Harrison Ridley Jr. Presents A History of Jazz in Ten Sessions 

January to November 2003 at 7:30PM

Robin’s Book Store, 108 South 13th Street, Phila., 215-735-9600

Free and open to everyone

 

This is not a COMPLETE history of Jazz. The object is to give you a feeling for the evolution of the only original American Music, highlighting selected artists and noting the historic context in which it developed. This format will be repeated in future years using different artists each time.

            Harrison Ridley Jr. is one of Philadelphia’s preeminent Jazz and African-American History historians, who used his records not only for personal enjoyment, but also as research tools in his history courses at Temple University and on the air. He has a Sunday night program on Temple U’s WRTI (90.1FM), The Historical Approach to the Positive Music, which is celebrating it’s 27red year. Harrison is currently two-thirds of the way finished with a book on the massive history of Jazz in Philadelphia, and he is also working on an Ellington book.

                                                               


 

Tuesday January 21, 2003

African/Caribbean Roots of Jazz

Through the mid 18th century, Call & Response/ Improvisation/ Rhythm/ Steel Drums

 

Tuesday February 18, 2003

Spirituals & Marching Bands

Through the mid 19th Century, Use of drums,    The Old Testament,      Music as Coded Freedom Songs/ Harriet Tubman & The Underground Railroad,             WEB DuBois called them the Sorrow Songs

 

Tuesday March 18, 2003

Blues & Gospel

Civil War to the turn of the Century,      The New Testament, Use of the Banjo, a West African instrument & the introduction of Strings, The Railroad & Migration to the North, Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Founding of Liberia

 

Tuesday April 22, 2003

New Orleans Style

The Cornet, a French instrument & the introduction of Brass,     Joot Joints & The Devils Music-Louis Armstrong

 

Tuesday May 20, 2003

Ragtime/ Barrel House/ Boogie Woogie

1900 to 1920’s, 1903, WEB DuBois & the Soul of Black Folk, Stationary Bands &

the introduction of the Piano,     The First World War & Migration to the North

            Vaudeville & Minstrel Shows,   Marcus Garvey & the UNIA

                                   

Tuesday June 24, 2003

Big Bands / Stride Piano – 1930’s & 1940’s

Don Redmond & the First Arrangement for Jazz Bands,            Dance Ballrooms

            Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes

Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson

 

Tuesday July 15, 2003

BeBop – 1940’s & 1950’s

Diz, Charley Parker , Monk all came out of Big Bands

 

Tuesday September 16, 2003

Cool/ Hot Jazz – 1950’s & 1960’s

Cool school on the west coast, Hard Bop – Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins

 

Tuesday October 21, 2003

The Freedom Sound –1960’s & 1970’s

Contarian, Civil Rights Movement, Advante Guard – Miles Davis, John Coltrane

 

Tuesday November 18, 2003

Fusion  - 1970’s & 1980’s

            Getting commercial


Smooth Jazz vs. Jazz
Rhythm & Blues vs. Rock & Roll