Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Kamasi Washington, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone. These are all people you may have heard of and to whom you might even have listened, but what do you know about the music they play? In this hour long course, I'll be introducing you to the basics of jazz. We'll go over a (quite abridged) history of jazz in the U.S., talk about the philosophy of jazz music, listen to some jazz, and we'll finally learn how to listen to a jazz song. We'll have room to talk about how jazz has influenced the music you Iisten to, from rock, to pop, to pretty much anything made after 1940, and I'll do my best to answer any and all questions you may have about this mysterious art form that hangs out seemingly at the periphery of American culture. This class is catered to students who know next to nothing about jazz, and would like to learn more. This course is not necessarily intended for students who play jazz, although you're welcome to join if you do; one can never have enough jazz!