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Customer Reviews (1)

First-rate job
I read the manuscript before the book was published, and Stephanie has done a miraculous job. Gil Evans was an extremely private person, and there were so many things about his life that were unknown or mysterious (nobody is even sure what his name is) until Stepanie started compiling her research. This book is filled with little-known information about his early life, and the photos she has discovered are amazing. She has found long-forgotten correspondense between Evans and his friend Pete Carpenter, and has interviewed people who have never spoken about Gil before in print. If you have any interest in 20th century jazz ensemble music, this book is invaluable. ... Read more

Product Description

When a jazz hero dies, rumors, speculation, gossip, and legend can muddle the real cause of death.

In this book, Frederick J. Spencer conducts an inquest on how jazz greats lived and died pursuing their art. Forensics, medical histories, death certificates, and biographies divulge the way many musical virtuosos really died.

An essential reference source, Jazz and Death strives to correct misinformation and set the story straight. Reviewing the medical records of such jazz icons as Scott Joplin, James Reese Europe, Bennie Moten, Tommy Dorsey, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Wardell Gray, and Ronnie Scott, the book spans decades, styles, and causes of death.

Divided into disease categories, it covers such illnesses as ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), which killed Charlie Mingus, and tuberculosis, which caused the deaths of Chick Webb, Charlie Christian, Bubber Miley, Jimmy Blanton, and Fats Navarro. It notes the significance of dental disease in affecting a musician's embouchure and livelihood, as happened with Joe "King" Oliver. A discussion of Art Tatum's visual impairment leads to discoveries in the pathology of what blinded Lennie Tristano.

Heavy drinking, even during Prohibition, was the norm in the clubs of New Orleans and Kansas City and in the ballrooms of Chicago and New York. Too often, the musical scene demanded that those who play jazz be "jazzed."

After World War II, as heroin addiction became the hallmark of revolution, talented bebop artists suffered long absences from the bandstand. Many did jail time, and others succumbed to the ravages of "horse."

With Jazz and Death, the causes behind the great jazz funerals may no longer be misconstrued. Its clinical and morbidly entertaining approach creates an invaluable compendium for jazz fans and scholars alike.

Frederick J. Spencer is a professor and associate dean emeritus of the School of Medicine (Medical College of Virginia) at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, American Journal of Public Health, and Modern Medicine, among other publications. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

[sic]...Indeed!!
Please, Mr. Spencer, considering the research you must have put into this book, you could at least spell Thelonious Monk's name correctly. You used "Thelonius" throughout the book, so it wasn't just a typo. Or maybe, your Editor was to blame?

Unusual and welcome
As I read more and more about old jazzmen, it is striking just how many died early or unnecessary deaths. "Jazz and Death"
fills an unusual and worthwhile niche.

The only complaint I have is that Dr. Spencer tends to editorialize at length on the justifications for marijuana laws, etc. Not that I don't agree completely. He also (in the introduction -and- the conclusion) draws attention to the very tenuous links between the history of jazz and the history of medicine.

A wonderful and engrossing read.

Great Jazz Reference Book
...Dr. Spencer, who is no spring chicken, really knows his jazz. His book is part biography, part history, part sociology; it is also an excellent primer on pathology for non-medical people. His book is spiced with glimpses into the lifestyles of jazz greats. There's even a bit of ... humor here and there. Dr. Spencer has real affection for these haunted geniuses, and he shows us why early death was epidemic in their world.

Author gets a 5 but presentation brings it down
This is an excellent reference work which should be on the shelf of most serious jazz collectors and anyone who writes about jazz or does discographical work in this field. Dr. Spencer very clearly explains numerous medical conditions and provides death certificates and other pertinent illustrations. He also clears up a number of mistakes/misunderstandings which have appeared in the literature. The references are annoying (the superscripts are tiny for my ancient eyes) and you must look in the back of the book to find the reference. The illustrations could have been sharper. Lastly, I understand that Dr. Spencer submitted a 660 page manuscript and only then was told that 300 pages was the goal. Thus, a great deal has been cut. He did a remarkable job but no doubt a lot of information got left on the cutting room floor! ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the authorÂ’s experience in teaching in jazz workshop, explains the principles of this art form. Useful for teachers wishing to include jazz in the music curriculum. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

excellent-informative-useful
Modern Jazz Piano is an excellent study for any serious jazz-pop artist. The entire organization of this study is very useful for understanding, what to do, where the possibilities are in all areas of composition. From cover to cover, fundamentals to and through the compendium of scales 100% useful. Get it. You won't regret it!

Thats right, play it!
I just enjoy playing some of these pieces...I'll get to the rest, eventually, got nothing but time

Purely theoric
This book concentrates only in concise theory, don't giving any further explanation or real-life examples in music. Aside that, the book wastes several chapters in basic music theory telling what any amateur musician already know. For me it was useless.

Good reference
I am a classically trained piano teacher who has worked over the years to expand my skills to include faking off chord charts and jazz techniques.This book is a logically organized reference guide.I think, perhaps, it is not the best choice as a guide book for teaching yourself how to improvise.It has very few examples of what the author is teaching.Once I hit the polychord tables, my brain kind of seized up in the sense that I wasn't sure how to internalize them enough to apply them to my playing. (20 tables with 48 to 120 information blocks per table!)Again, an excellent reference book, but you should not expect to study and play your way through it without assistance unless you are already half-way there.

Jazz Piano in a Nutshell
This is a really nice down to earth introduction to Jazz piano in that its very concise and has the meat and potatoes. ... the plus side of Waite's Modern Jazz Piano is that it is perfectly suitable for players just making the transition to Jazz piano.It is focused and to the point and easy to get through.

