MUS 242(F) Monk and the BeBop Revolution (Same as Africana Studies 245)

AFR 245(F) Monk and the Bebop Revolution (Same as Music 242)
Pianist, Thelonious Monk, called the "high priest of BeBop," is one of the key figures in this movement that is the basis of all modern jazz. His music is rooted in earlier jazz styles but his genius has given us music that is unique and meaningful to this day. In the early 1940's he and Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Max Roach and a thriving community of young, innovative musicians in New York developed this new style in places like Minton's Playhouse in Harlem. They inspired a generation of musicians who continued their legacy and became iconic figures in the jazz world including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, The Modern Jazz Quartet, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. "Cool Jazz," "Hard Bop," and even "Free Jazz" and the Avante Garde of the 1960's emerged from the creative landscape that BeBop nurtured. This immense influence reached beyond music and into poetry and the arts. The Beat poet Jack Kerouac idealized "Bird" and African-American poetry has been influenced by jazz from Langston Hughes to Amiri Baraka until today. BeBop and its offshoots developed alongside the post-war Civil Rights movement. The give and take between the cultural and political development of Black America is an important theme of this course-Jim Crow, integration, Civil Rights, Black Power, self-expression, improvisation, artistic, and political freedom. Readings include essays and poetry that illustrate these influences as well as biographies of the major artists. With the introduction of any innovative art form, there can be an expected backlash from the previous generation. We will read critical writings and reviews from the period that give us a better idea of the impact of this movement including essays by Ralph Ellison. Listening will include jazz: weekly listening and reading assignments-with a written journal, two short papers and one end of semester 8-10 page research paper, midterm listening/short answer exam. Musicians may choose to substitute the research music from the 1930's until the present.
Format: lecture/discussion. Requirements paper for a creative project (i.e. musical composition, transcriptions and/or performance or recording). Evaluation will also be based upon attendance and class participation.
Prerequisites: approval of instructor. Enrollment limit: 19.
Hour: BRYANT