MHST 517B Selected Topics in Jazz History: Davis & Parker
The course "Topics in Jazz History: Charlie Parker and Miles Davis" explores the musical achievements and legacies of two of jazz history’s most influential artists. The first unit explores the music of Charlie Parker, its precursors, and its continued relevance in modern jazz practice. The following units explore Miles Davis’s influence as a trumpeter, bandleader, innovator, and celebrity. After considering Davis’s earliest recordings with Parker, we explore the output of his First Great Quintet, which featured John Coltrane, and the monumental album Kind of Blue. Our largest unit on Davis examines the Second Great Quintet and its blend of conventional and avant-garde improvisational approaches. By the end of the course, students will have gained an understanding of the covered topics within a larger critical framework. Students engage in the music of Parker and Davis through listening assignments, group presentations, response papers, scholarly readings, transcription and analysis, and a final project. No previous knowledge of jazz, Charlie Parker, or Miles Davis is required to take this course.