TUESDAYS, 6:30-8PM
IN-PERSON, 6 WEEKS
January 6, 13, 20, 27, February 3, 10
$300
This course is designed for both people who already love jazz and those who are new to jazz and curious about it. No musical background is necessary. I love sharing jazz with new listeners. This music can change lives. It’s not just fun; it offers a fresh view on how to be in this world.
Each of our meetings will consist of listening to two or three seminal recordings in depth. We’ll explore the sounds we hear with language that everyone can understand. We’ll discover practical strategies for deepening our listening experience. Then we’ll have a conversation about what these music stories say to your story. My goal is to help you to experience jazz as a source of inspiration in your everyday life.
I will guide our journey chronologically. We’ll start in New Orleans (meeting 1). Then, we’ll explore Swing (meeting 2), Be Bop and Cool (meeting 3), Free Jazz (meeting 4), Jazz Rock (meeting 5), and finally, the Global Synthesis (meeting 6) that shapes jazz today. I’ll bring out my horn for live demos. You’ll see what’s happening in the music and how improvisation works.
Our exploration may also be of interest to professional musicians and music educators. They can find new ways to connect jazz to students, listeners and everyday life.
About the instructor:
Dr. J Kyle Gregory was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and grew up in Bloomington. After more than 20 years in Italy and China, Kyle and his wife, Kim, moved to Nashville in 2022, where Kyle participates in the interesting jazz scene emerging there. He also continues to perform and teach jazz all over the world. Kyle studied music performance and education at Berklee College of Music, Indiana University, and the University of Northern Colorado, completing his doctorate in 1995. In 1991, he became a Fulbright Scholar, conducting a year of pedagogical research in Hungary, exploring innovative methods for teaching improvisation.
Kyle has performed and taught in the United States, Italy, Canada, Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, England, Spain, Romania, Germany, the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Australia, and New Zealand. He has performed with numerous internationally-known jazz and commercial artists, including Paul Motian, Vincent Herring, the Mingus Dynasty Big Band, The Temptations, and Liza Minelli. He continues to collaborate with Italian jazz colleagues Paolo Birro, Salvatore Maiore and Roberto Dani, who in 2000 formed the group Sing Without Words. Kyle has recorded over 50 albums with various artists and independent labels in the USA, Europe and Asia, including three albums as composer: Tongues of Fire, Be Still and Know, and World Downside Up, which can each be found on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube.
Kyle helped co-found and coordinates the international arts non-profit Nexus. Nexus helps people create communities that connect the arts to life. Friends gather to explore films, books, poetry, music, paintings and nature that inspire life-opening conversations. Contributors reside in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, England, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, USA, Canada, Thailand and China. Nexus welcomes people from all cultures, ages, backgrounds and beliefs. Kyle also co-hosts the official podcast of Nexus, Opening Life Podcast.
The Nexus website may found at:
https://nexusonline.org