... if you're at the point where you can't really play play tunes from fake books (meaning to make up your own chord voicings and improvisations, and being able to do so in a systematic matter, not just by luck), then this book would be a great start.Read more

Product Description
The Authentic Jazz Play-Along series brings together Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, and other legends of 20th-century jazz, giving musicians the opportunity to learn classic jazz songs, then play along with a CD featuring professionally recorded backing tracks. It's a great way to strengthen your skills as a player!

It Don't Mean a Thing features 10 absolute classics of the jazz repertoire, idiomatically arranged for the intermediate (Grade 4-6) player. Melody, lyrics, and chord symbols are provided, offering opportunity to aid the beginner. In addition, the play-along CD comprises a live trio of piano, bass, and drums for truly authentic performance.

Titles: Blues in the Night
* Embraceable You
* It Don't Mean a Thing
* My Funny Valentine
* Love Is Here to Stay
* Summertime
* Someone to Watch Over Me
* I've Got You Under My Skin
* How High the Moon
* I Get a Kick Out of You. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not for beginners
This book is not for beginners. The melody in CD has not a flute playing. There is only a playback - a good one, though - but not a flute, and after, a new version without the flute, as usual in this kind of "playalong" sets...

The scores bring improvisations - these are for skilled players, but are very good.

The cd do not bring any other thing save the songs. No pdfs with scores or anything else.

It could be better, I think. The good point is that the book presents rare scores on very classical jazz songs.

... Read more

Product Description
Before Ralph Ellison became one of America’s greatest writers, he was a musician and a student of jazz, writing widely on his favorite music for more than fifty years. Now, jazz authority Robert O’Meally has collected the very best of Ellison’s inspired, exuberant jazz writings in this unique anthology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Must Have for Those Seeking A Literary Exploration thru Jazz
Ellison remains one of the finest writers on jazz to have ever taken pen to paper."Living with Music" is living proof, even though he is no longer with us.This book is ideal for readers seeking a literary exploration through jazz. In addition to Ellison's writings, Robert O'Meally's introduction offers keen insight into the style of jazz culture.

I wouldn't recommend this book to readers looking for an introduction to jazz.For that, I would suggest sticking to liner notes, writings by musicians, and objective writers.However, for those who are looking to explore the whole of jazz culture, that moves beyond the listen, you'll thoroughly enjoy the read.My personal favorite is "Cadillac Flambe.""The Charlie Christian Story" contains some of my favorite quotes on jazz culture.

Surprisingly dull and dry
With a reputation like Ellison has, I would expect his writings on jazz to be full of writerly insight which would bring to life the music as seen through the eyes of someone very perceptive. This is not the case. Instead, the book is a series of difficult, dry, mostly trivial essays culled together by, it seems, an editor with a taste for publishing something that would sell and impress rather than something worth reading.

Many essays in this book are reviews of obscure recordings or ruminations on artists most people haven't heard of. Most of the writings also date from the late 50's, giving the content a lack of perspective to our modern ears. Ellison also comes across as somewhat of a curmudgeon, disdaining "modern" jazz and "so-called rock and roll" (his term), adding yet another layer of unreliability.

Ultimately, I found myself skimming through essays I either didn't understand, or didn't care to. Much more relevant and lively jazz essays can be found in numerous other books.

The ultimate disappointment, I think, is that the book doesn't make me want to listen to jazz. It convinces me I don't understand it. ... Read more

Product Description
Includes: Someone to Watch Over Me
* I Love Paris
* Summertime
* Misty
* Gone with the Wind
* I Can't Give You Anything but Love
* Tenderly
* I Only Have Eyes for You
* These Foolish Things
* The Very Thought of You
* Love Me or Leave Me
* You Do Something to Me
* I Won't Dance
* Mountain Greenery
* Lullaby of Birdland
* On the Sunny Side of the Street
* I Get a Kick Out of You. ... Read more

Product Description
Featuring in-depth lessons and 40 great jazz classics, the Hal Leonard Jazz Guitar Method is your complete guide to learning jazz guitar. This book uses real jazz songs to teach you the basics of accompanying and improvising jazz guitar in the style of Wes Montgomery, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, Charlie Christian, Jim Hall and many others. Lesson topics include: chords and progressions; scales and licks; comping and soloing styles; chord-melody; intros and endings; technique; equipment and sound; and more! Songs include: Satin Doll * Take the "A" Train * Billie's Bounce * Impressions * Bluesette * My One and Only Love * Desafinado * Autumn Leaves * Watch What Happens * Misty * Song for My Father * and more. The CD contains 99 tracks for demonstration and play-along. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

way too much
I took a quick glimpse of this book right when i got it and I knew that there was way too much info. The first couple of pages gave you a whole bunch of chords go learn and memorize before you get to the next page. This would be a good book to look back on later on. But if you are a beginner this isnt the book for you.

Excellent Book
This book is the best one I've come across in a long time for those interested in jazz guitar.As other reviewers have commented, the book does present a lot of material in a rather short book.Some reviewers found that the book was short on explanations and this is a fair characterization.The book is probably best used in conjunction with a teacher who can piece together the music theory components that aren't elaborated on in the book.However, if you've ever wondered how to approach jazz, this book provides everything you need to get you started.There is material on tritone substitutions, modal harmonizations, chord melody playing, etc, etc, etc.Yes, it assumes you have a decent handle on music theory but once you get a bit of theory under your belt, the book will really open up and you can begin incorporating what it presents in a meaningful way.Other reviewers may disagree, but I don't think you even need months of studying theory before you can begin to use this book.If you understand major and minor chords, scales, the circle of 5ths, and how to construct chords, you'll be fine.For example, if you've ever wondered how players like Wes Montgomery used chords in his solos, this book provides the basic vocabulary for chords, their alterations and extensions.If you start with a minor, add the seventh, then the ninth, then the 11th and so on, you can begin to build a chord solo or comping vocabulary based on the forms the author provides in this book.Yes, it's not an introductory book but its accessible to beginners with a bit of work and guidiance.

