HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM
MUSI 1310 – History of Recorded Music
Syllabus



Course Objectives

　　　To cover the development of jazz music as an original American art form from its pre-history to its current status.  Areas of focus will include artists who perform and compose jazz; their relationship to the socio-economic environment; their musical innovations; and a survey of the multi-cultural melting pot that played a crucial role in the evolution and essence of the genre.


Student Objectives

　　　To acquire an understanding of history and innovation in the development of jazz.
　　　To recognize and identify distinctive styles and techniques used by jazz artists.
　　　

Required Text

　　　  All That Jazz, Jack Wheaton, Ardsley House Publishing Co., NY
　　　

Course Outline

Jazz before 1917 (Pre-Recording Era)
   African, Caribbean and Folk styles of the American Negro.
   Ragtime in relation to European classical forms.
New Orleans
   Jelly Roll Morton
   The Jazz Trumpet Lineage: Buddy Bolden, Freddie Keppard, Joe “King” Oliver
   “King of the Kings” – Louis Armstrong
Midwest and Chicago
   Leon “Bix” Beiderbecke
The “Austin High Gang” and Chicago’s Second Line
William “Count” Basie and the Kansas City School
New York
The Legacy of the Stride Style from James P. Johnson to Art Tatum.
Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington
Big Bands
Fletcher Henderson
Battle of the Bands: Chick Webb, Jimmy Lunceford, etc.
The commercial success of white bandleaders in the 30’s & 40’s
Important soloists, groups and stylistic developments to 1945
The Creole Jazz Band
The Hot Five and Seven groups of Louis Armstrong
Jelly Roll Morton’s Red Hot Chili Peppers
Duke Ellington’s Jungle Band
Genesis in Europe: Django Rheinhart, Stefan Grapelly, The Hot Club of France
Important Soloists:  Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Johnny Hodges, Roy Eldridge.Fats Waller, Earl Hines, Teddy Wilson, Art Tatum, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday
Be-Bop
Charles “Yardbird” Parker
John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie
Thelonius Monk
Jazz in the 1950’s
Hard Bop
West Coast (Cool Jazz)
Latin Jazz
Important Innovators:  Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown, Paul Desmond, Tadd Dameron, Lennie Tristano, Charles Mingus, Gil Evans.
Jazz in the 1960’s
Free Jazz: The Harmolodic Revolution and Ornette Coleman
The Spiritual Quest of John Coltrane
The Poetics of Bill Evans
The Catalyst: Miles Davis
Jazz in the 1970’s
European Synthesis:  Manfred Eicher and ECM Records
The Electronic Revolution:  Fusion
Chick Corea
Weather Report
Herbie Hancock
Jazz in the 1980’s
Wynton Marsalis and the Reactionist Movement
Jazz in the Age of Computers
The Marketing of Jazz Education       



Grading

        Mid Term/Final Exam        40%
        Quizzes            15%
        Participation            25%
        Assignments            20%

Attendance Policy

    Two unexcused misses – one grade drop (an A becomes a B)
    Four unexcused misses – two grade drops (an A becomes a C)
　　　Six + unexcused misses – automatic failure or withdrawal
　　　 (at discretion of  the instructor)
　　　

If you believe you might need extra time for tests or special help in class, please call Dr. Nancy Russell at 713-718-5708.


Assessing the Basic Competencies
In the HCCS Applied Music and Ensemble Curriculum

Courses: All MUAP (Applied Private Instruction) and MUSI (Performance Ensembles)
Semester Credit Hours: MUAP - 1and 2 Credit Hours; MUSI – 1 Credit Hour

These Courses fulfill the following core intellectual competencies:

____Reading Music
____Writing Music
____Performing Music
____Listening
____Critical Thinking
____Computer Literacy

Methods of Assessment

Reading Music: Reading Music at the college level means having the ability to analyze and interpret a variety of printed materials – ensemble and solo scores, lead sheets, aleatoric scores.

Writing Music:  Writing music at the college level means having the ability to produce clear, correct and coherent musical notation adapted to purpose and occasion.  In addition, knowing correct methods of notation including proper symbolization, meter, dynamic, chordal and tempo indications.  These abilities are acquired through practice and reflection.

Performing Music: Effective performing is the ability to communicate musically in clear, coherent and persuasive manner through instrumental or vocal execution, appropriate to purpose, occasion and audience.

Listening:  Listening at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret various forms of spoken as well as musical communication.

Critical Thinking:  Critical thinking embraces methods of applying both qualitative and quantitative skills analytically and creatively to subject matter in order to evaluate musical situations and to construct alternative strategies.  Problem solving is one of the applications of critical thinking used to address an identified task.

Computer Literacy:  Computer literacy at the college level means having the ability to use computer-based technology in communicating, solving problems, and acquiring information.  Students should have an understanding of the limits, problems, and possibilities associated with the use of technology and should have the tools necessary to evaluate and learn new technologies as they become available.