Beyond Category: Duke Ellington explores the music and life of one of jazz’s most important artists, pianist/composer Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington. We will investigate the history of jazz using Ellington’s unique musical vision as a guide. Topics central to this course will be Ellington’s creativity as a composer, his role as a leading bandleader in …
Join Brian Jones for Jazz History Since 1959, a course exploring what scholar John F. Szwed called the “multiple revolutions” that shook up the world of jazz at the dawn of the 1960s. We will dissect the rise of free jazz, jazz and the counterculture, the birth of fusion, world jazz, and the cultural politics …
Join Brian Jones and special guests for an illuminating conversation on jazz. For each class, Jones has asked a colleague in the music industry to choose six jazz recordings that they have found particularly meaningful. During the class, we will listen to the tracks, deconstruct the merits of the tunes, identify the unique characteristics of …
Join Brian Jones for Monk’s Music, a course exploring the music and life of one of jazz’s most important artists, pianist/composer Thelonious Monk. We will investigate the history of jazz using Monk’s unique musical vision as a guide. Topics central to this course will be Monk’s inimitable piano style, his creativity as a composer, and …
Join Dr. Brian Jones for Jazz on Film, a course exploring the rich history of jazz’s connection with the cinema. From feature films about jazz, movies with jazz scores, documentaries on jazz musicians, and television series with jazz-centric subject matters, we will dissect the themes and music of various films as they relate to the …