Looking back, this book has everything!
I have a lot of books on Jazz Guitar and I have to say that this one has everything you need to know.It is the best reference book and going back over it, there are some things that are presented here that it took me a long time to find elsewhere.It doesn't have transcriptions of chord solos, but it has much of the information you need to put together your own.I'm surprised that not everyone thought it earned a five * rating.

Very useful overview.
I purchased this book on a whim, guessing that it was probably slightly above my present level of playing ability. And actually, it was - but I have found it very useful as I've started trying to learn to play jazz. The explanations in the text are very good, if one take the time to read them.It will help you to get the most out of this book if you understand a little about music theory.I am using this book together with another Hal Leonard method book, Music Theory for Guitarists by Tom Kolb, also available from Amazon, and they complement each other quite well.

This book is especially useful in learning to use jazz chords, which are often different from chords used in rock, blues, country, etc., and require a guitarist to think in a different way about chords.Some of the suggested fingerings are a little unexpected, but do seem to make sense when playing a chord progression.

Overall, this is a good introduction to playing jazz. It contains a lot of information, and it would probably be good to spend some time studying the text and the chord diagrams in between practice sessions.This book could be useful to a beginner, but some knowledge of theory would be helpful.

Some useful information
I agree with many of the other reviewers on this book. I am a guitar instructor (only been teaching for 4 years now) and I wouldn't recommend students getting this book. I work through certain passages myself, but like the reviews said, this is not progressive, it doesn't go from easy to hard. Its full of useful information, but diggin into the book is mildly difficult if you're new to jazz guitar. The concepts are what i'd consider intermediate to advanced (more towards the advanced). The author shows you what chords you can use, but throws all the possibilities on one page, which can be intimidating for any student (or anyone for that mannor). And from there, it shows licks a student can try over specific chords. Then end will write transcriptions of solos over a chorus of a specific tune (Mr. Pc, and others, not many others) Realistically, this can develop some stylistic fundamentals, but in no way would teach anything about improvisation. The book is just all these ideas thrown together in a very unorganized mannor. I'd recommend looking for a different jazz guitar book, unless you're looking to emulate licks ands licks of the greats. Even if you are, i'd recommend the essential collection (John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, etc.) of books.

Definately not for new players to the jazz realm. ... Read more

Product Description
Jazz on Film reviews, analyzes, and rates virtually every appearance of a jazz musician or singer on film. After presenting a detailed essay on the history of jazz on film and television, Yanow reviews and rates 1,300 movies, documentaries, shorts, videos, and DVDs.These include rare shorts from the 1920s, big-budget Hollywood films, independent productions, soundies, transcriptions made especially for television, semi-fictional movie biographies, concert films, documentaries, and many additional items.

Jazz on Film shows readers how to view the jazz legends and the greats of today, and which DVDs and videos are worth acquiring.Each film is given a 1 to 10 rating and a concise description of its contents and value. Jazz on Film covers the entire jazz field, from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Wynton Marsalis, and Diana Krall.This informative book will prove invaluable to jazz and film enthusiasts and collectors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Not complete nor even accurate
To say the title of this book is misleading would be an understatement. It does NOT offer "the complete story of the musicians and music onscreen." It offers instead capsule reviews (a la Leonard Maltin's "TV Movies") of films featuring jazz music or musicians. The section devoted to "Videos and DVDs" reviews many films that were once available on VHS but are not currently available on DVD, so be prepared for some frustration should you wish to seek these out.

It is in the reviews that we find many errors and some questionable judgement calls. The first page that I opened to at random was the page with a review of "Pete Kelly's Blues," one of my favorites from the '50s. In that review we are told that Peggy Lee is featured in two numbers, "Sugar" and "I'm There." The only problem being, there is no such song as "I'm There" in the film; Peggy's other two numbers are the gorgeous "He Needs Me," written for her by Arthur Hamilton, and the charming "I Can Sing A Rainbow," also composed by Hamilton. We are also told that Janet Leigh's singing "is obviously ghosted." Except that it isn't; Leigh's own (barely adequate) voice is heard here, as it was eight years later in "Bye Bye Birdie." This is not some obscure film locked in a vault; this is a film that has been shown frequently on television and was available on VHS at the time of the book's 2004 publication (since released on DVD); what excuse can there be for such utter sloppiness regarding a film so easily available (and respected as Jack Webb's best film, nominated for several Oscars)? Yanow's credibility was shot with me from literally the first page that I read.

