The Cosby Show and the Jazz Music That Defined It
The Cosby Show was one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1980s, and part of its appeal was the great jazz music that was often featured on the show. In this blog post, we take a look at some of the best jazz tunes from The Cosby Show.
The Cosby Show
One of the most important television sitcoms of the 1980s, The Cosby Show ran for eight seasons on NBC from 1984 to 1992. The series was created by comedian Bill Cosby and starred Cosby as Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, a successful obstetrician and gynecologist. The show also featured his wife, Clair (Phylicia Rashad), and their five children: Sondra (Sabrina Le Beauf), Denise (Lisa Bonet), Theodore (Malcolm-Jamal Warner), Vanessa (Tempestt Bledsoe), and Rudy (Keshia Knight Pulliam).
The show’s theme song
The Cosby Show’s theme song was performed by the Miles Davis Quintet and released on Davis’ album Dingo in 1981. The song, written by Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones, has a distinctive jazz sound that reflects the show’s setting in New York City.
The show’s opening credits
The show’s opening credits sequence features a shots of the Huxtable home filmed in Brooklyn, New York. The following description of the opening credits was made by television critic Tim Dirks:
“The Cosby Show opening credits sequence is one of the most memorable and great of all time. It opens with a shot of the World Trade Center towers in New York City, with a voice-over by Cosby while Bill Lee’s swinging jazz arrangement of ‘Kuedon (Obsession)’ plays in the background. We then see quick shots (filmed with short zooms and panning) of elements in and around Cosby’s Brooklyn brownstone home (at 10 Stigwood Avenue in Crown Heights), where the Huxtables live…We see little vignettes of the Huxtables’ happy family life together… enjoying many activities, such as playing basketball, riding bikes, doing homework, cooking dinner, eating dinner together, or just sitting and relaxing watching television.”
The show’s setting
The Cosby Show is set in New York City, and was one of the first sitcoms to be set in an urban environment. The show’s focus on the Huxtable family, an upper middle-class African-American family, was groundbreaking at the time. The show was also unique in its use of jazz music.
The Huxtable family’s home
The Huxtable family’s home on The Cosby Show was located in Brooklyn, New York. The exterior of the building was filmed on location, while the interior shots were filmed on a set. The set was designed to look like a real home, and it included a living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom.
The show’s musical director, Bill Cosby, chose to use jazz music throughout the series. He felt that jazz fit the show’s setting and helped to create a more relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. Many of the show’s episodes featured live performances by famous jazz musicians, such as Miles Davis and Branford Marsalis.
The Huxtable family’s neighborhood
The Huxtable family’s neighborhood was based on the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn. The area was known for its large African American population and its jazz clubs. The show’s producers wanted to capture the feeling of the neighborhood, so they hired jazz musician Miles Davis to create the show’s opening theme.
The show’s characters
The Cosby Show is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992. The show was created by Bill Cosby and starred Cosby as Heathcliff Huxtable, a successful African-American obstetrician and gynecologist.
Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable
Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable, is the patriarch of the Huxtable family and is married to Clair Huxtable. He is a gynecologist who works at New York Hospital. Dr. Huxtable is also a jazz enthusiast, and he often has jam sessions in his home with his friends.
Clair Huxtable
Clair Huxtable was the no-nonsense, Ivy League-educated lawyer wife of Cliff Huxtable and mother of five children. She was played by actress Phylicia Rashad. Clair wasn’t just a successful working woman, but also a supportive wife and mother who ran her household with loving authority. Though she could be serious, she often found humor in her family’s antics and had a sharp wit. Clair was also an avid jazz fan, and the show featured many famous jazz musicians as guests.
Sondra Huxtable
Sondra Huxtable was the oldest daughter of Clair and Cliff Huxtable, and was played by Sabrina Le Beauf. Sondra was an intelligent, successful woman who graduated from Princeton University. She later attended Harvard Law School. Despite her wealthy upbringing, Sondra was down to earth and always ready to help her family and friends. She was married to Elvin Tibideaux, a doctor, and the couple had two children together.
Denise Huxtable
Denise Huxtable is the eldest daughter of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, and a main character in The Cosby Show. A talented student, Denise initially attends Hillman College, where she meets her long-time boyfriend Omar. After Omar is tragically killed, Denise leaves Hillman and later returns to NYC, where she eventually becomes a successful doctor and marries Lt. Martin Kendell.
musically inclined like her father, Denise is often seen playing the drums or singing throughout the series. In one episode, she even forms a band with her good friends Zach and Theo called “The Group with No Name”. While their band is short-lived, it cemented Denise’s love of music – something that would stay with her for the rest of her life.
