MUSC 299: Jazz, Civil Rights, & Hip Hop

General Resources

See: Scores/Transcriptions & Leadsheets

All Other Links:

  1. Timelines:
    - Library of Congress Timeline 1640-2014 - Link
    - History.com Civil Rights Movement Timeline 1948-1968 - Link
    - American Civil Rights Movement Timeline 1865-1968 - Link
    - African American Music Timeline, from African American Music, eds. Mellonee V. Burnim and Portia K. Maultsby - Link

  2. Jazz - The Word, by Alan P. Merriam and Fradley H. Garner, Ethnomusicology, Vol. 12, No. 3 (Sep., 1968), pp. 373-396 — Link

  3. Letter from Birmingham City Jail, by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) — Link

  4. Review of LeRoi Jones’ Blues People by Ralph Ellison, from the New York Review of Books — Link

  5. Out of Notes: Signification, Interpretation, and the Problem of Miles Davis, by Robert Walser, The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 77, No. 2 (Summer, 1993), pp. 343-365 — Link

  6. How James Brown Made Black Pride a Hit, by Randall Kennedy, New York Times, July 20, 2018 — Link

  7. Self-Portrait, by Miles Davis, originally published by Columbia Records Biographical Service, November 26, 1957 — Link

  8. Sonny Rollins and the Challenge of Thematic Improvisation, by Gunther Schuller, The Jazz Review, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Nov. 1958) — Link

  9. My Mother’s Dreams for Her Son and All Black Children, by Hilton Als for The New Yorker, June 2020 — Link

  10. What is Poetic Meter? Raymond Malewitz, Oregon State University — Link

  11. Class One Resources:
    11.1     -Introduction to the Course
    11.2     -Listening to Jazz: Sonny Rollins-St.Thomas or Miles Davis-Straight No Chaser (From Listening Assignments 7 and 5 respectively)
    - Overview
    - Historical Frame
    -Understanding Jazz: Miles Davis: Bye Bye Blackbird (From Listening Assignment 5)
    -Sounds Associated with Jazz:
    -Anna Netrebko: Quando me'n vo' from La Boheme - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1_BKpgUG4I
    -Sarah Vaughan: All of Me - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C43OA2qAAY4
    - Joyce DiDonato : Lascia ch'io pianga from Handel's Rinaldo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkGY2lmWzVM
    -Esperanza Spaulding: On the Sunny Side of the Street - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQtXo4tiZxs
    -Improvisation vs. Composition, Rhythm, Syncopation and Swing, Form, Instrumentation, and Listening Guides:
    -    Miles Davis : Bye Bye Blackbird - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vQuPIjK1Ks
    -Joe Crocker : Bye Bye Blackbird - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxEw2QReIfw
    11.3 -Term and Concepts:
    A. Pitch: Melody, Harmony
    B. Pulse-Meter-Tempo
    -Examples of Marches, 3/4 meter (national anthem) etc.
    -For 3/4 in classical music- Beethoven: Symphony No 9, 2nd movt. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5favl2Qtx0
    -For an example of 4/4 time: James Brown: Funky Drummer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQ4AtsFWVM
    C. Jazz Instrumentation : Duos/trios, Chamber Ensembles, Large Ensembles
    D. Mood, Style, Techniques
    11.4 Examples for discussion of Rhythm, Meter, Swing, Tempos, Vocal Style, Instrumentation, Syncopation, Swing, etc. :
    -Ella Fitzgerald: Over the Rainbow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc2rTt74Qys
    -Joyce DiDonato: Over the Rainbow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXCknbE9K1s
    -Eva Cassidy: Over the Rainbow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXCknbE9K1s
    -Bobby Mcferrin: Over the Rainbow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U35MBCjzmlw
    -Bobby McFerrin: I Can See Clearly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO_LV-yInc8
    -Bobby McFerrin: I Can See Clearly (version 2) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXeY696gZW4
    -Aretha Franklin: Today I Sing the Blues (1989) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SMwHo5XzeA
    -Jennifer Hudson: Change is Gonna Come - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uanvzKzKw
    -Tina Turner: Under Cover Agent For The Blues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgzuk9wX8kA
    -Casandra Wilson: Billie's Blues - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB1HK-rlVig

  12. Scat Jazz: Hendricks and Others
    A. Includes Little Pony and Four Brothers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8LZ02r7yz8
    B. Four (LH&R) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozBlOk5oqEk
    C. Miles Davis -Four - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xuLs0ax7XI
    D. Double Six of Paris-Four Brothers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9fPHtOQ10M
    E. Woody Herman-Four Brothers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edm8uenCtrg
    F. Lil Darling-New York Voices - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCLLcCXaF7Q&list=RDGW0Eo-kgIIU&index=13
    G. Lil Darling-Count Basie - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMibKxQWRnw
    I. Jon Hendricks and Friends-Freddie the Freeloader - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FaMtXw2mRE
    J. Miles Davis -Freddie The Freeloader (from Kind of Blue) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZcuSBouhVA

  13. Bloody Sunday: A flashback of the landmark Selma to Montgomery marches , NBC, 2018 - link

  14. Conversations - James Baldwin and Nickki Giovanni
    - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekpw2xzPK2Y
    - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZmBy7C9gHQ

  15. -Robert Glasper NPR discussion, jazz and hip hop in Glasper’s music - link
    -'Jazz Is The Mother Of Hip-Hop': How Sampling Connects Genres, Alex Ariff, NPR, April 2017 - link
    -Robert Glasper on Piano Jazz, NPR - link