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Music of the 1950s
18 OffStereo shows from the 1950s. Among them: Don Cherry: Pocket Trumpet, Global Soul, Radio Espantoso — Vice City's Latin Station.
Don Cherry: Pocket Trumpet, Global Soul
Don Cherry's pocket trumpet guides free jazz from Ornette Coleman's quartet to global fusion, pioneering 'collage music' and a nomadic spirit from 1965's 'Complete Communion' to 1975's 'Brown Rice'.
Answers: How did Don Cherry integrate global musical traditions with free jazz?
Radio Espantoso — Vice City's Latin Station
Radio Espantoso defines Vice City's spirit, tracing Miami's 1950s-70s Latin jazz and mambo soul from Beny Moré's classics to Deodato's funk.
Answers: what kind of music is on radio espantoso in vice city?
Fela's Horned Revolution
Fela Kuti's Afrobeat horns forged a new sound, born from West Africa's vibrant funk and highlife scenes where intricate horn dialogues built hypnotic grooves.
Answers: Where did Fela Kuti study music?
MLK: The Movement's Soundtrack
From Mahalia Jackson's 'How I Got Over' at the 1963 March on Washington to Nina Simone's furious 'Mississippi Goddam,' music became the Civil Rights Movement's voice of hope and protest.
Answers: How did Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" become a Civil Rights song?
Jamal: Space, Silence, and Influence
Ahmad Jamal's minimalist genius, from "Poinciana" to "Ahmad's Blues," defines a new jazz piano sound that shapes Miles Davis's modal explorations and inspires Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage."
Answers: Who influenced Miles Davis's approach to jazz?
Goodfellas: A Soundtrack Story
Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas soundtrack mirrors Henry Hill's mob journey, from The Cleftones' 1956 doo-wop charm to The Rolling Stones' 1969 "Gimme Shelter" paranoia.
Answers: How does the music in Goodfellas show Henry Hill's journey?
Alemu Aga: Harp of Stillness
The begena's ancient Ethiopian tradition of contemplative stillness, championed by Alemu Aga, subtly shapes the deep nostalgia heard in Mulatu Astatke's 'Tezeta'.
Answers: What is a begena?
Yusef Lateef's Eastern Jazz Odyssey
Yusef Lateef's 'Autophysiopsychic Music' brings global sounds to jazz by 1957, from Egyptian argol to Indian flutes, profoundly shaping John and Alice Coltrane's spiritual explorations.
Answers: How did Yusef Lateef influence John Coltrane?
1958: Rock, Pop, & Global Grooves
1958 is the year rock and roll, led by Chuck Berry and Elvis, conquers the charts, even as Bobby Darin's pop and Modugno's "Volare" expand its global sound.
Answers: What was the first rock and roll single to earn an RIAA Gold Record?
Memphis Soul: Stax's Raw Revolution
From a Memphis movie theater, Stax Records built the raw, integrated Southern soul sound that defined the city, from William Bell to James Carr and O.V. Wright.
Answers: When did Stax Records begin?
Jamal to Nas: World Is Yours
Ahmad Jamal's unique jazz, with its melodic spaces, provides the introspective foundation for hip-hop, from Nas's 'The World Is Yours' to Pete Rock's iconic samples.
Answers: How did Pete Rock sample Ahmad Jamal's 'I Love Music'?
Cash's Prison Mythos
Johnny Cash's Folsom and San Quentin albums blur lines, igniting his career and inspiring Outlaw Country's raw sound, from Merle Haggard to Waylon Jennings.
Answers: How did Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison concert impact his career?
The Beat That Built Rock
From 1955, Bo Diddley's primal beat fuels rock's evolution, driving The Rolling Stones' 1964 sound and later inspiring proto-punk acts like The Velvet Underground and The Clash.
Answers: What is the origin of the Bo Diddley beat?
Gilberto's Quiet Bossa Nova Revolution
João Gilberto's revolutionary "batida" guitar and intimate vocals transformed Brazilian samba into bossa nova, launching a global sensation with "Chega de Saudade" and Getz/Gilberto.
Answers: what was so revolutionary about João Gilberto's style?
Funk Brothers: Motown to Marley Marl
From the uncredited Funk Brothers crafting Motown's "My Girl" to Cold Chillin' Records' producer-driven beats and Biz Markie's lyrical innovations, popular music's blueprint shifts.
Answers: Who were the Funk Brothers?
DOOM's Masked Legacy
MF DOOM's mask and intricate wordplay redefined underground hip-hop, building an artistic world of obscure jazz samples that inspired artists like Nia Archives.
Answers: Why did MF DOOM wear a mask?
Motown's Unsung Architects: The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers' uncredited genius defines the Motown Sound, crafting hits like "My Girl" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" with James Jamerson's iconic bass.
Answers: who played the instruments on all the big motown hits?
Accordion's Creole Pulse
Born from Creole hardship, zydeco's accordion and frottoir, from Clifton Chenier to Boozoo Chavis's 1954 hit, still pack Louisiana dance halls.
Answers: Who was the 'King of Zydeco'?