Instructor: Deborah L. Gillaspie
Curator, Chicago Jazz Archive
University of Chicago Library
Email:ucjazz@lib.uchicago.edu
Phone: 773-702-3721 M-F 9am-5pm (work, voicemail)
A word about the class schedule
Detailed Class Schedule
Readings
Bibliographies
More Live Jazz
A Word about the Class Schedule
It's unavoidable: the nights of the class will vary. Right now it looks like one Friday and three Thursdays. There are a number of reasons for this.First, for years the Jazz Fair has been on the last Monday in January, and that was the plan when we set up this course last summer. A major format change by the sponsors turned it from a one-night gig on the traditional "musicians' night off" into a three-day event with the live music on a Friday night. We chose to move the class date rather than have you miss this important Chicago jazz experience.
Second, the nature of the jazz business is that clubs have different ways of programming their talent. The Jazz Showcase books a single performer per week; the Green Mill changes every night. Erwin Helfer ONLY plays Thursdays at the BeBop.
Also, despite all the planning, we can't guarantee that you'll actually see the person we chose for the class -- musicians get sick, or they are sometimes on tour and get snowed in trying to get here. Rest assured that club owners ALWAYS get a quality act in to substitute, they don't want you to be disappointed. If it happens, we'll deal with it and change the lecture, or even the venue. The instructor and Graham School staff worked hard to anticipate and plan so you will hear the very best Chicago has to offer this term.
Readings
No books are required for this course; we'll be working from handouts tailored to the clubs and artists we'll be seeing. We'll also be learning a lot by listening to and speaking with the musicians and club owners.If you feel you must have books, I'd suggest two. The first is Jonny King's What jazz is: An insider's guide to understanding and listening to jazz. New York: Walker & Co., 1997. ISBN 0802775195
The other is Frank Driggs and Harris Lewine, Black Beauty, White Heat: A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz 1920-1950. New York: DaCapo Press, 1995. ISBN 030680672X (paper)
These are wonderful books you will enjoy for a lifetime; both are
still in print. Try online bookstores like
Amazon.com or
Barnes & Noble.
If you want more info about Chicago jazz than this short course can give you, or if you're a teacher taking this course for CPDUs, our Jazz Bibliographies will be helpful. Feel free to print them off and take them to your local library. Please use the "Back" button on your browser to return to this course-specific homepage.