The Original Cornell Syncopators - Collegiate (2021)

During the Jazz Age, some of the most important musical developments in the United States occurred on college campuses. A generation of musicians came up with the then-adolescent music, helping to shape its sounds and its direction. While many college jazz bands ended at graduation, some, like those of Ted Weems, Fred Waring, Rudy Vallee, and Hoagy Carmichael went on to have lasting careers and lasting impacts. Now, Rivermont presents America's premier collegiate early jazz band, the Original Cornell Syncopators, and their tribute to campus jazz: 'Collegiate. ' Led by Grammy-nominated researcher, historian, and cornetist Colin Hancock, the 'Syncs' (as they are known on campus) dive into the wide variety of jazz-flavored music generated by American college bands. From ragtime to the beginnings of swing, the 20 tracks on this disc represent a wide range of bands, schools, and regional sounds. The 40-page booklet with notes by Colin Hancock and Hannah Krall with Bryan S. Wright features detailed and entertaining research on the collegiate jazz scene of the Roaring '20s, including the first in-depth look at jazz at Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the music's earliest years. 20 tracks. 60 minutes.