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Celebrating the Best Miles Davis Recordings of the 1950s and 1960s

Instructor
Mark Gridley, Ph.D.
S443AD

Course Description

The eminent jazz historian Mark Gridley will highlight four different jazz styles that were introduced by trumpeter Miles Davis, the most important bandleader of the past sixty years. The course will be organized according to the composer-arrangers he hired: Gil Evans, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, and Joe Zawinul. Analyses of their contributions will draw upon interviews that Dr. Gridley conducted with the participants of those historic recording sessions. In-depth listening will be the primary mode of instruction.

Lectures

  1. Gil Evans’ arrangements on "Moon Dreams," "Miles Ahead," "Porgy and Bess" and "Sketches of Spain."
  2. Analysis of "Kind of Blue," which is the most frequently cited desert-island choice of jazz fans. Lecture-demonstration details will be drawn from Dr. Gridley’s interview with its pianist Bill Evans.
  3. Analysis of "Prince of Darkness" and "Masqualero" according to details obtained by Dr. Gridley’s interviews with participants Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter.
  4. Analysis of "In a Silent Way" and "Bitches Brew," the first jazz-rock fusion albums and the contributions of composer-pianist Joe Zawinul according to Gridley’s interviews with him.

Course Info

  • Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Date: Thursdays, March 10, 17, 24, 31
  • Location: Lifelong Learning classrooms, Continuing Education Building
  • Fees: Member - $60
    Non-member - $80
    One-time guest pass, Member or Non-member at the door - $25.

About the Instructor

  • Dr. Mark C. Gridley is the author of America’s most widely read introductions to jazz: JAZZ STYLES and CONCISE GUIDE TO JAZZ. The books have undergone 11 editions and six translations. Gridley has conducted field research in Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and all the jazz centers in the United States. He has also written extensively for ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNIICA and GROVE DICTIONARIES OF MUSIC, leading to a listing in WHO’S WHO IN AMERICA. As professional jazz flutist-saxophonist he has appeared with Sammy Davis, Jr., Tony Bennett, The Jackson Five, Robert Goulet, The Temptations, The Fifth Dimension, The O Jays, and toured with Lou Rawls and Les Elgart. He has lectured at colleges across the nation and addressed musicology conferences on his research findings and his advances in jazz appreciation pedagogy.