Most believe that jazz is strictly for the upper-class and affluent, but the roots of jazz tell a different story. Jazz is an art form and the pioneer language of music. Jazz is, and always has been, at the centre of the music world. Kemba Cofield's style is very much the same. Her music is the centre of her world and she performs with such energy and soul that it grabs you the moment you hear her voice.
Traditional jazz began with the subjugated African Americans in the early years of contemporary music. The earliest jazz music was influenced by African tribal drums and later, by gospel, blues and “field hollers”, which was the call of the workers in the fields on plantations. Early on, jazz was considered the cornerstone of African American life and their expressions toward their way of life. This is not how jazz diva, Kemba Cofield, got her start, however. Yes, her musical roots come from gospel and blues and ancestors who began the jazz tradition, but her heart is what drew her to the eclectic sounds she sings today.
The origin of the word “jazz” actually came from an early obscene term for sexual acts, but the cadence of the music never identified with women of the night or bordellos. To the people who play jazz music, it has always been about the music itself and the fact that it comes from their hearts. Kemba Cofield has always said her songs come from her life and how she grew up in Frankfort, KY.
Jazz music's jaunt soon became an art form in the world of music, with both song writing and and those who came up with the words on the fly, creating out-of-the-box harmonies. Jazz musicians, like Kemba Cofield, have the innate talent to express their emotions because the music and the words come from the heart and resonate from the soul.
The legend of jazz music started in New Orleans and worked its way up the Mississippi River to Memphis, St. Louis and eventually Chicago. Modern jazz was largely shaped by the ragtime music of New Orleans, but it has grown into so much more with the introduction of African tribal drums and music that was introduced by the Europeans. The music has really been influenced by many genres including gospel, ragtime and blues. Kemba Cofield's music is a mix of all of these sounds. When she performs for a live audience, she incorporates old-time ragtime music into modern blues, with the spiritual energy of Southern Gospel. Her musical style is rooted so far in old world jazz and blues, that no matter what she sings, it comes from deep within her.
One of jazz history's most famous legends is said to have been on of New Orleans barbers, named Buddy Bolden, in 1891. He was said to blow his cornet (a trumpet-like wind instrument) every day and the birth of jazz began. Almost 120 years later, American jazz has produced some of the world's greatest musicians. Jazz has been studied at major universities and is now considered a base for all aspiring musicians when learning to sing and play. Kemba Cofield has found that even when she tries out other genres of music, she always, without thinking about it, integrates that jazz sound into every piece of music she composes.
Jazz music became hugely popular in America in the early 1920s, which was described as the Jazz Age. It spread like wildfire during the swing and big band eras of the 1930s and 1940s, and what we know as modern jazz today, is what originally influenced the rock n' roll in the 1950s. Jazz keeps evolving and influencing other types of music because it is grounded in rich history of a community of people who sang with their hearts and souls.
To learn more about Kemba Cofield, visit KembaCofield.com
You may also contact her manager, marketer, and PR:
Lena Hunt of CelebritizeYou and Lena Hunt PR
lena@celebritizeyou.com or celebritizeyou@gmail.com
Skype: lena9875
727.266.5191 or 754.484.0021
