In the first lecture of the four part series presented at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on February 14, 1995, Billy Taylor discussed the origins of jazz music in the African-American experience from slavery to the civil rights movement, emphasizing the development of the repertoire and standards of performance in jazz, and comparing and contrasting jazz with music from the European tradition.

• Introduction

• What is jazz?

• Why is jazz today's classical music?

• What is the role of jazz in American culture?.

• Is playing jazz difficult?

• Is there any structure in jazz improvisation?

• Why is jazz often more appreciated in Europe than in America?

• Who created jazz?

• Slaves were not permitted to play the drums.

• Are jazz styles frozen in time?

• Was "Ragtime" jazz only for the piano?

• What kind of music did Louis Armstrong listen to when he was young?

• What's the origin of the term "Ragtime"?

• How did it get to be called "Ragtime"?

• What about "slides" in jazz music?

• Did Miles Davis play jazz?

• Was jazz played outside the United States?

• By what standards can jazz be judged?

• Have jazz elements been incorporated into the European musical tradition?

• Was George Gershwin a jazz artist?

• Where was jazz born?

• What made New Orleans special?

• How did New Orleans pawn shops contibute to early jazz?

• Where were the early centers for jazz?

• How are jazz standards made today?

• Who is composing the new jazz standards?

• How do jazz performers learn the standards?

• Are the jazz standards published as sheet music?

• Description of available audio formats.
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