There are many other factual errors, at least one every three pages or so, way too many to mention here. As for the "ratings," let me just make this one statement: Yanow gives a six (out of ten)-star rating to Clint Eastwood's universally respected "Bird," and nine stars to the cloying, phony and overly sentimental "The Five Pennies," a Danny Kaye vehicle that almost completely fictionalizes the life of cornetist Red Nichols. If you agree with Yanow about the relative merits of these two films, perhaps this book will be of some use to you. ... Read more

Product Description
If Benny Goodman was the "King of Swing," then Fletcher Henderson was the power behind the throne. Now Jeffrey Magee offers a fascinating account of Henderson's musical career, throwing new light on the emergence of modern jazz and the world that created it.
Drawing on an unprecedented combination of sources, including sound recordings and hundreds of scores that have been available only since Goodman's death, Magee illuminates Henderson's musical output, from his early work as a New York bandleader, to his pivotal role in building the Kingdom of Swing. He shows how Henderson, standing at the forefront of the New York jazz scene during the 1920s and '30s, assembled the era's best musicians, simultaneously preserving jazz's distinctiveness and performing popular dance music that reached a wide audience. Magee reveals how, in Henderson's largely segregated musical world, black and white musicians worked together to establish jazz, how Henderson's style rose out of collaborations with many key players, how these players deftly combined improvised and written music, and how their work negotiated artistic and commercial impulses.
Whether placing Henderson's life in the context of the Harlem Renaissance or describing how the savvy use of network radio made the Henderson-Goodman style a national standard, Jeffrey Magee brings to life a monumental musician who helped to shape an era.

"An invaluable survey of Henderson's life and music."
--Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

"Magee has written an important book, illuminating an era too often reduced to its most familiar names. Goodman might have been the King of Swing, but Henderson here emerges as that kingdom's chief architect."
--Boston Globe

"Excellent.... Jazz fans have waited 30 years for a trained musicologist...to evaluate Henderson's strengths and weaknesses and attempt to place him in the history of American music."
--Will Friedwald, New York Sun ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What a jazz book should be
In this world of mass-market trade publications on jazz, it is really refreshing to read such a musically literate book. This fascinating and engaging text is in no way beyond the general reader (i.e., one without an extensive musical background) but it is refreshing to actually see written music in a book on music, and an important jazz volume not written by a critic or journalist (not that there isn't room for the latter too, of course). ... Read more

Product Description
"Jazz Piano Masterclass With Mark Levine: The Drop 2 Book".Mark is the author of the widely-acclaimed text, "The Jazz Piano Book" and pianists will be thrilled to see that he has come up with a second piano book. This one deals exclusively with how to play "Drop 2" piano voicings---the block-chord technique used by Bill Evans, Barry Harris, Cedar Walton, McCoy Tyner, and many other jazz piano greats. Mark gives the reader a step-by-step, beginning-to-advanced approach to learning this technique, just as he would in a live masterclass. The accompanying CD has Mark demonstrating each exercise. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

It's worth the price of a lesson.
A creative new take on voicing a jazz song.Another arrow in your quiver of jazz concepts.

Absolutely advance Jazz Piano book
This book is more for the advanced Jazz Pianist !! It is not an easy task to digest the concepts if you are not sure about the Shearing block chords concepts.

Absolutely not recommended for beginners of Jazz Piano. If you totally understand Jazz Harmony or Chord/Scale Theory, get this book. Not easily applicable in real life playing unless you really put in a lot of practice and time into it. PLUS, practice it in all the keys.

I would highly recommend this book if one does not get enough of the basic Shearing's block chords concepts.

Jazz Piano Masterclass with Mark Levine
Mark Levine's books have taken me out of the living room and into the clubs. Very few books written on his subjects and playing techniques.

Also check out Levine's CD's.What a great salsa player! I hope his next book is nothing but salsa!

Superb !!!
All I can say is that the difference this book made in my playing is drastic!!! Suddenly, the approach to jazz voicings that used to be so enigmatic is now clear. This book is fantastic. It is not a collection of chords given to you to learn. Instead, it's a simple method that will put you on the road to harmonic freedom.

Mark Levine, thank you so much!

Mark Levine
Mark does it again,great book.I wished I lived nearer to Mark to take some lessons directly. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Now that's jazz history!
That's jazz history from one guy who helped create it!I am an admirer of Eddie and he writes this book just like he talks (okay, but without the cussing).This is the way the guy lived and for a while, I lived like that, too.

If you like Jazz you will want to read this book
Maybe the book contains a little more about Eddie Condon's up-bringing and family than you would want to know, but most of it is so interesting and informative that it is hard to put it down.The basic format is for him to relate quite detailed and entertaining descriptions of groups of muscians who played together at different times in different places, and often, what they played.

The hardships endured by the early and "pure" jazz musicians make one wonder how they survived.It was certainly a hand-to-mouth existence, and time and time again they had to help each other.Quite often, when some had work, others didn't, and the ways they would help each other were quite resourceful and often good for a few laughs.

As Condon describes his playing days, a reader will bump into many who would become the jazz greats of our time--early in their careers when they also endured their challenges to make a living and gain fame.The book does a good job of describing how they viewed their situation and the world around them.

I believe a reader will clearly learn a lot about the early history of jazz, and will be highly entertained while reading it.

A hilariously funny account of the jazz age
If you've ever heard Eddie Condon emcee, then you can imagine what to expect from this book: a witty, funny, fast-talking recollection of Condon memories. He certainly had his views and was never shy of expressing them; but he always did it with charm and ready-made punchlines. So, get yourself a book brimming over with anecdotes and giving a really lively account of what it was like in white Chicago in the twenties and New York in the thirties. Meet all of Condon's favourite musicians in Condon's writing again. His book is informative (it covers the years from his boyhood to about 1944) and entertaining at the same time. Excellent reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Book 2 contains more improvised solos from more great artists such as Chet Baker, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzie Gillespie, Booker Little, Fats Navarro, and others. ... Read more

Product Description
Introduce a new generation of music enthusiasts to 17 legendary jazz artists who have enriched the world with their incredible talents. Dr. McCurdy's illuminating stories about the lives, times and music of these great jazz musicians span the entire twentieth century, from early New Orleans Jazz through the Golden Age of Swing plus the avant-garde and jazz fusion eras. Includes units on Louis Armstrong, James P. Johnson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus and Herbie Hancock. Now students can listen to examples of each legend's recordings to fully understand the beauty of jazz music! This Deluxe Classroom Kit is your best budget saving option, with a book, reproducible activity sheets and CD. ... Read more

Product Description
Jazz is thriving in the twenty-first century, and The New Face of Jazz is an intimate, illustrated guide to the artists, venues, and festivals of today's jazz scene. This book celebrates the living legends, current stars, and faces of tomorrow as they continue to innovate and expand the boundaries of this great musical legacy.
    
