Registration for 2023-24 is now open
These are online music classes, taught using Zoom
Through video and audio recordings as well as demonstrations, trumpeter/pianist/composer Alan Matheson takes you on a lively exploration of fascinating topics hand-picked from the world of jazz. Sign up for the classes that interest you most, or enroll in the entire series of 12!
| The Roots of Ragtime and Jazz (1850-1897) | Sep 27 |
| This class will explore how Black American musical practices and forms transformed American popular music in the years following the Civil War. African folk songs, works songs, Black gospel music and dance music all provided the basis for what became known as Ragtime and Early Jazz. | |
| Ragtime and Vaudeville Music (1899-1920) | Oct 11 |
| Composers like Scott Joplin, James Rees Europe and “Jelly Roll” Morton along with performers like Al Jolson helped popularize the “new” music of Ragtime and Early Jazz during this period. The multitude of musical influences could be heard on the first jazz recordings by performers like the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and blues artist Mamie Smith. | |
| Early Jazz (1922-1929) | Oct 25 |
| This is the period in which the first “classic” jazz recordings were made. We will enjoy the music of King Oliver, “Jelly Roll” Morton, Paul Whiteman and many others as we explore the world of early jazz in the 1920s. | |
| Pioneering Jazz Soloists (1926-1933) | Nov 8 |
| Following in the wake of the great Louis Armstrong a number of important jazz soloists appeared during this period. Musicians like Bix Beiderbecke, Earl Hines and Jack Teagarden helped develop the role of the jazz soloist along with great vocalists like Ethel Waters and Bessie Smith | |
| The Development of the Big Band (1926-1934) | Nov 22 |
| The large dance orchestra soon became an important outlet for jazz composers and arrangers during the 1920s and early 30s. Pioneering jazz arrangers like Don Redman, Bill Challis and Mary Lou Williams were among the major architects of the “big band sound” which would dominate popular music in the 1930s and 40s. | |
| The Swing Era (1935-1949) | Dec 6 |
| This was the period when a form of jazz was also a major source for most popular music. In this class, we will explore the music of some of the great big bands (Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie) along with some of the important soloists of this era (Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald) | |
| The Roots of Modern Jazz (1940-1945) | Jan 17, 2025 |
| Jazz underwent a major evolution during this period with younger musicians like Charlie Christian and Dizzy Gillespie sharing ideas with progressive older musician (Kenny Clarke, Coleman Hawkins) to help redefine jazz on an improvisational and compositional level. | |
| “Be-Bop”, “Cool” Jazz and “Hard Bop” (1945-57) | Jan 31 |
| This “classic” period for modern jazz saw the emergence of a number of musicians whose influence is still felt today: Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane among others. We’ll explore some of the various genres of modern jazz including the work of great vocalists like Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter. | |
| Rhythm and Blues-The Roots of Rock and Roll (1938-1955) | Feb 14 |
| Rhythm and Blues grew directly from boogie-woogie piano playing as well as from the great swing bands like Count Basie’s. Many early Rhythm and Blues artists were the first “singer-songwriters” in popular music and many had an enormous influence on what became known as rock ’n’ roll: Joe Turner, Louis Jordan, the Staple Singers, “Big Mama” Thornton. | |
| Modal Jazz and “Free” Jazz (1959-1970) | Feb 28 |
| The quest for greater room for expression led jazz musicians to new territory in terms of composition and performance. Some of the innovators we will explore include: Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman, Melba Liston and Charles Mingus. | |
| Fusion and “Jazz Rock” (1963-1979) | Mar 13 |
| During the 1960s, jazz musicians began to employ elements of rock and “R ’n’ B” in their music. This helped increase the audience for jazz and also was an outlet for great creativity. Herbie Hancock, Joni Mitchell and Pat Metheny will be among the wonderful musicians we’ll listen to in this class. | |
| Jazz In Our Time-Recent Developments (1980-2020) | Mar 27 |
| Jazz continues to grow and develop via new talents while absorbing the sounds of musical cultures across the globe. Among the musicians featured in this class will be: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Wynton Marsalis, Maria Scheider and Esperanza Spalding. | |