John Szwed
Encyclopedia
John Szwed is Professor of Music and Jazz Studies at Columbia University
, and Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. He was John M. Musser Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies at Yale University
. He is the author of many books on jazz and American music, including studies of Sun Ra
, Miles Davis
, Jelly Roll Morton
, and Alan Lomax
.
; his work as an anthropologist and folklorist includes field studies in Newfoundland, the Georgia Sea Islands, and Trinidad
. As a musician, Szwed studied trombone, music theory, and played professionally for twelve years. He has taught at New York University
, the University of Pennsylvania
(where he was Director of the Center for Urban Ethnography and Chair of the Department of Folklore). From 1982 to 2008, Szwed was John M. Musser Professor of Anthropology, African American Studies, and Film Studies at Yale University. Szwed was appointed Professor of music and Jazz studies at Columbia University in 2008. In 2011, he was appointed Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia.
on Rounder Records
. The booklet won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
. In 2010, Szwed published a biography of Alan Lomax, the folklorist
, ethnomusicologist
, and field collector of folk music
of the 20th century, entitled The Man Who Recorded the World.
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, and Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia University. He was John M. Musser Professor of Anthropology and African American Studies at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He is the author of many books on jazz and American music, including studies of Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
, Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
, Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe , known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer....
, and Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
.
Career
Szwed gained his Ph.D. in anthropology from Ohio State UniversityOhio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
; his work as an anthropologist and folklorist includes field studies in Newfoundland, the Georgia Sea Islands, and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
. As a musician, Szwed studied trombone, music theory, and played professionally for twelve years. He has taught at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
(where he was Director of the Center for Urban Ethnography and Chair of the Department of Folklore). From 1982 to 2008, Szwed was John M. Musser Professor of Anthropology, African American Studies, and Film Studies at Yale University. Szwed was appointed Professor of music and Jazz studies at Columbia University in 2008. In 2011, he was appointed Director of the Center for Jazz Studies at Columbia.
Publications
Szwed has published biographies of Sun Ra, and Miles Davis. Szwed wrote Doctor Jazz, a booklet about Jelly Roll Morton for the 2005 issue of The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan LomaxJelly Roll Morton the Complete Library of Congress Recording
The Complete Library of Congress Recordings is a 2005 box set of recordings from jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton. The set spans 128 tracks over eight CDs...
on Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
. The booklet won the 2005 Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
Grammy Award for Best Album Notes
The Grammy Award for Best Album Notes has been presented since 1964. From 1973 to 1976, a separate award was presented for Best Album Notes - Classical. Those awards are listed under those years below. The award recognizes albums with excellent liner notes...
. In 2010, Szwed published a biography of Alan Lomax, the folklorist
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
, ethnomusicologist
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
, and field collector of folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
of the 20th century, entitled The Man Who Recorded the World.