GEOG 100 Themes

1. Case Study: Jazz GEOG 100 Themes

2. Observations About Jazz • A main theme in this class is cross-fertilization – the production of new syntheses as a result of the interaction or collision of cultures. There are many forms of music that originated largely in the U.S. as a result of the interaction between African-American and Euro-American culture, with most of the influences coming from the black side. • Jazz is truly a wondrous example of a new hybrid that has gone global and blended with other influences – Latin, reggae, gypsy, and other forms of 'world music.' It has been described as “the classical music of America.”

3. Observations About Jazz • It is something I am personally very passionate about, because it symbolizes so many things that are potentially contradictory: • It combines a mastery of classical music theory with musical traditions that have bubbled up from the grassroots. • Its practitioners have been strongly individualistic, while the music at the same time requires extraordinary cooperation and collaboration. • It requires enormous technical discipline and yet allows for incredible freedom of expression and improvisation.

4. Observations About Jazz • It respects its traditions and idioms and yet is constantly innovating. • It is also the first form of serious and popular music that saw integration of musicians – black musicians into white bands, and white musicians into black bands. While the scene was not free of racism, there was a lot of collaboration and mutual respect – far more so than in the rest of society at the time. So, jazz has strongly conveyed a message of equality.

5. It hasn't been as inclusive of women; it has largely been male-dominated, but there have been notable exceptions, such as Louis Armstrong's wife, Lil, who is credited with really launching his career. Lil Hardin was a pianist, composer, and arranger...

6. Observations About Jazz • All of these aspects mean that jazz has conveyed a philosophy and way of being whose significance transcends music. Interestingly enough, because of its libertarian spirit, it has earned the wrath of totalitarian regimes of both the left and right. After playing a clip, I will read (time permitting) some derogatory statements about jazz made by the Nazis and the Soviets under Stalin. • Another example of how American music has reverberat-ed around the world is the Beatles – a British band that developed its chops playing Black American rhythm and blues (Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Motown) to German audiences before making it big in the U.K., whereupon they formed – along with other rhythm and blues-based bands – the “British invasion” that revolutionized Ameri-can music which had been the original source of inspiration.