Theo Huxtable
Theo Huxtable was the oldest child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, and was portrayed by Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Theo was an intelligent and well-meaning young man, but he was also somewhat of a slacker who was not particularly motivated in school. He frequently found himself at odds with his father, who wanted him to apply himself more. Theo did eventually grow up to become a successful lawyer.
Vanessa Huxtable
Vanessa Huxtable is the eldest child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable, and was portrayed by Tempestt Bledsoe. As the eldest child, Vanessa was often seen as the voice of reason in her family and was always quick with a comeback. She was an excellent student and frequently found herself in competition with her younger sister, Rudy. Vanessa grew up to be a successful lawyer and married her long-time boyfriend, Dabnis.
The show’s plot
The Cosby Show is set at the fictional Huxtable home in Brooklyn, New York, and revolves around the lives of Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable and his wife, Clair. The Huxtables have five children, four daughters and one son: Sondra, Denise, Theo, Vanessa, and Rudy. The show covers a wide range of topics, including their parenting styles, the children’s romantic lives, and the siblings’ various misadventures. Jazz music is often played in the background of scenes, and the Huxtables are shown to be fans of the music.
The Huxtable family’s everyday life
The Huxtable family’s everyday life was the focus of The Cosby Show. The father, Dr. Heathcliff “Cliff” Huxtable, was a successful obstetrician, while his wife, Clair, was a lawyer. They had five children: Sondra, Denise, Theodore “Theo”, Vanessa, and Rudy.
Cliff and Clair were very supportive of their children and frequently gave them advice on how to deal with various situations. The show often dealt with serious issues, such as racism, drugs, and teenage pregnancy; however, it was also light-hearted and humorous.
The Cosby Show was one of the first sitcoms to feature a predominantly black cast, and it has been praised for its depiction of an upper-middle-class black family. The show’s music was also significant; jazz musician Bill Cosby was a big fan of the genre, and he often featured jazz musicians on the show.
The show’s special episodes
In addition to its great music, The Cosby Show also featured a number of memorable episodes that dealt with important social issues. In one episode, for example, Cliff helps his daughter Rudy learn to accept her African-American identity. In another episode, Clair deals with her own racism when she refuses to let a white family move into the neighborhood.
The show was also groundbreaking in its portrayal of African-American family life. The Huxtables were a successful, educated family who loved and respected each other. This was something that had rarely been seen on television before.
The Cosby Show was an important part of the 1980s cultural landscape. It helped to redefine what was possible on television and had a lasting impact on popular culture.
The show’s legacy
The Cosby Show not only dominated the airwaves for eight seasons in the 1980s, but it also had a huge influence on American culture. One of the most defining aspects of the show was its use of jazz music. The show’s theme song, “Bill Cosby Is a Funny Guy,” was written by jazz musician Quincy Jones.
The show’s impact on American culture
The Cosby Show was one of the most popular and groundbreaking sitcoms of its time, and it had a big impact on American culture. The show helped to break down racial barriers and stereotypes, and it also introduced America to a new genre of music: jazz.
Jazz was always a big part of The Cosby Show, from the opening credits (which featured a jazz version of the show’s theme song) to the scenes set in Theo’s bedroom, where he would listen to Miles Davis or John Coltrane. For many viewers, The Cosby Show was their first introduction to jazz, and it helped to make the genre more mainstream.
The show also had a big impact on fashion. The Huxtables were known for their stylish clothes, and their fashion sense was copied by many fans of the show. The Cosby Show also popularized “preppy” fashion, and it is often credited with helping to make brands like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger household names.
The Cosby Show was a groundbreaking show in many ways, and its impact is still felt today.
The show’s influence on television
How did The Cosby Show change television? Prior to the debut of The Cosby Show in 1984, American television sitcoms tended to focus on working-class families with lower-middle-class incomes. The Huxtables, by contrast, were a successful African American family with a father who was a doctor and a mother who was a lawyer. The show’s depiction of a successful black family was groundbreaking and inspired other sitcoms, such as A Different World, Family Matters, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, to feature black protagonists.
The success of The Cosby Show also led to an increase in the number of black people employed behind the scenes in Hollywood. Bill Cosby himself was an executive producer on the show, and he used his power to hire more black writers, directors, and producers. The result was that The Cosby Show had one of the most diverse casts and crews on television.
The show also had a lasting influence on popular culture more broadly. One of the most iconic moments from The Cosby Show is when Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby’s character) dances with his daughter Theo (played by Malcolm-Jamal Warner) to the tune of “Night Train” by James Brown. This scene has been referenced and parodied numerous times in other television shows and movies.
