Please read:
Suggested Reading
Leroi Jones, Blues People: Negro Music in North America (Harper Perennial, 1999)
Ralph Ellison, Living with Music: Ralph Ellison's Jazz Writings(Modern Library, 2002)
John Szwed, Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning & Loving Jazz(Hachette Books, 2000)
Assignment for the first class: Read the chapters in Ellison on Jimmy Rushing, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Minton's Playhouse.