1970s and 1980s

Conversation with Roy Nathanson (I)

Saxophonist Roy Nathanson talks about his experiences as a Columbia student during the unrest at the University and the militant aftermath during the late 1960s, his development as an artist in an astonishing variety of forms (including composition, songwriting, poetry, acting and teaching) his work with global stars and with high school students, and his basic need to "tell a story" no matter what artistic language he uses. Click here for Part II.

Conversation with Miya Masaoka and Vijay Iyer (I)

Miya Masaoka is a composer, kotoist, and sound artist.  She has created works for solo koto, ensembles, mixed choirs, live electronics, and video that have been presented across the world.  Discussing her work with her is composer, pianist, and scholar Vijay Iyer.  Ms. Masaoka talks about how her and her family's experiences as members of a persecuted minority, Japanese Americans, shaped her works that deal with Japanese artistic traditions and with subaltern social groups--and even with marginalized biological subjects such as plants and insects.

The Struggle and the Triumph of Latin Jazz (I)

Bobby Sanabria

Latin jazz artist and educator Bobby Sanabria and Columbia Professor of Music Chris Washburne discuss the recent elimination of the Latin jazz Category in the Grammy Awards. Surveying a broad panorama of the struggles and many triumphs of Latin jazz through the last century, they consider the implications of the Grammy Award decision for the future of this vibrant and interculturally expressive music.

Click here for Part II.

Noise to Signal: Retrieving Information from Jazz Recordings (I)

This talk presents the basic tools of audio signal analysis for music information retrieval, and discusses the prospects for their useful application in jazz music collections. This work is part of a project led by the Center for Jazz Studies to build a collaborative online resource for information on jazz recordings known as J-DISC. Music Information Retrieval (MIR) is a young field that applies tools from machine learning and signal processing to obtain information about musical items.

The New Thing

Author: 

Yale University

Anthropology

Spring 2004

An examination of the new jazz that emerged shortly after the middle of the 20th century. Discussion will include the work of musicians such as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, Don Cherry, Anthony Braxton, Carla Bley, Albert Ayler, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago; the economics and politics of the period; parallel developments in other arts; the rise of new performance spaces, recording companies, and collectives; the accomplishments of the music and the problems it raised for jazz performance and criticism.

Seminar on Sound

Author: 

Columbia University

Anthropology and American Studies

Spring 2007

Course Requirements

1. Regular attendance and participation at the seminar

2. Two or three class presentations based on papers of approximately 5 pages

3. A term paper of approximately 15-20 pages due on April 24

REQUIRED READING

Christoph Cox and Daniel Warner, eds. Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music. NY, 2004

Mark Katz, Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music. Berkeley, 2004 (with CD)

Michel Chion, Audio Vision

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - 1970s and 1980s