Gift of Jazz Summer Online Classes—Saturdays
Peter Stoltzman will lead classes this semester
Offered Online through Zoom’s Web Conferencing Application!
Click here for more info

Jazz Composition: Fusion and Modern Gospel Styles
Saturdays 11:45 am – 1:15 pm
This class delves into the modern branches off of jazz, beginning in the 1970s, specifically Fusion and contemporary Gospel styles. From Miles and Herbie and Chick Corea in the 1970s through the Brecker Brothers, Yellowjackets, Weather Report, and more, jazz fusion styles incorporated funk, rock, and world music influences. Meanwhile, Gospel music grew from deep roots in the African American church and influenced R&B, Motown, Jazz, while incorporating those musical influences as well. Today, Gospel music can often be some of the most harmonically intricate and exciting music on the planet. Artists such as Take 6, Kim Burrell, Tye Tribbet, and crossover artists such as Corey Henry and Sullivan Fortner have made the Gospel music sound a premium skill. We will identify specific harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic elements of Fusion and modern Gospel, and students will apply them in original compositions.