History of Jazz Recordings: 100 Songs in 100 Years is a research project that aims to represent the rich, complex history of jazz around the globe through recordings. In effort to tell history through a more diverse lens, I have selected recordings by one hundred different artists that represent a wide spectrum of race, age, gender, sexuality, nationality, and musical styles. The topic has evolved into a book that I have begun writing as part of my undergraduate research project. In this presentation, I will explain my methodology and approach to artist and song selection and display many of the pages along with musical examples. I will also present themes in popular jazz history texts, express the problem with the lack of diversity in many history narratives, and highlight genres and people that have historically been minimized. In my book, female musicians, jazz-rock fusion, Latin, European jazz, and modern jazz are presented as part of the main narrative, rather than as a footnote. I attempt to give each style and era equal weight, covering recordings made from 1917-2017. Each page covers one artist or ensemble and provides a brief biography, cultural background, and an analysis of the musical significance of the selected recording. This method of presentation allows readers better understand the diverse tapestry of musicians that come together to create the history of jazz.
