This module will look at jazz from two perspectives.
Initially, the module will look at the history of jazz, starting with its birth in New Orleans and examining its stylistic developments concentrating on a number of key figures and movements in its evolution up to present day. However by the 1960s, the free jazz movement began to blur the boundaries and definitions of what jazz is.
Therefore, this module will also address the issue of the process that jazz has foregrounded as an evolving art form which constantly borrows from other musical influences to create ever-renewing hybrid forms of music. In looking at these two perspectives, the answer to the question ‘what is jazz?’ will be clarified alongside an appreciation for its rich and varied musical legacy.
