Jazz is artistry, inspiration, improvisation. It yields unexpected moments—a musician unleashes something extraordinary and suddenly produces music more than the sum of its parts. Full of iconic performances and recordings, jazz has a storied history that includes technology as a central character, from instruments and their modifications to microphones, recording equipment, and sound systems. University of Chicago ethnomusicologist Travis A. Jackson explores the technological history of jazz, explaining how recordings are fictions (and why that’s not a bad thing) and highlighting the roles of race, culture, and other musical styles in the development of this multifaceted art form.
This program is generously underwritten by Molly and Christopher Stephan.
The 2011 programs at the UIC Forum are sponsored in part by the Chicago Community Trust.
