• Bechet, Sidney, Treat it Gentle: An autobiography 
• Giddins, Gary, Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong
• Torff, Brian, In Love With Voices: A Jazz Memoir
• Gillespie, Dizzy, To Be Or Not to Bop
• Hasse, John Edward, Beyond Category: The Life And Genius Of Duke Ellington
• Reisner, Robert, Bird: The Legend of Charlie Parker 
• Ratliff, Ben, Coltrane: the Story of a Sound
• Davis, Miles, Troupe, Quincy, The Autobiography
• Clarke, Donald, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon

(from class syllabus)

Jazz Memoire Book List and Paper Assignment

Assignment: write an 8-10 page research paper analyzing your chosen book
DON'T RETELL THE STORY!!

. Read the book and take notes on key information that you can use to expand upon. Concentrate on the main characters and their connections to a life in jazz. Include musical, social, racial, socio-economic and gender issues that are raised in the text.

2. Paper structure:

• Introductory paragraph: briefly describe the book
• Body: Develop the paper by using examples from the text. Then, link the period of the main character's life to your research on that specific era of jazz. How does the context of that era connect to the life and career of the book's subject? Provide outside research on the genre and time period of the artist - such as Dixieland, Swing, Bop, Cool, Fusion, etc. 
• Conclusion: Conclude with what you learned from the book and what it can teach us about American culture. 

3. Proofread your work - ALWAYS - Never hand in a rough draft...

4. Cite your references, illuminate your points, use outside sources for research. There should be a minimum of five sources used in addition to the book itself.

Grading Criteria:

DON'T RETELL THE STORY!

Critical Analysis and Oversight 70%

Organization 20%

Use of outside research 10%

Students who simply retell the story risk receiving a D or an F.

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