Our first stop is of course going to be New York City, in the United States. Many claim it is the music capital of the world, and it's definitely easy to see why. A wide variety of musical genres have had significant impact in their development here in NYC. We will be focusing on three genres: jazz, hip hop and rap.
The city itself is one of the most diverse in the world. It binds culture from all over the world, which has made it not only famous for being a busy city, but also for its unique city culture. Most of all, it is considered the birthplace of hip-hop music. In fact, the origin of hip-hop is well documented due to its significance, and if you search for "the birthplace of hip-hop" on Google, you will see that there will appear an address which says "1520 Sedgwick Ave, Bonx, NY".
During the 1970s, when hip-hop was just emerging, New York City was a place full of drugs, guns, poverty, and violence. Hip-hop has become a way for people to express their thoughts and their stores through music.
Because NYC was the birthplace of hip-hop, it had inevitably become the birthplace of many talented African-American hip-hop artists and rappers. In fact, one of the greatest rappers of all time, the Notorious B.I.G., was a New York-er himself. His unique rapping flow and great storytelling skill have set him on the pedestal of hip-hop. In addition, other artists such as 50-Cent or Jay-Z were also born in New York. Under the influence of these hip-hop legends, more talented artists are emerging in New York, and we may just happen to bump into one casually walking down the street!
The Notorious B.I.G.
Jazz in New York City is considered by many to be the best in the world these days. It's littered with talented street musicians. One could find music everywhere they go in this city. A big reason for the abundance of musicians is due to the abundance of fantastic music schools located in the city. For example, the Julliard School (which is basically the equivalent of Harvard, but in the arts), or the Manhattan School of Music.
In addition to the street musicians, there is no lack of jazz clubs in the city. The most famous one, Birdland Jazz Club, is something we are definitely going to be checking out during our time there. It's where legendary African-American saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker played some of his earliest music.
There's also the famous Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, led by the virtuous trumpet player Wynton Marsalis, another extremely talented African-American musician (in fact, his entire family is full of talented black musicians). We discuss a bit more about Wynton Marsalis on our New Orleans page. There's a concert happening in April with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which we will make sure to not miss.
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra
Of course, if we are in New York City, we can't forget to visit all of the other famous tourist attractions! There's always some concerts happening at Madison Square Garden, so we will make sure to go there. There's also the Metropolitan Museum of Art, should be interesting. They have an exhibit featuring African-American artists as well.
For dining, we will make sure to try out all of the famous restaurants in NYC, such as Le Bernardin, or Ai Fiori.
We will be staying at the Four Season Hotel in downtown.