Jazz 101: New Orleans and The Great Migration

Jazz 101: New Orleans and The Great Migration

Join us for an interactive and lively introduction to the nation’s greatest art form lead by Seton Hawkins, Director of Public Programs and Education Resources at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Hawkins, producer, manager, publicist, radio DJ, and advocate in Jazz for more than a decade will help you to develop your ears to hear the many details and intricacies that make this music so endlessly fascinating, and guide you through the history and development of the styles.

We say that Jazz was born in New Orleans, but why? What was special about that city, and the people in it? During this class, we will explore the cultural make-up, the unique diversity, and the interplay of cultures you find in New Orleans. We’ll also listen to some of the earliest musical styles to come out of there, and we’ll give you insight into what the very earliest forms of Jazz might have sounded like. As we move along, we’ll get into the era of recordings, and hear some of the first jazz records, and trace the development of Jazz’s solos and structures.

About SwingU:

Jazz at Lincoln Center’s higher-education program, Swing University will help you become a better listener. Our talented faculty will introduce you to sounds new and classic, illuminating the music’s history and placing it within a modern context. Become a jazz expert with these fun, informal classes, meeting weekday evenings at the Irene Diamond Education Center at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, 10 Columbus Circle.