The Sound of Soul (pg. 42-97)

Summary
It is claimed that most people do not know when blues music was created which was created during the 1600s; a period of slavery. When African Americans where brought over to America which was known as the "New World" they began their own way of music. This music was created in such a way that it could be traced from generations before hand. This music was handed from generation to generation and at the same time a twist of originality was put upon the sounds. The idea of blues used as a common denominator of black music in the Western World that embodied the captive's adaptation of those aspects of the culture of African Americans. Throughout this time there were other types of slaves which differed. Slaves would differ between the cost for a slave and the type of slave being bought off and an indentured servants; that worked for a certain amount of years then let got. Now when talking about the soul part of slavery plantations are looked upon. In the plantations slave would create a melody that was formed from the Europeans and the African Americans creating such a sound. Not only but as time went by it became known that the South had better performers than the ones in the North. The performers in the South were more experienced because of the European background. Even the black men were exposed to white music during The Great Awakening. During that time white ministers went throughout the country's frontier spreading the "word." At the time slaves would not be able to practice their music until they were alone where the nigth was the best time that the slaves felt expressing themselves was best.

Quote
"The use of the ability to entertain as one of the means of survival, in fact, was carried over to the plantation, where, as cartoonist E. Simms Campbell noted in 1939 in his essay on 'The Blues' "(Garland 83).

Reaction
This quote generalizes why African Americans decided to create their own tune. Even though they created music because of lack of entertainment that they had they also created it because it was a sense of survival and strength in their eyes. African American slaves were under enough pressure at the time and coming together and creating gave them another way of looking at like. This quote inspired me because I take music a a get away as well. I use the sounds to escape whenever I feel as though life hasn't been turn out to well for me.

The Sound of Soul (pg. 20-41)

Summary

Phyl Garland reminisce about how her parents use to listen to the blues that was preformed during her time. Phyl explains that her parents were able to grad a sense of certain music but they wanted her to be exposed to have advantages they were not able to have such as classical music. In Garlands household there was a jukebox which played the music she began to become fond of. The sounds that spoke through the box was blues and r&b at this time it was the fifties where artist would create whatever came to mind. Their music that was played could not always be identified but when listening to the feelings and emotion in the song then it soon could be determined. Garland later experienced a change in with her families jukebox with another system. Even though she lived in a neighborhood which lacked their idea of diversity in it the blacks never were kept from the rhythms of their music.

Quote
"It must be strange if it were any other way with this music, for the church, with its unfulfilled promise of salvation, has been one of the few constants in the black man's long and tortuous travail in America"( Garland 25).

Reaction

When reading this quote i fount it hard to understand and I felt like taking this quote and analyzing it would be the best way to understand. As I analyzed the quote I noticed that the defined soul music comes from the simply from church. In the churches certain actions from the people would become some what an act that most soul artist would use these actions in their performances. So this quote is following the act of what most churches have had during sermons.

The Sound Soul (pg.1-20)

Summary
The Sound of Soul by Phyl Garland is just not the definition of music that people created just for fun but it is the music that comes from the inner emotion of oneself. From artist such like James Brown and Mahalia Jackson all the way to Duke Ellington have gave another meaning to music and another way that people would enjoy it. By the end of 1968 soul music was starting ti form in a way that gained much popularity from many cultures around. During that time the top twelve artist like Aretha Franklin and Otis Reading worked their music to the top in order to have a place in the music industry. But in order for many of these artist to be known as "known" they had to struggle. For many of them they gave up a lot such as family, education, and working to become as famous as they are now. Not only but the one word Soul was taken on as a connotation of linking those rebels who find some reviling way from music. Soul was very fond of the sound of music but also food. In the African American community soul food was known for the way the food is prepared and the entertainment that goes around the gathering.

Quote
.."In the process it examines some of the ethnic forces that have gone into the making of this music, by recreating some of the color and feeling of that special society-within-a-society that gives birth to it and by presenting the attitudes of the musicians toward their music and the world in which they have had to live"(Garland 2).

Reaction
While reading this book i began to think that i would be less interested in the idea of Soul music. I don't know why i would be less interested because my entire life spam i have been surrounded by soul music. As i began to read the novel i became very interested in the idea that many of the artist that I've listen to are actually featured in the history of where soul music originated form. As i read the book i want to know more about why soul music is the way it is and different from other genre of music.