TILLI Winter Session: A Brief History of Jazz Piano, Part One: "From Jelly Roll to Nat King Cole" (1900-1945) with Allen Morrison

What is jazz and where did it come from? Why is the piano central to the history of jazz and how did its role change in the first half of the 20th century? Jazz journalist Allen Morrison answers these questions and more as he recounts the great players and jazz piano styles, illustrating with fascinating film clips and rare audio recordings. The pioneering artists featured include Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole.

Allen Morrison is a music journalist, jazz pianist, songwriter and lecturer on jazz history. A contributing writer for DownBeat Magazine, he has also written about jazz for The Guardian, JazzTimes, TIDAL Magazine and Jazziz.

Register to join us onsite or online on January 9th at 11:00 a.m. Contact tilli@tisrael.org with questions.

Temple Israel’s Lifelong Learning Institute (TILLI) provides opportunities for Temple Israel members and others to engage in peer-led, intellectually stimulating study groups covering a broad range of topics, to develop social relationships and a community, and to enjoy cultural events together.