musc

file 

PROJECT FORMAT:
3-5 pages, typed, double spaced, and submitted in Canvas by uploading your work as a , x, .rtf, or document. If your file does not open properly, you will not receive a grade on the assignment. The instructor(s) will not accept hard copies or emailed versions.

 

 

CITATIONS:

1. All papers must include a bibliography. (The syllabus gives full bibliographic information for the textbook (as does the book itself), and scans placed in Canvas or in Marriott eReserve have the relevant details on their first pages.) You may use Chicago, MLA, or APA style.  

2. If you refer to any readings—including your textbook—or web pages, you need to cite your sources, even if your references do not involve direct quotation. Please include either footnotes or parenthetical citations (including author’s name and page number) immediately after any quotation or other reference. Again, Chicago, MLA, and APA styles all provide acceptable formats for citations.

 

PROJECT TOPIC:
Louis Armstrong’s 1929 recording of “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue”

 

DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT CONTENTS:
1. Begin your essay by describing how 1929 Armstrong’s interpretation of the”(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue” illustrates the characteristics of Jazz in the 1920s. (1 of 3 pages)

2. Compare the original version of the song (i.e., as performed within “Hot Chocolates”) with Armstrong’s rendition. This will involve both considering the alterations Armstrong made to the form and text, as well as its removal from the original dramatic situation. (1 of 3 pages)

3. Place Armstrong’s 1929 recording  within the larger framework of his position on racism in the US (and elsewhere). In your opinion, was/is Armstrong an effective advocate for racial tolerance and equality? Why or why not? (1 of 3 pages) 

 

PROJECT RESEARCH:

· You will find recordings of both the original (i.e., as performed in “Hot Chocolates”) and Armstrong’s 1929 versions of the work in both the “Pages” and “Files” areas of Canvas.  If you decide to access the song elsewhere, please make sure that you listen to Armstrong’s 1929 interpretation; he made multiple recordings of the piece, but only this one dates from the ’20s (and thus illustrate aspects of Jazz from this decade). 

· You may locate several relevant readings through the library’s reserve pages. These include excerpts from Satchmo Blows Up the World (pp. 58-65 and 250-251), Satchmo, Pops, and Black and Blue; the link to Marriott E-Reserve in “Pages” area will take you directly to these sources.

· If you want to fully cover the topic (and therefore receive high marks on the assignment), you must consult the reserve sources, though you may also do additional research if you wish. Wikipedia and other free online encyclopedias do not constitute appropriate materials (neither do personal blogs, pages intended for K-12 education, and many other online sites): Because their content does not prove reliable—and does not derive from primary sources—these databases do not suffice for for college-level research. Similarly, newspaper and magazine articles on this topic do not constitute primary sources, and you should avoid them as well. Use of Wikipedia or other inappropriate materials will therefore consequently in a grade no higher than a C.  Dr. Basinger and her assistant(s) have the ultimate say on the appropriateness of sources.