Have you listened to a swinging jazz trio or small band, only to ask yourself, “What is the bassist doing there? How do the musicians know when to solo, when to stop soloing? What is this band doing that creates a sound so distinctly different from another band?” Many of us really enjoy jazz, yet feel we lack sufficient background to really “understand” the music. In fact that is a common criticism of jazz, particularly modern jazz—“it’s too hard to understand.” Well, is it really all that difficult or do we just lack jazz education? I was exposed to public school music throughout grade school and middle school, yet I can’t recall a single lesson or even mention of “jazz.” Everything I have learned about this music has come from exposure to performances and recordings, discussions with musicians and, more recently, participation in some of the Twin Cities’ available adult education opportunities. If you know where to look, you can find many such opportunities in our community.
Perhaps the most diverse offerings for both children and adults, musicians and appreciators, are available at one of the nation’s largest community music schools. From toddlers to seniors, you can find lessons and classes on most any instrument or genre. Since assuming duties as Director of Jazz, Kelly Rossum has increasingly expanded MacPhail’s jazz offerings, and last year initiated his first “Jazz 101” class for adults who wanted to learn about the history, styles, and major movements in American jazz. Notes Kelly, “It's a fun peer group to discuss jazz.” That class will again be offered during the fall semester for 12 sessions, beginning September 23rd, on Tuesday nights at 7pm. Rossum is a congenial and delightfully opinionated instructor, as open to student input as he is eager to share his own views. Using a broad textbook as his foundation, Kelly brings a vast assortment of recordings into the classroom as well as his own experience as a performer and composer. Last year, we moved from the brass bands of New Orleans to the swinging big bands of Basie and Ellington through the bebop revolution on 52nd Street to the fusion and avant garde movements of the modern day, tracing how even the most “out” composition and improvisation draws upon early roots.
Those of us who enrolled in Jazz 101 pushed for a sequel, and this fall Kelly introduces Jazz 201—aka “Jazz Today.” The class will be offered immediately after Jazz 101 at 8 pm (starting September 23rd), which is not a pre-requisite. You can expand your jazz education by taking these two classes back to back if desired! As the name suggests, Jazz Today will look at current trends, sounds, bands—whatever is going on down the street. This promises to be an exciting class as the instructor himself is very much a part of “jazz today.”
Last spring, Kelly offered Jazz Book Club, through which we examined four significant works that provided a launching point for extensive listening and discussion. We’re hopeful that Kelly will again offer Jazz Book Club spring semester. There’s so much jazz literature for us to explore!
MacPhail offers more than classes. If you are a musician or aspiring musician, there are lessons, ensembles, etc. And regardless of your status as a performer, there are exciting Master Classes throughout the year that are available for observers as well as active participants. Usually at least one Master Class during the year features a jazz or jazz related artist. These offer unique learning opportunities.
Check out MacPhail’s full class offerings and register for Jazz 101 and/or 201 at www.macphail.org
St. Thomas University, Center for Senior Citizen Education
Joan Griffith will hold conversations about jazz at St. Thomas photo by Andrea Canter
In theory you have to be 55 to register for classes through St. Thomas’ innovative Center for Senior Citizen Education, but no one asks to see your birth certificate. While there are not always jazz or music related offerings each semester, relevant classes have been on the schedule often in the past few years, thanks largely to jazz guitarist/educator Joan Griffith. Joan teaches jazz history as part of the regular student catalog at both St. Thomas and St. Katherine’s in St. Paul, but admits that she really gets her kicks with her senior students. Who in turn really enjoy the opportunity to learn from an active musician who does not assign homework. Joan has offered several classes in jazz history, from a more chronological perspective and from the perspective of major instruments; she has also taught a course on Latin Music, introducing students to many of the forms that we find in Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and other types of Latin jazz. This fall, Joan is offering “Conversations About Music and Jazz,” a series of presentations by working jazz musicians. As with all of Joan’s classes, we can expect not only recordings but live music. This course will be taught on Wednesdays, 9:30-11:30 am, from September 10th to October 29th for tuition of $60. Class meets at the O’Shaughnessy Education Center Auditorium on St. Thomas’ St. Paul campus. The format calls for Joan to interview an area jazz artist about his or her career and specific issues such as composing, bebop, swing, etc., followed by some live music. Guests will include Laura Caviani, Dave Karr, Connie Evingson, Ann Reed and more. For more information, visit
www.stthomas.edu/csce.
