BLST 105 Topics in American Music

This course surveys music of African Americans with an emphasis on 20th century classical and vernacular genres. We will examine this musical web in three units: Classical Jazz & Blues and Rock & Contemporary Vernaculars. Featured artists include William Grant, Still Marian Anderson, Margaret Bonds, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, Big Mama Thornton, Sam Cooke, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Motown Stax Records and Atlantic Records, Jimi Hendrix, Sweet Honey in the Rock, and Mos Def. Through extensive listening reading and group dialogue this class will explore how the paradigms of African American cultural experience are deeply interwoven within the musical narratives of the U.S. and its cultural satellites. No prior musical training is necessary.