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Why Jazz?: A Concise Guide PDF

185 Pages·2011·0.7 MB·English
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WHY JAZZ? This page intentionally left blank WHY JAZZ? A CONCISE GUIDE KEVIN WHITEHEAD 2011 Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offi ces in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2011 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Whitehead, Kevin. Why jazz? : a concise guide / by Kevin Whitehead. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-973118-3 1. Jazz—analysis, appreciation. I. Title. ML3506.W53 2011 781.65—dc22 2010007442 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper for Irving and Stephanie Stone in general and Anne and Dave Tiff any in particular This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments This book came together during a nomadic year. Jim Macnie and Holly Halvarson off ered the perfect country hermitage in which to write it, and while it germinated I happily abused the hospitality of Anne and Dave Tiff any, Jodi Gilbert and Michael Moore, Eric Boeren and Eliza- beth Ford, Susanna von Canon, and Hope Carr—not forgetting Eliza- beth Tiff any, Reuben Moore, Cecilia and Lucy Boeren, and Misha and Crockett Macnie. It’s impossible to thank every colleague whose views inform mine, but in recent years talks with Allan Chase, Dominique Eade, Michael Moore, and Sherrie Tucker have been especially stimu- lating. I learned a lot from Allan when we collaborated on an abortive book project a few years ago, and he generously vetted this manuscript. Also of help in ways they may not even know about: Bob Blumenthal, Francis Davis, Dorice Elliott, Guus Janssen, Richard Kershenbaum, Art Lange, Lucille Marino, Joe McPhee, Anna Neill, Francesca Patella, Lloyd Sachs, Larry Stanley, Deb Olin Unferth, Karin and Jamie, viii acknowledgments • Catherine and Indigo, and the Rhode Island Department of Envi- ronmental Management. At Oxford University Press, Cybele Tom got this project moving, and Suzanne Ryan and Madelyn Sutton brought it home. Deep bows to producers Roberta Shorrock and Danny Miller of NPR’s Fresh Air, and editors Michael Azerrad and Joe Keyes at eMusic .com, for letting me cover varied jazz topics year in and year out. Some material here began to take shape under their auspices. At the Univer- sity of Kansas I taught a two-semester jazz history course four years running; thanks to American Studies chairs Norm Yetman, David Katzman, and Cheryl Lester for the privilege, and to many students for their excellent questions. Contents introduction 1 1. the basics 5 2. jazz from its origins to 1940 Roots, Early Jazz, the Swing Era 19 3. jazz 1940–1960 Bebop, Cool, Hard Bop 55 4. jazz 1960–1980 The Avant-Garde and Its Aftermath 85 5. jazz after 1980 The Postmodern Period 109 Glossary 137 Notes 143 Discography 145 Suggestions for Further Reading 151 Index 157

Description:
What was the first jazz record? Are jazz solos really improvised? How did jazz lay the groundwork for rock and country music? In Why Jazz?, author and NPR jazz critic Kevin Whitehead provides lively, insightful answers to these and many other fascinating questions, offering an entertaining guide for
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