In their own words, artists such as McCoy Tyner, Arturo Sandoval, Diane Schuur, Terence Blanchard, Charlie Hunter, Nicholas Payton, George Benson, Maria Schneider, Christian McBride, Randy Brecker, Jean-Luc Ponty, Joe Lovano, Lee Ritenour, and more than 100 others share intimately about their beginnings, musical training, inspiration, and hard-earned lessons, creating a fascinating mosaic of the current jazz community. 
    
Photographer Ned Radinsky contributes 40 amazing black-and-white portraits of these musicians doing what they do best—playing. An appendix offers resources for jazz education; an exclusive reading list; and the lowdown on those organizations and societies doing their part to promote jazz as a living, breathing art form. 
    
With an introductory word from Wynton Marsalis, a foreword by Marcus Miller, and an afterword by Sonny Rollins, The New Face of Jazz is an unprecedented window onto today's world of jazz, for everyone from the devotee to the new listener. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

great casual read
I bought this as a gift for my father-in-law but ended up reading it first. It's a great book to have around as one can just pick it up and read from it at one's convenience. There are insightful interviews from musicians I've heard of and from many I have not. Nevertheless, it's all great reading.

A missed opportunity?
On the whole, an interesting overview. But be warned! the title should be read as 'The New Face of United States Jazz', and some of the artists profiled are hardly 'new', and even some of the oldest, however worthy, may never become household names in the jazz house. To be fair, the subtitle is 'an intimate look at today's living legends and the artists of tomorrow.' But some might be tempted to say, 'today's living fossils', and all of the featured are artists of today rather than tomorrow: who knows where most of them'll be in ten years time? Largely gone and forgotten, one suspects. Also, some of the missing persons are puzzling. Why is Chris Potter not here? or Dave Holland? or David Berkman? Oscar Perez but no Danilo!.... I could go on. However, David Binney is here, saying interesting things as usual, as are Donny McCaslin, Charlie Hunter, the Mason brothers, Ingrid Jensen, Maria Schneider, and, probably the youngest, Esperanza Spalding (most of the women included are singers or pianists, of course, so I've cherry-picked a few important names who are not). These are of a younger generation but are hardly 'artists of the future': they are already well-established names! But they stand alongside old-timers of the likes of McCoy Tyner, Steve Swallow, George Duke and Phil Woods, who can hardly be considered to be part of any 'new' face. And then there's the rest of the world (yes, amazingly, there is a world of jazz outside the USA!). Any overview of 'The new face of jazz' must surely have to include all those Scandinavian, Polish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Indian, Japanese, Australian, English, and Scottish jazz musicians (let alone the vibrant scenes in Africa, the Caribbean and South America)? or are they just to be regarded as pale imitations of that 'genuine' American thing? I think not. In fact, as one of the musicians in this book says, the audience for jazz outside the USA is now more open to progressive ideas than anywhere in the genre's country of origin. To sum up, this is a disappointing and vexing book in many ways, but still worth buying for the occasional gems of wisdom and insight which are dispensed by those who have been included (by some largely unfathomable selection process), and a chance to encounter some new and very interesting artists. I'm off to listen to some Chie Imaizumi!

Staying True To The Artists.....
I was honored to be included among the artists profiled in this book and to be a part of the writer's holisticstatement of where Jazz is today. She didn't adjust or orchestrate the profiles, but maintained the integrity, the honesty of what was shared with her. We are real people, living our everyday lives, raising our families, paying our bills, who happen to make our living by writing, arranging, teaching, performing, perpetuating the music we have such a deep passion for. As a former studied musician herself, she understood us with an intuitive insight, knew what to ask, how to listen, how to present each of us in our own uniquenesses.

What a great overview of the many personal "faces" that show how far Jazz has come, of where it is today, and how it still plays such an intricate role in our American culture, our American story. Kudos to Cecily Janus for her artistry as a writer and as the sensitive messenger of our stories.

Great product!
Book arrived quickly and in perfect shape, and was even gift wrapped, which worked out perfectly since it was a birthday present!!Thanks!

