Jazz Appreciation Class

[charleyrich99]

I am teaching a class called "Jazz Appreciation" at a local community college. It covers Jazz history from the beginning to now. I would like to update the last session covering the current era. I am looking for recommendations on which musicians to cover and which of their recorded performances. I guess that era would be the last 10 years.

Course description is here.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Charley

[pamosmusic]

Oh that sounds awesome. I kind of think of lots of these folks in sort of groups.

I feel like Ambrose Akinmusire, Harish Ragavan, Walter Smith, Jason Moran, Justin Brown, and that clique.

Maybe the Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel kind of vibe.

Some of the cool big band kind of things like 8-bit.

Maybe Mary Halvorsen?

[marcwhy]

Do you mean "people playing today," or the "new kids on the block?"

[and yeah, sounds like an awesome course!]

[charleyrich99]

Do you mean "people playing today," or the "new kids on the block?"

[and yeah, sounds like an awesome course!]

Probably new kids... But other recommendations are welcome.

[charleyrich99]

Oh that sounds awesome. I kind of think of lots of these folks in sort of groups.

I feel like Ambrose Akinmusire, Harish Ragavan, Walter Smith, Jason Moran, Justin Brown, and that clique.

Maybe the Aaron Parks, Kurt Rosenwinkel kind of vibe.

Some of the cool big band kind of things like 8-bit.

Maybe Mary Halvorsen?

Thanks! Any specific tunes by those artists?

[Litterick]

Code Girl might be a good place to start:

Or Invisible Cinema:

[Peter C]

^ Good stuff Litterick!

Here's another three selected at random:

[RyanM]

Snarky Puppy is huge, Robert Glasper, Nate Smith

[Litterick]

Thanks, Peter. And you have posted three performances that are new to me.

[Litterick]

Emma-Jean Thackray

[RyanM]

This was a viral song a few years back with 34 million views, start here:

[pamosmusic]

Christian Scott Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah. He’s a pretty tremendous artistic presence in general, and for a young dude, his music has had pretty wild stylistic breadth.

In general, probably really good to include some of the Black American Music folks … that’s a pretty important philosophical-artistic position in the music these days and draws from folks like Coltrane in his later period and Cecil Taylor, and on the critical side Leroi Jones (Amiri Baraka).

Maria Schneider is another. Though you’ve probably got her already. Still, she’s still active and is probably the most important living jazz composer, so it’s worth making sure she’s up to date.

[charleyrich99]

Thanks to everyone for these suggestions. I am excited to listen to them and include some in the class.

-Charley

[ragman1]

Maybe Mary Halvorsen?

Steady, he wants to be back there next week :-)

I quite like her actually, in small doses

[mr. beaumont]

Christian Atunde Adjuah (Christian Scott) needs to be on that list.

[AllanAllen]

The Live at Emmet's Place streams are a treasure trove for the current scene.

[pamosmusic]

Christian Atunde Adjuah (Christian Scott) needs to be on that list.

Jinx.

Any time I hear any one of his names, I go into a brief hypno-state and find myself involuntarily playing this track on the nearest device.

[pamosmusic]

Thanks! Any specific tunes by those artists?

Ambrose Akinmusire … Rift in Decorum, When the Heart Emerges Glistening
Walter Smith … Working Title, Twio
Aaron Parks … Invisible Cinema
Kurt Rosenwinkel … mostly older stuff, Deep Song, etc.
Christian Scott, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah … literally anything but his newest is phenomenal.
Maria Schneider … most famous is The Thompson Fields (Arbiters of Evolution is absolutely PHENOMENAL), most recent is Data Lords.

[Sam Sherry]

IMO the most important development in jazz over the past 10-15 years has been progress in correcting the historic imbalance against women.

Camila Meza

Melissa Aldana

Esperanza Spalding

When you unleash half the global talent pool things get good fast.

[pamosmusic]

IMO the most important development in jazz over the past 10-15 years has been progress in correcting the historic imbalance against women.

Camila Meza

Melissa Aldana

Esperanza Spalding

When you unleash half the global talent pool things get good fast.

Oh yeah … great point.

Linda May Han Oh
Ingrid Jensen
Julieta Eugenio
Regina Carter
Alexa Tarantino
Lauren Sevian
Helen Sung

Lots more. And also loads of singers I didn’t include, just because that’s generally been the only place in jazz where women had fewer barriers to entry.

Long way to go on that front, but that’s a pretty big deal.

[ARGewirtz]

I am teaching a class called "Jazz Appreciation" at a local community college. It covers Jazz history from the beginning to now. I would like to update the last session covering the current era. I am looking for recommendations on which musicians to cover and which of their recorded performances. I guess that era would be the last 10 years.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Charley

Which Community College?

[Peter C]

Sandra Hempel

[charleyrich99]

Which Community College?

Suncoast Technical College in Sarasota, Florida.

Course description is here.

[marcwhy]

People I enjoy, in absolutely no order:
Joe Lovano
George Garzone
Tom Harrell
Jerry Bergonzi
Mark Turner
Melissa Aldana
Steve Swallow
Mick Goodrick (of course!)


Here's a super-band!

[marcwhy]

Hi again,
A fun teaching tool -- or even a class assignment! -- could be a "six degrees of separation" thing! Take any modern player (Julian Lage, et al.) and connect who they either studied or performed with, and you could likely trace them back to very early roots of the music! A history lesson in one assignment!