Art Blakey's Jazz Message: A Joyful Approach to Jazz
Taught by Christopher Bussmann
Christopher Bussmann is a Brooklyn based librarian by day and a jazz cultural historian, writer, educator, and former broadcaster by night. Christopher runs Bop And Beyond, a jazz blog dedicated to the bebop and hard bop sounds of the mid-twentieth century. His former radio show aired for over ten years in Rochester, Montreal, and Brooklyn. You can visit his site at bopandbeyond.wordpress.com and on twitter at @bopandbeyond.
“Jazz washes away the dust of everyday life.” -- Art Blakey
This class is designed to open a door into the complex and fascinating world of jazz through the recordings of Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.
We'll start with a quick overview of the foundations of jazz history and its role in 20th-century American life and culture before engaging in an in-depth listen to the music of Art Blakey and his band. No experience with jazz or knowledge of music theory required! The goal here is to make jazz approachable and appealing to those who've been daunted by it previously. All students will receive an MP3 playlist of everything we listen to in class, plus a list of further recommended listening.