every obstacle that I have encountered in life I have beat it, and I just keep moving forward. My perfect life was never taken away from me; it has just started, and it’s getting sweeter because anything is possible. I’m on top of the world again and nothing can bring me down.