Swing University: Jazz as a Tool for Liberation is a four-session course that invites participants to explore jazz through a social justice lens and understand its historic role as a liberation tool in the United States. Each class will be led via Zoom by Seton Hawkins, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Director of Education Resources and Public Programming, in an informal lecture and discussion format with special guests from Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Septet. Classes are sequential, but each session can be enjoyed as a standalone experience. Buy all 4 events and save.

With a thriving Jazz scene, a rich Blues tradition, and some of the finest big bands in the country, Detroit’s contributions to America’s development of Jazz runs deep and cuts across decades and genres. From the extraordinary bands gracing the Graystone Ballroom to the rise of pioneering artists like Betty Carter and Elvin Jones, to contemporary figures like James Carter, Detroit has delivered an impact on Jazz’s development that cannot be overstated. This class will dive into its rich legacy.