Swing U

Explore how jazz musicians incorporated Indian classical music into their playing, and how the musical styles of India helped shape jazz’s trajectory. Over four weeks, you will examine the role that the musical traditions of India have had on the developments in jazz throughout the 20th century.

Be the first to experience an exciting new course series and format at Swing University, wheremodern-day jazz masters teach in rotation. Over four weeks, we will celebrate the many iconic and unique soloists who made up the many incarnations of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, with a different jazz master sharing their insights into one of their musical forebears. In Part 1 of our soloist series, we will be joined by trumpeter Jon-Erik Kelso, trombonist Sam Chess, bassist Ben Wolfe, and special guests as we explore the amazing contributions of Cootie Williams, Tricky Sam Nanton, Jimmie Blanton, and Ivie Anderson.

Travel back in time as legendary advocate, producer, manager, and author Marty Khan takes you through some of the most transformative musical developments in the 1970s and 1980s, as communities of composers and performers around the United States found paths and audiences for their extraordinary musical visions.

An introduction to the sublime artistry of Johnny Hodges, one of alto saxophone’s greatest voices. Saxophonist and teacher Owen Broder will guide you through the works of this alto master and highly versatile artist whose immediately identifiable sound helped shape Duke Ellington’s most exquisite ballads and blues numbers.

Immerse yourself in one of the world’s richest and most artistically diverse jazz scenes. Led by Swing University curator Seton Hawkins (who also hosts a weekly South African Jazz show on SiriusXM Radio and produces a South African Jazz record series), you’ll explore the origins of jazz in South Africa, travel through the regional styles that emerged, discuss the country’s most iconic jazz musicians, and explore jazz’s role in the anti-apartheid struggle.

Gain an exclusive glimpse into the life, music, and genius of Tito Puente, as taught by his friend, associate, and ultimately biographer, Joe Conzo, Sr. Conzo provides first-hand accounts of the life of one of music’s most transformative figures.

Celebrate the centennial of The Divine One through a four-week exploration of her life and music, with vocalist and educator Gillian Margot, who joins Swing University to examine the works of one of the most virtuosic and ground-breaking vocalists in music history.

Enjoy a four-week deep dive into one of the most distinctive and extraordinary saxophonists and composers in music history, Wayne Shorter. Marcus Strickland, a modern-day master of the saxophone, leads you through the world of Wayne Shorter’s art, in what would have been his 90th birthday year.

Be the first to experience an exciting new course series and format at Swing University, where modern-day jazz masters teach in rotation. Over four weeks, we will celebrate the many iconic and unique soloists who made up the many incarnations of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, with a different jazz master sharing their insights into one of their musical forebears. In Part 2 of our soloist series, we’ll be joined by trumpeter Bria Skonberg, clarinetist Evan Christopher, baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan, and tenor saxophonist Walter Blanding as as we dive into the amazing contributions of Bubber Miley, Barney Bigard, Harry Carney, and Paul Gonsalves!

Over three weeks, guitarist and educator Jake Hertzog will highlight iconic guitar players from the 1960s and their indelible influence on jazz and the development of the ‘fusion’ style. Sessions will include significant artists, musical origins, and cultural factors that contributed to the preeminence of the guitar and guitars as influential musical icons.

Jazz 301 is an opportunity to study jazz intensively through cultural, historical, and political lenses. With Jerome Jennings and special guests, students will consider questions tied to power and ownership in jazz over time, as well as explore and analyze primary sources such as films, periodicals, biographies, and oral histories. The course format will be a combination of in-class listening, discussion, lectures, and videos.

Over five weeks, you’ll celebrate the 125th birthday of Duke Ellington with an in-depth exploration of his life, his works, and his legacy as America’s greatest composer, with multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, scholar, and educator Loren Schoenberg.

Discover one of the most underrated geniuses of jazz: Eddie Durham. Loren Schoenberg teaches this course about the brilliant trombonist, composer, and arranger whose works proved essential to the sounds of the Count Basie Orchestra and the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, and arguably the first electric guitarist in jazz history.