Creators of Jazz

Pre-requisites for enrolment

No specialist knowledge of music required.

Content of Course

The course of lectures proceeds in roughly chronological order, each one concentrating on selected composers, arrangers, performers and facilitators (promoters, recording executives, critics, gangsters, etc.). The contribution of each person to the creative process is explored by means of musical examples, analysis and where possible their own words.

1. Scott Joplin, Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, Mayor Story, Sidney Bechet, Bix Beiderbecke, Bessie Smith, Adolph Sax.

2. Jelly Roll Morton, Fletcher Henderson, Benny Moten, Billie Holiday, Paul Whiteman, Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel.

3. Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Django Reinhardt, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Count Basie, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster.

4. Duke Ellington.

5. Charlie Christian, Charlie Parker, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Bill Evans.

6. Spike Jones, Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Ray Charles, Charlie Mingus.

7. Cecil Taylor, John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Jaco Pastorious, John Coltrane, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Don Ellis.

8. Stan Getz, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp, Evan Parker, Wynton Marsalis, Pat Metheny, Norah Jones. Promoters: Norman Grantz, Mike Hart. Festivals: Nice, Newport, Edinburgh.

9. Michael Brecker, Jan Garbarek, Brian Kellock, Paul Harrison, Dick Lee, Acker Bilk, Chris Barber, Kenny Ball, Stravinsky, Ravel, Milhaud, Adams, Shostakovich.

10. Critics: Larkin, Balliett, Ansermet, Hentoff. Presenters: Humphrey Lyttelton, Peter Clayton, Geoffrey Smith. Labels: Blue Note, Hep.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Place jazz in its historical context;

• Understand its relationship with classical music;

• Recognise the different instruments and the styles of the great players;

• Identify the many different styles and schools of jazz;

• Discuss the lives and lifestyles of jazz musicians, promoters, commentators and facilitators.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• Giddins, G. & DeVeaux, S., 2009. Jazz. London and New York: W. W. Norton.

• Blumenthal, B., 2007. Jazz. London: Collins.

Recommended:

• Larkin, P., 1985. All What Jazz. London: Faber and Faber.

• Clark, A. ed., 2001. Riffs and Choruses. London : Continuum.

• Condon, E., 1992. We Called it Music. London: De Capo Press.

• Crow, B., 1990. Jazz Anecdotes. New York and Oxford : Oxford University Press.

Web Sources

www.spotify.com

www.redhotjazz.com

Class Handouts

Notes, pictures, reading and listening recommendations.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.