Orem Library

Widely misunderstood and often maligned by lovers of pop music, this episode explores the links between Jazz and American popular music.

This documentary celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of LA’s Laurel Canyon in the mid-60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas gave birth to the California Sound. It was a moment (1965 to 1967) when bands came to LA to emulate The Beatles and Laurel Canyon emerged as a hotbed of creativity and collaboration for a new generation of musicians who would soon put an...

Since the 1930s and 40's, jazz has stood tall in American popular music, drawing into itss embrace not only great horn players, percussionists, guitarists, bassists, and pianists but also some of the greatest singers in America's musical history. Jazz has laid the groundwork for important innovations in modern singing, opening up entirely new ways of delivering songs through what would eventually become jazz standards - songs that formed the basis...

Hip-Hop was created by urban youth of color more than 30 years ago amid racial oppression and economic marginalization. It has moved beyond that specific community and embraced by young people worldwide, elevating it to a global youth culture. The ambitious and hard-hitting documentary Blacking Up: Hip-Hops Remix of Race and Identity looks at the popularity of hip-hop among Americas white youth. It asks whether white identification is rooted in admiration...