Jazz is often considered the most "American" style of music in the United States, but its earliest performers left us few recordings that allow us to trace the development of the style. Recently, however, at least one major web site has been established that allows free access to a large number of historic recordings.

For this assignment you are to use "The Red Hot Jazz Archive" (also available via the web link under "Jazz" on the course home page). As with the "Ballad" assignment, you must use a computer that allows you to play and hear sound files using the “Real Player.” You are to listen to four different early bands and write descriptions of their performances. After you have studied listened to these items, you are to prepare a brief typed summary of your findings.

The four items you are to study (in this order) are:

1. King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, playing "Canal Street Blues" (4-5-1923)
2. Dixie Rhythm Kings, playing "Easy Rider" (9-23-1929)
3. Don Redmon and His Orchestra, playing "Down Home Rag" (12-6-1938)
4. Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, playing "It Don't Mean A Thing" (2-21-932)

• Use the link at the bottom of the Red Hot Jazz Archive's home page to "Bands." Scroll down the alphabetical list of all bands, click the appropriate link and then scroll down the band's page to the specific recording.

(or)

• Use the "Search" function at the bottom of the home page to look for either the band or the specific recording. Be certain, however, that you have the exact recording, which you can verify with the date given above.

In brief, you are to listen to each recording in the order given above, and you may listen to the recordings as many time as you want. For each recording, write a prose description of what you heard and how each later recording differs from the preceding one(s).

At a minimum, you should write about the RHYTHM (both the beat and the "surface" rhythms), the INSTRUMENTS used (the timbre), and IMPROVISATION (when do you hear what sounds like music being made up on the spot, solos by individual players, etc.). You may also write a bit more about other aspects of the recording.

Your paper should be between one and two full pages (at least 400-500 words), and is due via email by Tuesday (13 April 2004) evening, at 5:00 pm.