Academics
Research and university teaching in jazz history and analysis, music theory, world music, and the Black music of the Americas.
Publications & Presentations
DeMotta, David. “Bud Powell's Improvising and the Aesthetics of Bebop Rhythm.” Jazz Perspectives 12, no. 3 (2020): 339–370.
Peer-reviewed article · doi:10.1080/17494060.2020.1840417 (opens in a new tab)
“Interlocking Riff Complexes in Big Band Mambo, Latin Jazz, and Swing Arrangements from the Early- to Mid-Twentieth Century.” Analytical Approaches to World Music Conference, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Conference presentation
Dissertation
The Contributions of Earl “Bud” Powell to the Modern Jazz Style
Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 2015
DeMotta's doctoral dissertation examines the pianist Earl “Bud” Powell's role in shaping the modern jazz style — his improvisational language, his rhythmic approach, and his influence on the generations of pianists who followed. Completed in 2015 at the CUNY Graduate Center, it is available in full through CUNY Academic Works.
Read at CUNY Academic Works (opens in a new tab)Education
Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Areas of specialization: Black Music of the Americas, Music of South Asia, jazz analysis and improvisation
M.M. in Jazz Studies and Performance (Piano)
William Paterson University
Thesis: An Analysis of Herbie Hancock's Accompanying in The Miles Davis Quintet
B.A. in Jazz Studies and Performance (Piano)
William Paterson University
Recipient of the Outstanding Senior Classical Performer Award