Class dates: Tuesdays, September 15, 22, 29, October 6, 13 (5 weeks)
Class time: 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm
Location: Online (via Zoom)
America’s most original art form launches in a time of radical transformation and upheaval. Drawing from deep cultural roots, it develops from the blues, spirituals, hymns, marches, ragtime and dance music, triggering rapid innovations. This course explores key developments in rhythm, harmony, melody, timbre and improvisation, celebrating the most colorful personalities of the newly emerging artform. Linked playlist and resource documents for each class offer further exploration.
Optional reading : Jazz Masters of the Twenties Richard Hadlock; Black Bottom Stomp David A. Jasen & Gene Jones
Instructor: Dave Radlauer has been recounting tales of early Jazz and Swing in print, online and on the radio for 40 years, garnering six broadcast awards. His chronicles of early Jazz and massive website offer fresh perspectives on Jazz and Swing at www.JAZZHOTBigstep.com. He taught Osher Institute zoom-format classes for UC Berkeley, Dominican University, San Francisco State University and UCLA, 2022-25. Other professional qualifications include authoring 200 articles, webpages and columns online and in print. For Stanford Libraries, he has written interpretive articles and donated a unique jazz collection. Publications: The San Francisco Cricket, San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation (print & online), 1998-2014, The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation, Charles M. Huggins Project, The Stanford Libraries, 2017 https://exhibits.stanford.edu/sftjf/feature/the-east-bay-sound Dagogo (audio enthusiast online magazine), 2018-2020 https://www.dagogo.com/category/the-columns/jazzed-up, The Syncopated Times (online and print monthly), 2019-2024, https://syncopatedtimes.com/the-legend-is-true.
