FYS 1024 LUSH LIFE: A JAZZ STORY

Jazz artist, bandleader, and composer, Duke Ellington created some of the great masterpieces of American music. The class follows the evolution of Ellington’s orchestral sound, and the influence of Ellington’s musicians on his music, with special attention to his 30-year collaboration with pianist/composer Billy Strayhorn. A window on issues such as race and sexuality, the class notes Ellington’s central role in the Harlem Renaissance, Strayhorn’s civil rights activism, and Strayhorn’s life as an openly gay man in a homophobic cultural milieu. Coursework focuses on extensive listening, viewing videos of Ellington performances, and reading/writing about music.