EBONY AND IVORY

"Ebony and Ivory come together in perfect harmony." 

~ Paul McCartney

Louis Armstrong. Say his name out loud. It sounds like your talking about an old friend. Hello Dolly... Wonderful World... and then there was his famous scat which was created when words were forgotten and the singer became like an instrument. Louis Armstrong began his musical career in Storyville.

Storyville was a legal red light district in New Orleans located around Basin Street, not too far from the train station. This is where jazz and blues were born. Many say the word "jazz" came from the perfume that the friendly ladies in Storyville wore. Too me, jazz is the perfect combination of black and white music coming together to form a sound. It was the music of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers of the 1920s. GO GRANNY GO! Freedom for women was in the air and jazz music was sexy and fun.

To me, jazz is a feel that can send the spirit into new dimensions. While white folks in the Western World were exploring and becoming philosophical and inventive, black folks were enjoying life in a more primordial state making them closer to nature and the natural rhythms of life. The two cultures came together to form the jazz sound. Together the jazz musicians produced chord combinations never before heard but somehow made sense musically. In a perfect jazz band, the musicians compliment each other, allowing the other player his space without making it too busy or running over each other. What a concept. 

Then there was that white boy from Memphis, who learned his music from the black folks creating a new sensation that rocked the entire world. His name was Elvis Presley. 

Creating music together brought black and white together in harmony. This is because music is a powerful tool in expressing the spirit which is the emotional sensation of the soul. I think this video really speaks well of the natural musical contribution the black culture has brought to the music we love today. If this does not move you may I suggest you get some soul therapy.