Informative and personal
The New Face of Jazz is compendium of many of today's shining stars of jazz. Each entry features a brief analysis, followed by the artist's own words, describing his or her approach to music or making more personal observations. Artists of any genre or medium can learn from the artistic lessons of today's jazz greats. I admit to being less than thoroughly educated in the world of jazz, but I found the book both entertaining and enlightening. I listened to the music of those musicians I could find on Napster as I read the section on each, and I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable reading experiences of my life. I highly recommend this book, not just to jazz afficionados, but to anyone interested in music, or anyone pursuing their own creative path. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite the plethora of writing about jazz, little attention has been paid to what musicians themselves wrote and said about their practice. An implicit division of labor has emerged where, for the most part, black artists invent and play music while white writers provide the commentary. Eric Porter overturns this tendency in his creative intellectual history of African American musicians. He foregrounds the often-ignored ideas of these artists, analyzing them in the context of meanings circulating around jazz, as well as in relationship to broader currents in African American thought. Porter examines several crucial moments in the history of jazz: the formative years of the 1920s and 1930s; the emergence of bebop; the political and experimental projects of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s; and the debates surrounding Jazz at Lincoln Center under the direction of Wynton Marsalis. Louis Armstrong, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Duke Ellington, W.C. Handy, Yusef Lateef, Abbey Lincoln, Charles Mingus, Archie Shepp, Wadada Leo Smith, Mary Lou Williams, and Reggie Workman also feature prominently in this book. The wealth of information Porter uncovers shows how these musicians have expressed themselves in print; actively shaped the institutional structures through which the music is created, distributed, and consumed, and how they aligned themselves with other artists and activists, and how they were influenced by forces of class and gender. What Is This Thing Called Jazz? challenges interpretive orthodoxies by showing how much black jazz musicians have struggled against both the racism of the dominant culture and the prescriptive definitions of racial authenticity propagated by the music's supporters, both white and black. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Required Reading for Anyone Interested in Jazz Criticism
As many fans realize, jazz music (and even the term "jazz" itself) is the source of much critical and cultural debate. There has always been a peculiar tension between the critics who define the music with culturally loaded terminology and the musicians who often view the art as something that cannot be adequately reduced in such a manner. Things have certainly become more complicated in the last thirty-five years, with the rise of the avant-garde. Many critics and even some musicians (e.g., Wynton Marsalis) have dismissed the most innovative developments in the music as being "non-jazz," which has culminated in a perspective whereby jazz has been codified, historicized, and, to some people, seems to be "swallowing its tail."

Eric Porter's excellent academic work delves deeply into the current debates on jazz, as well as provides a thorough overview of how musicians have defined their art in their own terms throughout the history of jazz. As with the history of any art (e.g., painting, photography, literature), it becomes apparent that what we get in jazz criticism is a series of narratives that occasionally correspond to one another but often tend to diverge markedly at various points. Porter's book is extremely valuable because it focuses on the voices that have not been adequately represented in the discourse on jazz-the voices of the musicians themselves.

What I particularly enjoy about Porter's book is its even-handed tone. The book is exhaustively researched and follows a logical progression from the rise of jazz in the early twentieth-century to modern times. His discussions of the essays of Duke Ellington, WC Handy, and prominent intellectuals (Zora Neale Hurston, WEB Dubois, Alain Locke et al.) are all placed in the context of a larger discussion of race, gender, economics, and American culture. At the same time, Porter's role is clearly that of a researcher and scholar; he is not someone who passes judgment on the thoughts of the musicians. He simply presents us with the information.

In addition to analyzing thoroughly the roots of jazz, there are lengthy and informative chapters on the development of bebop, the music and thought of Charles Mingus, and that of 60s stalwarts such as Leo Smith and Anthony Braxton. The discussion of Braxton's massive tomes (the Tri-axium Writings) is particularly welcome, since his universalist approach to music has put him in an unusual position with the regard to the jazz community, arguably since his contract with Arista expired over two decades ago. The discussion of the neo-conservative movement in jazz, led by Wynton Marsalis and Stanley Crouch, appropriately follows the discussion of Braxton's work and illustrates the challenges that jazz critics face as the music increasingly draws upon a myriad of musical forms that draw attention to the inadequacies of conventional criticism. What I particularly enjoyed was Porter's lucid discussion of the similarities as well as the differences in the thought of Braxton and Marsalis. Porter's organized presentation of such topics certainly enabled me to appreciate the thoughts of all the jazz musicians discussed in the book, whether I agreed with them or not.

The value of this book is that it not only shows the reader the viewpoints of the often neglected musicians, but also does not shy away from the critical, theoretical, and cultural complexities with which critics and musicians must deal in the future of jazz music. It is a valuable step indeed to understanding, if not definitively answering, "What is this thing called jazz?" ... Read more

Product Description
A clear, practical, and systematic approach to learning how to play the great variety of scales and arpeggios that give life and expression to the musical ideas of the modern musician. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

This book has errors
I would not recommend it for beginners as it is outright misleading reference in some of its sections.

Patterns Scales & Modes For Jazz Guitar
This is the book that I have been looking for to complement my other (Jazz Chords and Progressions) book by Arnie Berle. This is a fantastic book. The material is straight foward and to the point, however I wish all of the examples were written out in every key. Reading basic music is required. I am only half way through the studies and my improvising has improved. I can't wait to finish this book. I feel that at last I can put it all together.
Sincerely
George West
The Uptown Jazz Band

Very Clear
This is a very clear and well thoughtout approach to the subject of jazz theory.It's one of the best I've seen and it's specific to guitar.

Berle mostly succeeds at accomplishing a very difficult task
I must admit that I have had a lot of frustration using this book.Many of Mr. Berle's riffs and excercises are presented without much context, other than an explanation that the riffs are pulled from this chord or that scale, plus chromatic notes.Thus, it sometimes feels like Berle's book is another in a long line of "play the notes of this scale, in some random order, over this chord" instruction books.

However, I think that this book's problems stem more from the scope of the task that the author has taken on.This is essentially a book for beginning jazz guitarists.Given the difficulty of playing jazz, this is not necessarily a book for beginning guitarists, unless conversant in some other instrument.

This book does not undertake to give a thorough explanation of chord voicings, melodic or harmonic theory, or thinking in a modal or non-functional context.For a better understanding of these elements of jazz, you need to seek out more advanced resources.This book undertakes only an explanation of spotting the diatonic key centers and playing the "correct" notes over a few choice examples of standard jazz changes.This in itself is a significant task, especially since Berle attempts to break down the subject to a level that any relatively intermediate guitarist could understand.

