"Dance Band" from the "1948 Franciscan" yearbook (page 241) (Updated over a year ago)

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Photograph of the Dance Band, which was first college-sanctioned jazz course ("Music 47: Arranging and Composing for Dance Band" and "Music 48: Dance Band Routine" elective course) offered at San Francisco State in fall of 1947 with student director Bob Searle to the right. The group was comprised of 30 instrumentalists and 15 music arrangers interested in working on their own arrangements. Jazz was somewhat "suspect" in college curriculum at this time. During the 1940s, standard music courses surveyed music from Beethoven to Wagner, but State was first in the West to offer an elective course in twentieth-century music in 1949. Cal Tjader attended State under the G.I. Bill after serving in the Navy during World War II, and was one of the first participants in the class. Later known for his Latin jazz beat, Tjader first drew attention when he was a student here in the late-1940s, after he sat in playing the drums for Lionel Hampton’s band. His recording career playing vibes, drums, and bongos with the Dave Brubeck Trio started in 1948, when he was a senior at State. Music professor Wendell Otey was the faculty sponsor.

Tags: bob searle , cal tjader , dance band , first college sanction jazz course , g.i. bill , jazz musicians , music department , music federation , san francisco state college , student-driven curriculum , vocational education , wendell otey

Added to SFSU Photographic Timeline Project on May 18, 2018.

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"Composers Workshop and Dance Band" from the "1949 Franciscan" yearbook (page 52) "Vernon Alley Trio beat it out at the Franciscan rally" from the "1948 Franciscan" yearbook (page 25) “Music Federation and the Composer’s Workshop” from the “1944 Franciscan” yearbook, page 59 San Francisco State College Madrigal Singers "Homecoming" from the "1953 Franciscan" yearbook (pages 70-71)

Information

  • Creator: Associated Students of San Francisco State College
  • Date: 1947-1948
  • Title: "Dance Band" from the "1948 Franciscan" yearbook (page 241)
  • Description: Photograph of the Dance Band, which was first college-sanctioned jazz course ("Music 47: Arranging and Composing for Dance Band" and "Music 48: Dance Band Routine" elective course) offered at San Francisco State in fall of 1947 with student director Bob Searle to the right. The group was comprised of 30 instrumentalists and 15 music arrangers interested in working on their own arrangements. Jazz was somewhat "suspect" in college curriculum at this time. During the 1940s, standard music courses surveyed music from Beethoven to Wagner, but State was first in the West to offer an elective course in twentieth-century music in 1949. Cal Tjader attended State under the G.I. Bill after serving in the Navy during World War II, and was one of the first participants in the class. Later known for his Latin jazz beat, Tjader first drew attention when he was a student here in the late-1940s, after he sat in playing the drums for Lionel Hampton’s band. His recording career playing vibes, drums, and bongos with the Dave Brubeck Trio started in 1948, when he was a senior at State. Music professor Wendell Otey was the faculty sponsor.
  • Type: Photograph
  • Format: TIFF
  • Source: University Archives
  • Temporal Coverage: 1947-1948
  • Rights: Public
  • Publisher: San Francisco: San Francisco State Teachers College Associated Students
  • Contributor: Meredith Eliassen

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Version history

Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team over a year ago
Import from CMS.
Update by DIVA Digitization Team over a year ago