San Antonio College Library

"Is Jazz Dead? (Or Has It Moved to a New Address) examines the state of jazz in America at the turn of the 21st century. In a recent 10-part documentary on Public Television, Ken Burns spent 8 out of 10 programs on jazz before World War II; controversially dealing with the last five decades of creative work in the United States in the final episode. Musicians themselves are returning to New Orleans, Swing, and Bebop styles, while the work of the '60s...

This is a classic of jazz literature which has been unavailable for many years. Max Harrison has been long acknowledged as Britain's most distinguished and provocative jazz critic. His contributions to the deeper understanding of this art form have opened many fresh perspectives on its master musicians--challenging countless received opinions on the development and interpretation of jazz. The author casts a unique critical perspective over a wide...

"Essays cover major historical trends and figures, discuss jazz in different countries, review the role of most instruments and consider the place of jazz in other arts, like dance, literature and film." N.Y. Times Book Rev. "This work is an effective single-volume device, leading current listeners to the music while including enough newer scholarship to retain the interest of connoisseurs." Libr J.

From its beginning, jazz has presented a contradictory social world: jazz musicians have worked diligently to erase old boundaries, but they have just as resolutely constructed new ones. David Ake's book considers the diverse musics and related identities that jazz communities have shaped over the course of the twentieth century, exploring the many ways in which jazz musicians and audiences experience and understand themselves, their music, their...

Jazz Heritage brings together twenty years' of reviews, musicians' profiles, and critical essays by the renowned critic Martin Williams. This companion volume to the prize-winning The Jazz Tradition includes profiles of great performers at work in studios and clubs, "liner notes" for many classic recordings, and Williams's acclaimed critical essays on the artistry of Charlie Parker, Cecil Taylor, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald, and others. Consistently...