Product Description

A complete jazz chronology, ESSENTIAL JAZZ: THE FIRST 100 YEARS, 2e, delivers a thorough and engaging introduction to jazz and American culture. Designed for nonmajors, this brief text explores the development of jazz from its nineteenth-century roots in ragtime and blues through swing and bebop to fusion and contemporary jazz styles. Unique in its up-to-date coverage, one-third of ESSENTIAL JAZZ is devoted to performers of the 1960s through present-day performers. The text's flexible organization and clear, interesting presentation are designed to appeal to learners with little or no music background. Accessible, informative Listening Guides provide a rich sociocultural context for each selection, giving both newcomers and aficionados a true feel for the vibrant, ever-changing sound of jazz.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #153706 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 311 pages

Review
"Martin and Waters provides an excellent introduction to the sounds and central issues of jazz history. It corrects several inaccuracies and inadequacies of previous introductory texts and provides the most complete coverage of contemporary developments in the music. The authors present detailed and insightful musical commentary and provide students and instructors with excellent topical questions to provoke further discussion."

"The tables summarizing stylistic characteristics of particular genres are especially important for students new to jazz who need something to grab onto when studying for exams."

"The authors do a very good job of presenting a narrative without making it seem teleological."

About the Author
Henry Martin is Professor of Music at Rutgers University--the country's only program that grants a degree in jazz scholarship. He has pursued a dual career as an award-winning composer-pianist and a music theorist specializing in jazz and the Western tonal tradition. His CD, PRELUDES AND FUGUES, was released by Bridge Records in 2004. He is coeditor of the ANNUAL REVIEW OF JAZZ STUDIES, and his books CHARLIE PARKER AND THEMATIC IMPROVISATION published in 1996 and COUNTERPOINT published in 2005 are followed by his latest title ESSENTIAL JAZZ: THE FIRST 100 YEARS, 2e, released in 2008.

Keith Waters is Associate Professor of Music Theory at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He has written extensively on jazz improvisation and analysis. As a jazz pianist, Waters has performed in concerts, jazz festivals, and clubs throughout the United States, Europe, and Russia. He has recorded with VSOP Records, and his playing has been a featured topic in JAZZ PLAYER magazine. His most recent recording is a Chet Baker tribute with former Baker sideman Phil Urso and West Coast trumpeter Carl Saunders.

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive
Expensive. I purchased this book as a text for an undergrad class at ASU. Very comprehensive. If it was not required for the class, I would not have paid this price.