Popular Music in America: Forging the American Spirit

Stan Breckenridge is an academician, author, composer, vocalist and pianist, recording artist, and performer, and holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, USA. He currently is a “Artist in Residence” Visiting Professor in the Faculty of English at Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland and gives numerous lecture-demonstrations and concerts throughout Poland and surrounding countries.He taught in the Department of African American Studies at California State University,Fullerton,CA,USA for over 30 years and served as the department Co-chair from Spring 2017 to the beginning of Spring 2018. Dr. Breckenridge was selected as a United States Distinguished Chair Fulbright Scholar to Poland for the 2012–2013 academic year,with an extension through the 2013–2014 academic year where he taught in the Department of American Studies at the 650-year-old Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and the University of Marie Curie Sklodowska in Lublin, Poland. (He was also selected as a Fulbright Scholar for the Fall of 2005.) While in Poland, Dr. Breckenridge gave over 100 concerts, performances, and lectures representing American society throughout Poland—from cities at the Balic Sea in the north like Gdańsk to Zakopane and Krakow in the south; and from the west in Zielona Góra and Poznań to Biała Podlaska, Chełm, and Zamość in the east. Some guest appearances were for previous U.S. Ambassadors to Poland the Honorables Paul W. Jones, Stephen D. Mull, and Lee A. Feinstein, as well as distinguished Consul Generals Ellen Germain and Walter Braunohler and a number of T.V . appearances and interviews. Dr. Breckenridge possesses a proven track record of educational excellence. Over the years, his teaching assignments have spanned the curriculum such as in music history and appreciation, technology, and performance. Lastly, Dr. Breckenridge currently gives workshops in vocal and instrumental jazz for aspiring musicians, as well as lectures on American music worldwide. As a specialist in American music, Dr. Breckenridge has authored three books: Music Taste or Waste: Critical Listening Skills for Students, Teachers, and Parents (3rd edition, 2018 Kendall Hunt Publishing); Popular Music in America: Forging the American Spirit (3rd edition,2015,Kendall Hunt Publishing); and African American Music for Everyone: Including Theater, Film and Dance (3rd edition, 2014, Kendall Hunt Publishing). He has also presented papers at a number of international conferences such as in Metz, France; Debrecen, Hungary; and at The Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, Poland. The latter was sponsored by the joint efforts of the US Embassy in Poland and the Music Academy for the Embassy’s ongoing program titled “America Presents.” Dr. Breckenridge has performed and continues to perform internationally as well as nationally in countries such as France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Lithuaina, Mexico, Poland, Slovakia, and the Ukraine. His most recent significant performance entails a number of appearances on Jaka to Melodia, one of Poland’s popular music TV programs. National performances have included a number of states, and at venues such as The Dorothy Chandler, The Greek Theater, The Los Angeles Forum, The Los Angeles Sports Arena, The Embassy Hotel,The Hollywood Bowl, The Watts Summer Festival, Capitol Records, TV Channels 5,11 and KOCE, Maverick’s Flats, Dooto’s, and many others. Stan Breckenridge has appeared with and/or performed for personalities such as Madeleine Albright, Scott Baio, Bobby Blue Bland, Bill Cosby, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Rosie Grier, Merv Griffin, Mahalia Jackson, Jerry Lewis, Moms Mabley, Greg Morris, Martha Reeves (of the Vandellas), Sam Riddle, Marsha Clark (District Attorney for the Simpson trial), Rowan and Martin, Greg Morris, David Ruffin (of the Temptations), Avery Schriber, Bernard Shaw, Nancy Sinatra, O.C. Smith, The Stylistics, Lea Thompson, John Travolta, John Wayne, The Young Hearts, and many others. He also gave many concerts through the United Europe Jazz Festival with Jazz Band Ball Orchestra—one of Poland’s most successful traditional jazz groups since the 1960s, and with Poland’s most famous Hammond B-3 organist Wojciech Karolak. As a recording artist, Stan Breckenridge has released an album every other year since 1999. In 2017 he recorded an album, titled Black & Tan Fantasy with JBBO (Jazz Band Ball Orchestra) - - the longest running septet among Polish musicians who perform traditional jazz. (Stan Breckenridge also performs with JBBO each year since 2014 where they do approximately 40 concerts/year. His most recent solo album titled Inspirations (released December 2014) draws upon experiences while living in Poland for two years (2012–2014). His collaboration with a young and gifted vocalist and violinist from Poland, named Klaudia Kowalik produced two albums, namely Jazz is Alive! (released January 2015) and All About Jazz (released March 2013). Also in February 2013, Stan Breckenridge released a solo album titled Out of Love for Jazz, which was recorded live in 2012 in Lublin,Poland. Other recordings include Reflections (2009), A Soulful Christmas (2008), This Is My Song (2007), Live in Poland (2005), Solo (2003), Meditations (2001), and Expositions (1999). Most albums and songs are available on itunes, Rhapsody, Amazon, Tidal, Spotify, Napster, andt hrough many other music download companies worldwide. In closing, Dr. Breckenridge has received numerous awards such as the CSUF Creative Activity certificate, six CSUF Faculty Author certificates, CSUF Grant Initiatives for faculty student projects, and a Distinguished Medal of Solidarity and Cultural Recognition Certificate both from the city of Radom, Poland. On July 6, 2017 Dr. Breckenridge was acknowledged by the Polish Secretary of Defense and received a certificate for performing a concert at the Polish American Military Picnic titled “Always close by, Safe together” organized on the occasion of the visit of U.S.President Donald Trump. The prestigious Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is his most recent award (April 2018). This award is for his contribution to creating an exhibit titled African American Civic Engagement, and its initiated African American Studies Vision for the Future Initiative.Performances,lectures, and interviews are chronicled in numerous newspaper articles, magazines, and university journals worldwide. Dr. Breckenridge has served as an Ambassador as well as a committee reviewer for the Fulbright Scholar Program,is a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers; United States Fulbright Alumni Association; and Phi Mu Alpha Music Fraternity.