Background
Kernfeld, Barry Dean was born on August 11, 1950 in San Francisco, California, United States. Son of Bernard Kernfeld and Elsie Marian Goldstein.
(Barry Kernfeld provides an introduction to jazz, discussi...)
Barry Kernfeld provides an introduction to jazz, discussing its musical concepts, procedures and styles, providing the background to this musical art. The book is organized around 21 historical jazz recordings - from the New Orleans Rhythm Kings' "Tin Roof Blues" (1923) to Ornette Coleman's "Honeymooners" (1987) - that are analyzed in the text and included in a free compact disc that accompanies the book. The author draws from these musical works to illustrate jazz rhythm, forms, arrangement, composition, improvization, style, and sound (recording fidelity, tuning systems, instrumentation, and timbre). Included in the book are 85 notated music examples keyed to the compact disc and a biographical dictionary of musicians who figure prominently on the disc. By laying out musical ideas that unify the genre, rather than by splintering it along stylistic lines, this book offers a method for enhancing enjoyment and understanding of jazz. This should be a useful resource for students and general listeners who wish to know more about this musical form.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0300072597/?tag=2022091-20
historian music educator university professor author
Kernfeld, Barry Dean was born on August 11, 1950 in San Francisco, California, United States. Son of Bernard Kernfeld and Elsie Marian Goldstein.
Bachelor in Music, University California, Davis, 1975. Master of Arts in Musicology, Cornell University, 1978. Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology, Cornell University, 1981.
Kernfeld was the editor of the first and second editions of The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, the largest jazz dictionary ever published. The first edition was published in 1988. Volume 1 had 670 pages and Volume 2 had 690.
In 2005, Kernfeld initiated a long-term project, transcribing and editing the contents of the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program.
A number of lengthy interviews are now available at the institution"s website. Also in 2005, Kernfeld became a staff archivist in the Historical Collections and Labor Archives within Special Collections at the Pennsylvania State University library.
In 2012, he taught a writing course at Penn State, "American Jazz Masters in their Own Words."
Kernfeld spent a decade researching popular song piracy which culminated him publishing two books, one about fake books (2006) and the other a general survey (2011). (see book listings below)
In 1968, Kernfeld enrolled at University of California, Berkeley.
Then, from April 1970 to September 1972, he focused on being a professional saxophonist.
In October 1972, Kernfeld enrolled at the University of California, Davis, where, in 1975, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in musicology. From 1975 to 1981, he studied at Cornell University where he focused on jazz. Cornell awarded him a Masters Degree in 1978 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree 1981.
(Barry Kernfeld provides an introduction to jazz, discussi...)
(Bk & CD)
Married Sally Ann McMurry, August 15, 1981. Children: Paul McMurry, Eric McMurry.