Jazz: A Beginner's Guide

This definitive guide includes a unique chapter-by-chapter playlist for the reader.

Jazz: A Beginner’s Guide is a lively and highly accessible introduction to a global musical phenomenon. Award-winning music journalist and author Stuart Nicholson takes the reader on an entertaining journey from jazz's early stirrings in America’s south through to the present day, when almost every country in the world has its own vibrant jazz scene.

En route we meet a host of jazz heroes past and present, from Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Miles Davis, to Keith Jarrett and Kamasi Washington. Each chapter is accompanied by a playlist designed to provide a stimulating and enjoyable entry point to what has been described as the most exciting art form of all.

Stuart Nicholson has written seven books on jazz, including highly acclaimed biographies of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Duke Ellington. His journalism has appeared in magazines and newspapers all over the world. He is Visiting Professor at Leeds College of Music.