SAIL of Melbourne, Inc

This is a history of the United States as seen through the eyes and ears of Ken Burns using JAZZ as his vehicle of communication. It is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues, ragtime, European harmony, Antebellum African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, hymns, marches, vaudeville song, and dance music. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major form of musical expression in traditional and popular music. It is characterized by swing and blue notes, complex chords, call and response vocals, polyrhythms and improvisation frequently called the purest expression of American democracy; a music built on individualism and compromise, independence and cooperation. Ken Burns follows the growth and development of JAZZ music from the gritty streets of New Orleans to Chicago's south side, the speakeasies of Kansas city and to Times Square. Among the narrators of this film is Wynton Marsalis, (a contemporary American trumpeter, composer and currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center) who not only provides useful insights into the history of Jazz but adds examples by use of his trumpet. If you are an amateur historian or just a lover of music, this course is for you. Dr. Joel Sturman will help guide us through this musical treat.