All That Jazz: Appreciating an American Art Form

About this course:

Jazz can be a mystery to even the most ardent music lover. In this course, we demystify the various styles and genres, leaving you with a clear understanding and a lasting appreciation of the art form. We follow the evolution of jazz from its origins right up until today—a musical journey that covers more than one hundred years as it swings, sings, and plays it hot and cool. We explore the New Orleans Jazz of King Oliver and Louis Armstrong; the Big Bands of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and Stan Kenton; Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie’s Bebop to the Post-Bop era of Miles and Coltrane; the West Coast Cool Jazz of Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck; the East Coast Hard Bop of Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins and Thelonious Monk; and Modern/Free Jazz with Ornette Coleman and Eric Dolphy. In the mid-1980's, the inclusion of new technologies led to the Fusion Jazz of Michael Brecker and Pat Matheny, then on to New Age and the extraordinary contemporary artists. This course is an informative and fun way to both listen to jazz and gain a real understanding of a uniquely American art form. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.