Introduction to Jazz History (5th Edition)

This classic chronological survey of jazz history brings the various historical styles to life by exploring them through the lives of the musicians and a study of their recordings. It covers all major historical periods and features 70 unique Listening Guides to specific performances, drawn from the readily available Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (SCCJ) and from the recordings that accompany the text on two CDs/cassettes. (Using the CDPro plug-in readers can access the Listening Guides for an interactive experience.) Biographical sketches for recent and historical musicians define the cultural elements that surround the musicians and the music. Covers country and city Blues (1900-); piano styles (1890-1940; Ragtime, Stride, Boogie-Woogie); New Orleans jazz and Dixieland (1910-1940); Swing (1934-1945); Bebop (1943-1960); Third Stream and Cool (1949-); free jazz (1960-); and the jazz/rock fusion (1968-). Highlights several of the ongoing stylistic trends in jazz today; and covers the new hybrids of American music. Features a provocative essay on Jazz and the Creative Spirit; and supplemental appendixes on The Elements of Music for the Nonmusician, The Elements of Jazz, and Rock to Fusion. For anyone interested in the history of jazz.

Unlike other musical genres, jazz history is firmly connected to its great performers. They are the ones who create the complexities and individual nuances that make jazz so difficult to categorize and chronicle. Including pertinent biographical information, Introduction to Jazz History continues to examine this interaction between musicians, their history, and the history of their music.

The Fifth Edition updates current and ongoing stylistic trends in jazz, including the modern big bands and the new hybrids of jazz extending beyond fusion and crossover. The chronological presentation of the history is intuitive and logical. New biographical sketches for recent and historical musicians have been added to update the text.

Interactive Listening Guides are now available using the CDs that accompany the text and the CDs for SCCJ (Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz). Together, these two sets comprise the most powerful collection of jazz recordings available in such a simple package and they are now fully interactive.