Product Description

A COMPLETE JAZZ COURSE: A GREAT BOOK AND A COMPLETE LISTENING PACKAGE AT ONE UNBEATABLE PRICE. Includes all the music in the book and the Jazz Audio Primer Aimed specifically at non-majors, 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, ESSENTIAL JAZZ devotes a full third of its length to performers of the 1960s to the present day. The book's flexible organization and clear, interesting presentation appeals to students who do not have a strong background in music. Extensive, accessible Listening Guides tie the history of jazz music directly to the CD selections, giving newcomers and aficionados alike a true feel for the vibrant, ever-changing sound of jazz. Free with every book, two CD’s include all the musical examples from the text, as well as an "Audio Jazz Primer" that allows students to hear the key terms, basic music concepts, and jazz instruments discussed in the book.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #703184 in Books
• Published on: 2004-07-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 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.