Cover of The History of Jazz

The History of Jazz

Jazz is the most colorful and varied art form in the world, and it was born in one of the most colorful and varied cities, New Orleans. From the seed first planted by slave dances held in Congo Square and nurtured by early ensembles led by Buddy Bolden and Joe "King" Oliver, jazz began its long, winding odyssey across America and around the world, giving flower to a thousand different forms - swing, bebob, cook jazz, jazz-rock fusion - and a thousand great musicians. Now, in "The History of Jazz, " Ted Gioia tells the story of this music as it has never been told before, in a book that brilliantly portrays the legendary jazz players, the breakthrough styles, and the world in which jazz evolved.

Audience
adult
Length
long · 471 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked The History of Jazz? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The History of Jazz. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Jazz: A History of America's Music Shares music, jazz, history
  2. Kind Of Blue: The Making Of The Miles Davis Masterpiece Shares music, jazz, nonfiction
  3. Visions of Jazz: The First Century Shares music, jazz, nonfiction
  4. But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz Shares music, jazz, nonfiction

“People who read The History of Jazz tend to reach for these next.”

  1. Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original
  2. How the Beatles Destroyed Rock 'n' Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music
  3. Bird Lives!: The High Life & Hard Times of Charlie (Yardbird) Parker
  4. To Be or Not to Bop

“If you want more of the same (history about music), start with these.”

  1. Recording the Beatles: The Studio Equipment and Techniques Used to Create Thier Classic Album
  2. A Short History of Opera
  3. Higher Ground: Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Rise and Fall of American Soul
  4. Rock & Roll: An Unruly History

“If it was the music that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Hard Bop: Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965
  2. Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz
  3. Blue Note Records: The Biography
  4. The New York Times Essential Library- Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Elements of Jazz: From Cakewalks to Fusion
  2. A New History of Jazz
  3. Coltrane: The Story of a Sound
  4. Jazz