I love listening to “courses” from The Teaching Company. They’re a for-profit company that hires the best professors across the nation to create audio and video courses. The courses can be a bit on the expensive side and you don’t get any college credit, but they are great if you want to learn something just for yourself.

I recently received an email from them offering a free audio lecture about Duke Ellington, the  jazz player. Here’s a blurb about the lecture:

“To celebrate Black History Month, The Teaching Company is proud to present a free lecture, Duke Ellington—the Jazzman. Born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington, D.C., into a middle-class African American family, Duke Ellington (1899–1974) was a self-assured and talented musician. He became instrumental in the history of jazz—that wholly American music genre rooted in African rhythmical forms and the gospel/spiritual tradition.”

If you’re thinking about buying material from the Teaching Company, this is a good way to test it out and see if these audio lectures are a good fit. Even if you’re not interested in their wares, you can still download the audio lecture for free. It’s just over a half hour and you’re free to burn it to c.d, share it with your friends, etc.