I would recommend this book if you have a smattering of theory and a desire to start learning jazz.For a very good all-purpose resource on jazz theory that covers a lot more ground, I would recommend Mark Levine's the Jazz Theory Book.

If you are not a music reader, don't let the lack of Tab put you off of this book.Berle clearly diagrams every position, and each note has both finger and string indicators.This may be one of the best resources for you to start learning to sight read, and you will need that skill if you want to use the more advanced resources on jazz playing, particularly those that are written for all instruments.The resources in this category include The Jazz Theory Book, the Aebersold series, and Building a Jazz Vocabulary.

A deceptively simple introduction
Like all of Arnie Berle's books, "Patterns, Scales, and Modes" is so well-organized and well presented that it seems almost too simple. Arnie begins by introducing you do basic scale forms, while simultanously present related arpeggios. That's something not many methods do, but it's something that a lot of jazz teachers think should be emphasized from the start. (Some, like Carol Kaye, don't even teach scales, going straight to arpeggions!) And every scale and arpeggio example is presented with excercises designed to let you hear how the examples sound in a real musical context. That's important.

As others have noted, the book is written in musical notation, not tablature, although there are also diagrams showing how scales and arpeggios lie on the fingerboard. Being able to read music is a necessity- but really, all you need to know is the basics: Names of notes on the staff, how key signatures work and so forth. You don't need to actually be able to read for guitar; Arnie teaches you that as he goes along. A sight reader would be able to progress a bit faster, of course. By the time the reader works his or her way through this book they should feel comfortable playing and improvising basic jazz lines in most any context.

Ideally I'd combine this book with Berle's "Chords and Progressions for Jazz and Popular Guitar" (and a good listening library of jazz records). Together, these two books contain all the aspiring jazz guitarist would need to get started. ... Read more

Product Description
The essential guide to recorded jazz, now in its ninth edition

Firmly established as the world’s leading guide to jazz, this celebrated reference book is a mine of fascinating information and insightful—often wittily trenchant—criticism. For this completely revised edition, Richard Cook and Brian Morton have reassessed each artist’s entry and updated the text to incorporate thousands of additional CDs and artists. The result is an endlessly browsable companion for jazz aficionados and novices alike. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

This is not a real review; just a suggestion
I gave the book 5 stars. Is there anything better on paper? If yes, please let me know.
My only complain/recommendation to publisher is: Please give us downloadable index to the book. The index is already available on Amazon and guys smarter than me can download it anyway.

JAZZ KNOWLEDGE YES!LABEL INFO NO!
Anyone who is a serious collector of Jazz on CD knows about those "public domain" import reissues which have been released all over the EU in recent years.Some are wonderful,informed,intelligent remasters of classic and obscure jazz performances which the collector loves to lay his or her hands on.There are also crap reissues of Jazz clearly issued to pick up a quick Euro or two.There are individual CDs and sets: some good, some bad.All the tracks on these resissues have fallen out of copyright in the EU.In others words, the recordings are over 50 years old.We do not have this loophole in the sound copyright laws here in the US.So it is very exciting to lay your hands on some favorite obscure recording on an import CD that you used to have on an old 78 or LP or have recordings from several different labels all on the same CD or in a box set.(Soon the public domain copyright law loophole in the EU is changing to allow only recordings 70 years old to be issued legally.)
The reason for this introduction about import Public Domain reissues on CD is this:
When one is reading this latest edition of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings it is informative to see the reviews of all these PD reissues that are available in the UK and Europe.However, here in the US these titles are not readily available unless you track them down as imports on Amazon.I for one would like to see reviews of "legitimate" label CD reissues which are available worldwide from the original record companies.These releases are many times totally ignored by the writers and reviewers in this publication.This is a major problem for me which is why I no longer purchase the new editions this guide any longer.

REALLY A GREAT BOOK, BUT FELA KUTI IS MISSING. WHY?
This is really a great book for people who wants to start to know jazz music. This is the best starting point. But - why Fela Anikulapo Kuti and some other foreign great jazz players are missing (for example, another one: Tenorinho/Tenorio Jr)? Someone could say - Fela Anikulapo Kuti doesn't play jazz, he's playing Afrobeat. Are Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever really playing jazz music? They are included in this book because their genre is "fusion", and some members of these bands are very famous (and American), but which is one of the best "fusion" music ever? Afrobeat. And - like Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock - Fela Anikulapo Kuti started as traditional jazz player (see "L. A. Sessions" or "Koola Lobitos") to evolve then in a fusion player, giving a new name ("Afrobeat") to his music just to highlight his african roots. Even Ginger Baker is inside this book. He's a rock drummer (not jazz) and even he worked in at least five Fela Kuti albums (but he is here, while Fela Kuti isn't). So - in my opinion - the authors can't cancel (as they do) one of the greatest keyboardists ever (Fela Anikulapo Kuti), one of the greatest jazz drummers ever (Tony Allen), as well as a trumpet player like Babatunde Williams. When the authors will put these jazz musicians on these pages this book will be 5/5.

out of print music not reviewed.
Ever heard of the secondary market? used shops , thrift stores, people trade music all the time, almost half of my 3000 cd collection has been obtained through these means, yet because bluenote for instance lets a jackie mclean cd go put of print, they dont review it. i just dont understand the logic. ill just stick with google, then i can have more than enough info. if you can find this at your library , check it out before you buy.what about download only jazz reissues? verve does this as of this post.

Beg to differ
OK, I'll be the voice of dissent.Bear with me: I've been a dedicated jazzhead for 20+ years and have bought an ungodly number of CDs based on word-of-mouth, industry buzz and personal encounters.Today was the first time I've ever looked to the Penguin Jazz Guide for shopping advice.(I found a rare Bobby Hutcherson CD at Amoeba and consulted the store's 2008 Penguin Guide to determine the lineup.)Well, they didn't include it. So be it.