West Bank School of Music
Near the U of M West Bank campus, the West Bank School of Music has been providing community-based music education for over thirty years. While most opportunities are for music instruction (individual and ensembles), you can also register to learn about the history of jazz and improve your jazz listening skills. This fall, local jazz artist, tuba master Stefan Kac is offering Jazz History and Listening, a 12-hour class that will explore the history of recorded jazz in the context of listening and discussion. The class meets on Wednesday evenings from September 24th through October 29th. The WBSM is located at 1813 S. 6th Street in Minneapolis. Registration and other information at www.westbankmusic.org or call 612-333-6561.
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Jazz Group (OLLI Cats)
Yes, it seems that the older you get, the more opportunities you have for jazz education! OLLI is a model program for lifelong learning at the University of Minnesota. Membership is $195 per year, but that one fee entitles you to enroll in any OLLI class. No, they don’t look at birth certificates either, in fact there is no pre-requisite at all. If you are available for activities, you are eligible! Most classes are taught during the day, some for one or two sessions. But the OLLI Cats is a special group. Originating in a jazz history class, it became a special interest group that now boasts 90 members. Monthly gatherings feature an invited guest speaker, usually an active jazz musician, who presents about his or her instrument, approach to composition, sources of inspiration---whatever they choose. Often the presentation includes live as well as recorded music. Past presenters have included local artists Phil Hey, Laura Caviani, Joan Griffith, Dave Karr, Dave Graf, Vicky Mountain, Bruce Henry.... and many more; Pat Courtemanche regarding marketing issues in the jazz community; Lowell Pickett regarding the management of a jazz club; Jazz Police Chief Don Berryman on the Twin Cities Jazz Festival. Additionally, OLLI Cats schedules concerts and outings to jazz clubs throughout the year. For information, visit the OLLI website at www.cce.umn.edu/olli/ and contact Joan Delich at
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for information on the OLLI Cats.
Special Opportunities Throughout the Year
If jazz education is your goal, don’t stop at course catalogs and master classes. Often there are interesting, one-shot programs in the community---speakers at area libraries, pre-concert discussions at Orchestra Hall, public auditions, festival workshops, student jam sessions—all of which are often open to the public, observers welcome. And with the appointment of new curators for jazz programming at both Northrop Auditorium and Orchestra Hall, we can expect to see some new educational projects added to our community education options in the near future. Meanwhile, remember that there are materials and programs available online, such as the Jazz at Lincoln Center website (www.jalc.org) which includes links to the NEA Jazz Education curriculum (www.neajazzintheschools.org), and the Thelonious Monk Institute site at www.monkinstitute.com. Their “Jazz in America” curriculum site is undergoing revision and is expected to be open again in September 2008 (www.jazzinamerica.org). You can even find a few educational articles on Jazz Police!
Reading and Listening
Self motivated? Check out a few books, some of which come with companion CDs.
- What Jazz Is by Jonny King (1997, Walker & Company). A friendly guide to the basics to answer those questions—How, why, what? King is a jazz pianist and he is entertaining as well. Might be out of print but easily available on Amazon etc.
- Understanding Jazz: Ways to Listen by Tom Piazza (2005, Random House). Produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center, this text and accompanying CD illuminates the forms of jazz, improvisation, rhythm and more.
- Jazz Styles: History and Analysis (9th ed) by Mark Gridley (2006, Pearson Prentice Hall). Intended as a course text with accompanying CD, this is the extended edition of the text used in Jazz 101 at MacPhail. But it would work well for self-instruction. Discussion of artists and styles in historical context, there are examples of music with extensive discussion to accompany listening.
Know of any other jazz education programs in the Twin Cities? Contact Andrea at Jazz Police and we’ll add suggestions to this posting! (
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)
Twin Cities, MN 
Thursday, 08 January 2009
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