Concise Guide to Jazz

This abridged version of Jazz Styles was developed in response to requests for an introductory book offering the clarity and accuracy of Jazz Styles with 1/2 the size, 1/4 the number of names and tune titles, and 1/3 the number of musician profiles. Using a simple, yet lively writing style, and an abundance of illustrations, it is easily accessible to readers with no previous knowledge of music–or any technical sophistication. Written by an active jazz musician and eminent jazz historian, this brief yet substantive introduction to jazz examines how jazz originated, how it is made, what to listen for, the major style eras, and the individual styles of 40 historically significant jazz musicians. These styles include early jazz (Dixieland); swing; bebop; cool jazz; hard bop; avant-garde of the 1960s and 70s; and jazz-rock fusion. For music lovers who want to increase their enjoyment of jazz.

Mark C. Gridley is an active jazz musician who lectures widely on jazz history.  He has done field research in Africa, the Carribbean, and all the jazz centers of the United States.  His books have been translated into five foreign languages.  His articles appear in the Grove Dictionaries of Music, Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Musical Quarterly, The Black Perspective in Music, the Instrumentalist, and Jazz Educators Journal.  Gridley's Jazz Styles book is America's most widely used introduction to jazz.  The Educational Press Association of America gave him its Distinguished Achievement Award.