This is the story of jazz as it has never been told before: from the inside out. In this vivid history of jazz, a respected critic and a leading scholar capture the excitement of America's unique music with intellectual bite, unprecedented insight and the passion of enthusiastic fans.
They explain what jazz is, where it came from and who created it and why, all within the broader context of American life and culture. From ragtime and blues to the international craze for swing, from the heated protests of the avant garde to the radical diversity of today's artists, Jazz describes the travails and triumphs of musical innovators struggling for work, respect and cultural acceptance set against the backdrop of history, commerce and politics. With photographs by Herman Leonard, Jazz is also an arresting visual history.
About The Author
Jazz critic Gary Giddins, author of Visions of Jazz, Bing Crosby and Natural Selection, teaches at the Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Scott DeVeaux, author of The Birth of Bebop, has taught jazz history at the University of Virginia for over twenty years.
Industry Reviews
"Starred Review. There are numerous histories of jazz on the market, but renowned cirtic Giddins and scholar DeVeaux's offering jumps immediately to the top of the list." -- Booklist "Giddins is without question the most persuasive literary stylist current working in jazz criticism-no writer has ever written about Louis Armstrong with such vividness, or about Cecil Taylor with such sympathy and analytical insight. DeVeaux provides academic clout and formal rigor, bringing to bear a strong foundation in musicological methodology." -- Time Out New York "In an innovative departure from previous approaches to the history of American Jazz, this eagerly awaited new text by Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux offers a unique combination of cutting-edge historical scholarship and experienced journalistic perspectives. This book is destined to become an important resource, one that confronts crucially important musical and social issues in depth-and with passion." -- George E. Lewis, Case Professor of American Music, Columbia University, and author of A Power Stronger Than Itself: The AACM and American Experimental Music "This is without a doubt one of the best books on jazz ever written. Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux have achieved a monumental feat by creating a history of jazz that will appeal to academicians and aficionados alike. Thoroughly researched and carefully documented, yet written in an entertaining and enjoyable narrative style, this is truly a book for jazz lovers of all backgrounds. By telling the story of jazz in its full cultural, musical, political, social, economic, and historical context, Giddins and DeVeaux have given us one hell of a kick-ass book!" -- David Baker, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Jazz Department, Indiana University
