Booktalk: Musicologist Todd Decker’s “Music Makes Me. Why Fred Astaire was a King of Jazz”

Host Diana Korte speaks with Musicologist and Washington University Professor of Music Todd Decker who specializes in commercial popular music in the United States about the first of his five books, “Music Makes Me: Fred Astaire and Jazz.”

Is stunning dancer and singer Fred Astaire also one of the great jazz artists of the twentieth century? He is best known for his unforgettable dancing in the movie musicals of the 1930s, but in Music Makes Me, Todd Decker argues that Astaire’s work as a dancer and choreographer—particularly in the realm of tap dancing—made a significant contribution to the art of jazz.

In 30 films from the 1930s to the 1950s, he danced elegantly—often to jazz–with the leading women dancers of the day including 10 times with fan favorite Ginger Rogers. Among his most popular movies were the timeless classics Top Hat, You Were Never Lovelier, and Swing Time. 

Top authors are interviewed on this 10-minute program that captures their words about their books and ideas and often the story behind the story. The show, hosted by Diana Korte and engineered by Gene Korte, is in its 29th year of production.