HARFORD COMMUNITY COLLEGE

MUS 223 EVOLUTION OF JAZZ

SYLLABUS

3 credits

Instructor: Philip B. Cunneff

Office Location: Joppa Hall, Room J-113

Office Hours: by appointment

Phone: (410) 836-4000 ext. 7576

e-mail pcunneff@harford.edu

 

 

REQUIRED TEXT:

Concise Guide to Jazz 5th Edition (with accompanying Jazz Styles Demonstration CD and Jazz Classics CD’s) ISBN: 0-13-221916-6
Gridley, Mark C.
Prentice-Hall
2007

 

 

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

 

Evolution of Jazz is a general introductory course exploring the history and development of jazz music in the United States over its century-long history and from its African and American precursors to its present-day practice throughout the world. The basic structural elements of music are introduced to provide a foundation for critical listening and discussion. This course may require field trips. A reasonable alternative option to the field trip will be available. Three lecture hours per week.

 

 

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (formerly known as Course Objectives) LINKED TO RELEVANT ACADEMIC OUTCOMES:

 

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

 

A.      Recognize and define the basic elements of jazz music, including syncopation, swing, improvisation, popular-song and blues form, instrumental vocalization, and call-and- response. (Outcome: critical thinking)

B.      Identify the instruments in the typical jazz ensemble by sound and analyze their structural functions in various styles. (Outcome: critical thinking)

C.      Compare and contrast the various styles of jazz, including traditional New Orleans and Chicago, Midwest and east coast swing, bebop, hard bop, cool, avant-garde, new thing, fusion, neo-bop, etc. (Outcomes: communication, critical thinking, information literacy, culture and society)

D.      Identify the major composer/performers in the history of American jazz, including Louis Armstrong, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington, William "Count" Basie, Charlie Parker, John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, etc. (Outcome: culture and society)

E.      Discuss the influence of the American cultural synthesis known as jazz on the world of music. (Outcomes: communication, culture and society)

 

 

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:

 

A.      Lecture/discussion

B.      Directed listening

C.      Performance attendance

D.      Reading and listening assignments

E.      Videos

F.      Weekly tests

 

 

RELATION OF COURSE TO GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS

 

A.      Students will become aware of the historical times and events which gave rise to American jazz music and to the technological and cultural developments which helped to fuel its evolution.

B.      Students will learn to evaluate musical experiences in their cultural contexts, giving rise to a new understanding of their own likes and dislikes.

C.      Students will review musical performances, using clear prose writing and a limited technical vocabulary.

D.      Students will learn to hear and identify musical forms and to recognize the sounds of different instruments within given musical examples.

 

E.      Students will be encouraged to use print, audio-visual and internet resources in their research for class projects.

F.      Students will read and paraphrase the text, and express their own thoughts in class participation, quizzes, written assignments, and essay-question exams. They will develop essential analytical and communications skills by generating reviews and assessments of live and recorded musical performances.

G.     Students will come to understand why certain sounds and musical experiences may be pleasing or unpleasant to them as individuals, in the light of their own cultural experience. Students will be encouraged to recognize the strength and validity of other cultural aesthetics alongside their own.

H.      Students will learn to appreciate the African-American origins of jazz music and the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural influences which have shaped its subsequent evolution.

 

 

GRADING:

 

Final grades are based on the following distribution of points:

Class Participation - 20%

Quiz Scores - 10%

Live Performance Review - 20%

Mid- Term Exam - 20%

Final Exam - 30%

 

 

ATTENDANCE:

 

Class participation accounts for twenty percent of the student's final grade.  Each student receives a grade every day of class.  If a student does not attend class, a grade of "F" is assigned for that day.  Students are expected to be on time and prepared to begin at 11:10 a.m. on class days.  If a student is late for class, a maximum grade of "C" may be assigned for that day.  Students are responsible for all instruction missed due to absence or tardiness.  Quizzes and exams will not be re-scheduled for those not in attendance when administered.  There will be no exceptions to these policies without written and verifiable documentation from a relevant authority stating the reason for the absence or tardiness.  This documentation must be on the letterhead of the authority from which it is derived.

            COURSE OUTLINE:

 

WEEK ONE

INTRODUCTION, WHAT IS JAZZ?

