Final Paper- Jazz Memoire Book List and Paper Assignment- Choose one:

·      Bechet, Sidney, Treat it Gentle: An autobiography, Da Capo Press

·      Giddins, Gary, Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong, Da Capo Press

·      Torff, Brian, In Love With Voices: A Jazz Memoir, iUniverse

·      Gillespie, Dizzy, To Be Or Not to Bop, Doubleday,

·      Hasse, John Edward, Beyond Category: The Life And Genius Of Duke Ellington

Simon and Schuster

·      Reisner, Robert, Bird: The Legend of Charlie Parker, Da Capo Press

·      Ratliff, Ben, Coltrane: the Story of a Sound, Farrar, Strauss and Gireaux

·      Davis, Miles, Troupe, Quincy, The Autobiography, Simon and Schuster

·      Clarke, Donald, Billie Holiday: Wishing on the Moon, Da Capo Press

Final Paper Guidelines 8-10 pages analyze the book-DON’T RETELL THE STORY!

1. 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 that briefly describes the book.

Body: Develop the paper by using examples from the text. Then link 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

(at least 3). In addition to your jazz memoir book!

Having trouble connecting to library databases and resources off-campus? Click here