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THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON ALUMNI MAGAZINE

From Bebop to Disco to Hip-Hop: Musical Moments Target Alumni

Two unusual musical events-plus a steady stream of career programs-are aimed at UW graduates living in the Seattle area this spring. A tour of the Experience Music Project for alumni who graduated in the past 10 years, features a UW pop culture expert, while a unique lecture/concert at Dimitrou's Jazz Alley mixes jazz with history and sociology. For more information, visit UWalum.com for the latest in new programs, events and benefits.

Disco Redux

The 1970s disco craze didn't just take over the radio airwaves. Following the success of the hit movie Saturday Night Fever, it reached into every segment of life and impacted everything from the way we dressed and danced to how we coped with the turmoil of the Vietnam War era.

EMP Photo.


EMP Photo.
With today's nostalgic focus on the '70s-you're seeing bell bottoms and platform shoes again, aren't you?-disco is back in our minds.

Pop culture expert Susan Jeffords, divisional dean of social sciences at the UW, will explain the effects of disco on our culture when she gives a tour of the Experience Music Project. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 21, and is sponsored by the Young Alumni Club. The cost is $25 for members and $30 for non-members, and includes admission to the EMP, the talk and museum tour with Jeffords, plus two beverage tickets for the EMP's Liquid Lounge.

To register, go to UWalum.com or call the UWAA registration line at (206) 543-3839.

Jazzing Up Society: Performance and Commentary from Bebop to Hip Hop

Here's your chance to listen to some hot jazz and find out the meaning of jazz in society when the UW music and sociology departments team up to present "Jazzing Up Society: Performance and Commentary from Bebop to Hip Hop."

Top: Music Professor Marc Seales, photo courtesy School of Music. Bottom: Sociology Chair Robert Crutchfield. Photo by Mary levin.


Top: Music Professor Marc Seales, photo courtesy School of Music. Bottom: Sociology Chair Robert Crutchfield. Photo by Mary levin.

Marc Seales, professor of jazz studies, is one of the top mainstream jazz pianists in Seattle. He leads a trio called "New Stories," which won the 1992 Earshot Award for Best Acoustic Jazz Group. He is a popular UW music professor who has recorded his own compositions and performed nationally.

Talking about jazz and its role in society is Professor Robert Crutchfield, chair of the UW sociology department. A leading researcher on race and ethnic relations, he is widely published and has served as adviser to the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. He won a UW Distinguished Teaching Award in 1997.

The event is held at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 17, at Dimitrou's Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave., Seattle. The cost is $20 for UWAA members $25 general and $60 patron. To register, go to or call the UWAA registration line at (206) 543-3839.


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