Explore the world of jazz! Hear jazz performed and learn from our featured musicians.

Including Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Mary Lou Williams, Scott Joplin, Marian McPartland, Joe Samples and more.

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Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories 1
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 1

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

The founding and early years of Charlie's Place - a jazz club where white and African American patrons alike were welcome during segregation.
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories 4
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 4

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Today, Charlie's Place is long gone. The City of Myrtle Beach purchased the Charlie's Place property in 2015, with the goals of renovating the area, and transforming it into a revitalized...
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories 2
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 2

Video

Grades: PreK Kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

After World War II, there was an ever increasing popularity for the musical movement known as "Rhythm and Blues." Rhythm and Blues, along with a new invention called the Jukebox, transformed the music...
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories 3
Charlie's Place | Carolina Stories
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Racial tensions in South Carolina strained with the rise of the "Dixiecrat" political party. One summer evening in 1950, Ku Klux Klan members shot up Charlie's Place, and Charlie Fitzgerald was beaten...
Dizzy Gillespie, Part 3 103
Dizzy Gillespie, Part 3
Episode 103

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

When the opportunity came for a young Dizzy Gillespie to leave Cheraw, he took it. Dizzy moved to Laurinburg, North Carolina, where he went to school at the Laurinburg Institute. While in Laurinburg...
Dizzy Gillespie, Part 2 102
Dizzy Gillespie, Part 2
Episode 102

Video

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Dizzy Gillespie was awarded the coveted Handel Medal, which is New York City’s most prestigious arts award. Gillespie is also part of the Newport Jazz Festival Program, and introduced friends and...
Reflections of Columbia, Part 4 4
Reflections of Columbia, Part 4
Episode 4

Video

Grades: 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

The 1920s was a prosperous time for Columbia. The city experienced a cultural renaissance, even though the rural areas were feeling early pings of the oncoming depression. Dance clubs for both Whites...
Dizzy Gillespie: An Influential Teacher | Carolina Stories 3
Dizzy Gillespie: An Influential Teacher | Carolina Stories
Episode 3

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Dizzy Gillespie was not only a great entertainer, but was also known for being an influential music teacher. He earned his status as a famous musician not through instant gratification, but through...
Dizzy Gillespie: His Legacy | Carolina Stories 4
Dizzy Gillespie: His Legacy | Carolina Stories
Episode 4

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

The group discusses Dizzy Gillespie’s legacy, and what he meant to them, as a teacher, musician, and human being. Here, the song “Birks Works” is played by Charlton Singleton.
Dizzy Gillespie: Influence In Music | Carolina Stories 5
Dizzy Gillespie: Influence In Music | Carolina Stories
Episode 5

Video

Grades: 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Higher Education

Dick Goodwin returns to talk with the group about Dizzy Gillespie’s personality, and how Dizzy was able to influence an entire generation’s interest in this style of music, with his motivation, and...
A Segregated Military | Palmetto Scene
A Segregated Military | Palmetto Scene

Video

Grades: 3 4 5

B.S. Plair of Rock Hill, South Carolina, served for the Montford Point Marines in 1945, until he was honorably discharged in 1946. The Montford Point Marines were based in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina...
Auntie Karen's Place (FULL Version) 5
Auntie Karen's Place (FULL Version)
Episode 5

Video

Grades: PreK Kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5

This program for grades Pre K-5th focuses on life skills using music and puppets. Topics include: Jazz Music; Sickle Cell Awareness; Financial Literacy; and Emergency Preparedness. The Auntie Karen...
Chano Pozo: Conga Player | Periscope
Chano Pozo: Conga Player | Periscope
Episode 42

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

The number one conga player in Cuba in the 1930s was Chano Pozo. Chano was the "best of the best," and soon he was playing beside Dizzy in the United States! In the 1940s, Chano and other Cuban...
Dizzy Gillespie | Periscope
Dizzy Gillespie | Periscope
Episode 40

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5

South Carolina played a big part in the creation of Latin Jazz! From Sabor, we learned that Latin jazz music has roots right here in South Carolina. Dizzy Gillespie, a famous jazz trumpet player from...
Guiro | Periscope
Guiro | Periscope
Episode 36

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Guiro: A scraper sometimes used in Latin jazz. The Cuban and Puerto Rican form is made from a notched gourd and played with a stick.
Congas | Periscope
Congas | Periscope
Episode 35

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Congas: Drums played with the hands and often used in salsa and rumba music. Congas play a major role in Latin jazz bands.
First of All, What Is Jazz? | Periscope
First of All, What Is Jazz? | Periscope
Episode 33

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Jazz music originated in the United States. It was created by African Americans in the early 1900s. The sound of jazz was influenced by West African rhythms and music, and American folk music. A...
Charleston County - Jenkins Orphanage Band
Charleston County - Jenkins Orphanage Band

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

This building, which was designed by Robert Mills, was constructed in 1833 for the care of sick and disabled seamen. After the Civil War, it became a school for African American children. From 1895 to...
Chesterfield County - Dizzy Gillespie Park
Chesterfield County - Dizzy Gillespie Park

Photo

Grades: 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie got his nickname because he liked to make jokes and act up on stage. He was one of the greatest of all jazz musicians, and the most famous native of Cheraw, South Carolina...
Langston Hughes | Poetry All-Stars
Langston Hughes | Poetry All-Stars
Episode 1

Photo

Grades: 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Langston Hughes 1902-1967 Langston's father once discouraged him from writing poetry. He believed discrimination would keep the young Langston from finding success as a poet. But Langston continued to...