Evolution of Jazz Styles

About this course:

Commencing with a description of the five quintessential elements of jazz and a demonstration of how jazz works, this course explores the seminal recordings, musicians, and composers from the music’s inception to the contemporary jazz sounds of today. Our examination includes the evolution of jazz styles from ragtime and early jazz to swing, bebop, cool, hard bop, modal, free, fusion, smooth, post-bop, and contemporary jazz. We delve into each style’s defining performance practices, its peak periods of development, and the ways in which each genre influenced the next – shaped by the musical, cultural, and political landscape of its time.