Course Description

Instructor: James Rozzi 

Please note prerequisite: OLLI Jazz History Part 1 from this instructor. West Coast jazz holds a unique and admirable place in jazz history. In February 1954, Time magazine announced, “Today, the liveliest center for jazz is California, where a cluster of youngsters, still mostly in their 20s, are refining the frenzies of bop into something cooler, calmer, and more coherent.” This era remains the only time in modern jazz history that the main focus deviated from New York, and for good reason. Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, Shorty Rogers and Chet Baker are several of the artists covered, in depth.

Bio: James Rozzi is a saxophonist, bandleader, and published jazz journalist. He is a retired public school band director (30 years). His feature articles and reviews on jazz have appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DownBeat, Jazziz, Wired, Coda, Creative Loafing, and Audio. His critically-acclaimed 10-piece Tempest “Little Big Band” has performed throughout the southeast.