[002] ‘MTSU On the Record’ guest considers jazzy fashion statements

MURFREESBORO — The impact of avant-garde jazz on five decades of fashion is the subject of the next “MTSU On the Record” radio program.

Host Gina Logue’s interview with Rick Cottle, an assistant professor of textiles, merchandising and design at MTSU, will air from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Monday, July 11, and from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Sunday, July 17, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and http://www.wmot.org).

Cottle co-authored “From Suits to Robes,” an examination of avant-garde jazz music’s impact on fashion, for the academic journal “Fashion, Style and Popular Culture” with his son, Adam, of Savannah State University, and Dr. Thomas Bell of Kansas State University.

The authors maintain that the unique jazz stylings of artists such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane influenced more Afro-centric clothing styles in the 1960s and 1970s that corresponded with black liberation political movements of the period.

They further assert that these fashion statements also influence the hip-hop and rap music generation.

“Why, all of a sudden did (jazz musicians) go from dark suits, white shirts, black ties in the Fifties … to the dashikis … and African-inspired colors?” said Cottle.   

To hear previous “MTSU On the Record” programs, go to http://bit.ly/mtsu-otr.

For more information, contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.