WEEK TWO

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC I

WEEK THREE

ELEMENTS OF MUSIC II

WEEK FOUR

HOW TO LISTEN TO JAZZ

WEEK FIVE

THE ORIGINS OF JAZZ

WEEK SIX

EARLY JAZZ

WEEK SEVEN

SWING

MID-TERM EXAM

WEEK EIGHT

BEBOP

WEEK NINE

COOL JAZZ, HARD BOP, MILES DAVIS

WEEK TEN

JOHN COLTRANE AND CHARLES MINGUS

WEEK ELEVEN

AVANT-GARDE AND FREE JAZZ

WEEK TWELVE

POST-1950's JAZZ PIANO - PAUL BLEY, BILL EVANS, McCOY TYNER, HERBIE HANCOCK, CHICK COREA, KEITH JARRETT

WEEK THIRTEEN

JAZZ-ROCK FUSION

WEEK FOURTEEN

CONTEMPORARY JAZZ: 1980 - PRESENT

WEEK FIFTEEN

FINAL EXAM
 

STUDENT CONDUCT:

 

Students will be familiar with and adhere to the policies governing student conduct as written in the HCC catalog.

 

 

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:

 

The Harford Community College Student Handbook lists (in the Student Code under Proscribed Conduct):

Academic dishonesty, such as:

Cheating, which means knowingly using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids as defined by the instructor;

Fabrication, which means intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise;

Facilitating academic dishonesty, which means knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty; or

Plagiarism, which means knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any written academic exercise.

Any such offenses will result in a failing grade on the assignment and/or the entire course, at the instructor’s discretion, and may include immediate notification of the Dean of Visual, Performing and Applied Arts Division and the Associate Vice President for Student Development for further action.

 

 

COURSE POLICIES:

HCC students are bound by the academic policies outlined in the most current HCC Catalog.
It is the student’s responsibility to review these policies prior to the start of each semester.

 

 

DISABILITY SERVICES:

 

HCC is committed to serving students who have documented physical, learning, psychological, or other disabilities. Students who have a disability are responsible for contacting Disability Support Services at         410-836-4402 to discuss their needs for accommodations. All information shared with Disability Support Services will be held in confidence.

 

 

 

 

REVIEW PAPERS:

 

All papers must be written in clear prose, including complete sentences with correct spelling and punctuation. Papers must be at least two pages, double-spaced, typewritten or printed from a word processing program, using a maximum font size of 10 points (or Times New Roman 12 pt.).  Handwritten papers will not be accepted.  All papers must be submitted by 12:45 p.m. on the due date, or a grade of "F" will be given for the assignment. Spelling and grammatical errors will adversely affect the grade.

 

Live Performance Review (due April 25, 2007, at 11:10 a.m.)

 

The subject of this review will be a live jazz performance which you have attended this semester. Eligible performances would include nightclub appearances as well as formal concerts. The performance must be that of a jazz artist or group.  Performances by blues bands or other jazz-related, but not actually jazz groups are not eligible subjects for this paper.  If in doubt as to the appropriateness/eligibility of a given performance, please consult your instructor.

Information concerning live jazz performances can be found at:

http://www.geocities.com/efixsen/BALTIMORE_ANNAPOLIS_JAZZ.html

http://www.citypaper.com

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com

The College will sponsor two jazz concerts this semester which are eligible subjects for this assignment.  The concerts will take place on February 16 and March 30, in Room J-108, Joppa Hall.  The concerts are free with your activities ID.

 

 

General Information:

The Live Performance Review should be a minimum of two pages, thoroughly proofread, treating a live jazz performance as described above.

Be sure to describe the music in terms of the categories and musical techniques outlined in the course content (bass roles, drummer's function, era, instruments, style etc. In addition to whatever you feel is significant to report about your experience, you must also provide:

Name of leader or ensemble

Names of sidemen/group members and their instruments

Name of performance venue

Type of venue (nightclub, concert hall, arena, outdoor stage, etc.)

Date and time of the performance

Number of sets (shows) you heard

Your subjective impression of the venue and audience

 

For at least one composition/song you heard:

Title (if identified and/or recognized)

Composer (if identified or otherwise known)

Form of the piece

Style (New Orleans, Chicago, swing, bebop, hard bop, free, fusion, etc.)

Tempo

Type of rhythm (straight or swing eighth notes, rhythm section accompaniment)

Identify soloists in the order they solo.

 

 

 

 

 

Describe the presence/use of:

improvisation

syncopation

harmony

characteristic (or non-characteristic) jazz instrumentation

role of percussion

timbral variation and coloration

repetition of brief patterns (riffs, ostinati, etc.)

polyrhythm

ornamentation

blue notes

call-and-response

 

Relate your subjective impression of the performance.

 

Please remember that your paper must consist of complete sentences and paragraphs.  A simple list of information is insufficient.

 

 

 

 

The Instructor reserves the right to modify and/or change the course syllabus with reasonable notification to students.