Seminar in Ethnomusicology (SNF Paideia Program Course)

Catalog description

This seminar will focus on American jazz in diaspora: i.e., we typically think of the African diaspora as people from Africa coming to the US either through slavery or more recently, as immigrants, refugees, political exile, for economic opportunity and even education. In this class we will think diaspora differently: we look at the ways in which 20th century US originating jazz traveled the global with a message of freedom communicated through the practice of improvisation and experimentation. We will think about US sourced jazz as a form of call and response, a musical dialog inside an ensemble but also in conversation with local music and musicians elsewhere in the world. Sometimes the message was one of political injustice articulated musically, sometimes one of healing and restoration. While we will consider jazz in the world at large, our primary case study will come from South Africa, which the NY Times recently argued is the most lively jazz scene outside of the United States. South African born course instructor Professor Muller is currently working on a large podcast project focused on South Africa's rich history and contemporary conversations around what it means to be South African jazz musicians. While this is a graduate seminar, curious undergraduates are welcome to join the class with permission from instructor.