But then I started thumbing through it, looking up some of my recent favorites.Morton and Cook's smug, dismissive, snarky, often hostile reviews were appalling.Who are these guys and what are their musical credentials?If I'd been taking their advice these last twenty years, I would never have heard some of the best new jazz that's out there.(Kurt Rosenwinkel is "boring"?Please, that's as tonedeaf a statement as I've ever heard.)This guide does a tremendous disservice to jazz if it's dissuading buyers from taking chances on new artists.I'd advise jazz enthusiasts to trust their own ears, not the taste of these twits.

This "guide" is to jazz as "toilet paper" is to bathroom reading. ... Read more

Product Description
Haerle presents the scales used in improvisation and explains applications. Scales shown in all keys and treble and bass clefs include blues, ionian, dorian, phrygian, locrian as well as whole tone, chromatic, augmented and many more. Great aid to memorizing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

My teacher told me to get this book in 2002
I just started to work with this book.It tells you where you can play these scales...over what cords. I have to work on my execution but this looks like the right route for me.

Haerle , scales for jazz improvisation
Very useful for jazz students. The scales are presented in a simple and clear way.

Something for every jazz musician (almost)
I bought this book as the text for a jazz improvisation course that I never got to take. Rather than return it, I decided to make the most of it that I could. Truth be told, I haven't gotten much out of it, because it really needs to have a course and/or music instructor to make this book go. My piano teacher and I have looked at it on occasion, and I will refer to it every once in a while when I have some difficulty with a certain key signature or to investigate what notes I should be using in a solo, but other than that, this spends a lot of time on my shelf and not on my piano's music stand. The subtitle of the book, "A practice method for all instruments", is a little misleading. The "method" actually consists of one whole page which says, basically, "Practice scales, with a metronome, over the entire instrument range, and break it up a little." Well, I don't know about saxophone, or bass, or whatever, but if you're playing piano and you're not playing scales daily already, well, good luck with that. (Drums? Sorry, no ideas here.) What is good about this book is that every conceivable scale is shown and explained in all twelve keys. Application, however, is left to the reader, which is why I think this book is only really useful in conjunction with someone teaching the concepts contained therein. To be sure, it would be great to be able to start plunking away when someone in the band calls out the name of a tune and then "E-flat, Locrian number 2", but nobody in any band I've ever played in ever did that. Still, this book is a great reference and an essential building block to learning jazz theory and playing great jazz music. (It's staple bound, so it lays flats on a music stand, which bumped it up to four stars in the listing title from its actual rating of three and a half stars.)
... Read more

Product Description
A magnificent compilation of over 240 standards of jazz repertoire in easy-to-read authentic hand-written jazz engravings. This unique collection also features not only the original harmony, but also an alternate harmonization reflecting common practice by many jazz artists, so players can choose to use the traditional version, a hipper version, or a combination of the two! Songs include: Ain't Misbehavin' * Angel Eyes * Bein' Green * Blue Skies * Brazil * Cherokee (Indian Love Song) * Crazy He Calls Me * Darn That Dream * Desafinado (Off Key) * Early Autumn * Easy Living * Fever * For Every Man There's a Woman * Girl Talk * Good Morning Heartache * Here's That Rainy Day * How Little We Know * I Can't Give You Anything but Love * I Didn't Know What Time It Was * I Got It Bad and That Ain't Good * I Remember You * I'll Be Around * I'm Beginning to See the Light * I've Heard That Song Before * Imagination * It Could Happen to You * It's Easy to Remember * June in January * Lazy Afternoon * Midnight Sun * My Blue Heaven * My One and Only Love * Mood Indigo * Moonglow * One for My Baby (And One More for the Road) * Satin Doll * Sophisticated Lady * Star Dust * Tenderly * When Sunny Gets Blue * and more. Spiral comb bound. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Collection
This is a classic fake book--just chords and the melody line.It's got most of the old jazz standards, and is not for those looking for 80's or 90's tunes!I'm returning to jazz piano after a 20-year absence, and this book is perfect for me.

The best jazz fake book I've seen
I grew up with the original "3 song to a page" fake book, graduated to the original Real Book, the Unreal book, and the "New Real Book" 3 volume set. This one tops them all - complete songs (not just the choruses) with lyrics, and both the original chords and suggested reharmonizations (which I find are often not as good as the composers' original chords).

Just as importantly, this is an incredible colection of songs, including many that I haven't found anywhere else. I've stopped dog-earing the pages of songs I like, as it got to the point where the corner of almost every page was turned down!

I've just ordered the "C" version, after being sold on this book by the "Bb" version, which I stumbled across in a mainstream bookstore, since the "Bb" version puts many songs into key signatures with 4 or 5 sharps or flats - playable, but harder than they have to be.

Not true jazz arrangments and certainly not for pros
Although I cannot recommend this book, it is not totally without its merits. It is one of the few "true" fake books that includes the actual introductions to the standards; most fake books on the market contain only the 32-bar body of the song. The handwritten script is also very clean and neat and makes for easy reading. Unfortunately, although the songs included are Jazz Standards, the arrangments are not really jazz arrangments. The arranger has substituted chords in place of the traditionally published chords in an apparent effort to give a jazz flavor. Not only are the chords not really jazz chords (they are harmonically weak and seldom will you encounter a chord with more than a 7th extension) but in many cases are harmonically inferior to the "original" chord. The song selection is also rather pedestrian and most of the songs can be found in other books by the same publisher ... Read more