Funk

“Jazz+Soul+R&B”
 

Stylistic Elements
  1. Funk was a more rhythmic form of Soul.
  2. Funk was one of the most important ingredients in Disco.
  3. The strong rhythmic pulse on beats 1 and 3 drive the funk beat.
  4. The use of the syncopated bassline keeps the melodic line within the beat.
  5. The use of the electric guitar is more rhythmic than harmonic.
  6. The driving beat, syncopated bassline and rhythmic guitar licks create a polyphonic texture.
  7. The melody must stay fairly predictable to “fit” within this polyphonic atmosphere.
 

Historical Events during this period

  1. In 1989, Barbara Arwine became the first female to head the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights.
  2. In 1970, Clifton Wharton was the first black president of an American university. (Michigan St.)
  3. In 1976, Octavia Butler became the first published female black science fiction writer.
  4. In 1977, Pauli Murray was the first woman ordained as a priest in the Protestant Episcopal Church.
  5. In 1976, Patricia S. Cowings was the first woman scientist trained to be an astronaut.
  6. In 1971, Barbara Gardner Proctor was the first black woman to open her own advertising agency. It was located in Chicago, Il.
  7. In 1972, Benjamin L. Hooks was the first black commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
  8. In 1959, Lorraine Hansberry is the first black to win the New York Drama Critics award for her play A Raisin in the Sun.
  9. In 1971, Isaac Hayes is the first black composer to receive an Academy Award for best song from a motion picture with “Shaft”.
  10. In 1975, Arthur Ashe became the first black to win a singles title at Wimbledon.

Musicians
Earth, Wind & Fire Isaac Hayes Kool and the Gang Stevie Wonder
 

Call Charts
Shining Star Theme from Shaft Jungle Boogie Superstition
 

Unit Vocabulary