Synopses & Reviews
This book from the editor of the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz offers a unique way of approaching and understanding jazz. Drawing on twenty-one historic jazz recordings, reproduced on a compact disc that accompanies the book, Barry Kernfeld illustrates jazz rhythm, forms, arrangement, composition, improvisation, style, and sound.
"A work that is not only long overdue but eminently readable as well". -- Jack Sohmer, Jazz Times
"For those who have a real love and curiosity for the music and some skill, reading this book will be one of the most rewarding experiences they could have. All students of the music, exponents and musicologists, should read it. It's an exceptionally good buy". -- Eddie Harvey, The Musician
"Kernfeld's writing is clear, informed by a lifetime's listening to jazz, and full of good sense.... Anyone who wants to understand jazz will need to get hold of this groundbreaking study. It's an essential work". -- Andy Hamilton, Jazz on CD
Synopsis
Exhilarating and exciting, subtle and profoundjazz requires knowledge and understanding to be truly appreciated. Barry Kernfeld here provides a thorough, learned, and accessible introduction to jazz, discussing its musical concepts, procedures, and styles and providing the background necessary to fully enjoy this musical art. The book is organized around twenty-one historical jazz recordingsfrom the New Orleans Rhythm Kings' Tin Roof Blues (1923) to Ornette Coleman's Honeymooners (1987)that are analyzed in the text and included in a compact disc that accompanies the book.
Barry Kernfeld draws from these musical works to illustrate jazz rhythm, forms, arrangement, composition, improvisation, style, and sound (recording fidelity, tuning systems, instrumentation, and timbre). Included in the book are eighty-five notated music examples keyed to the compact disc and a biographical dictionary of musicians who figure prominently on the disc.
By laying out musical ideas that unify the genre, rather than by splintering it along stylistic lines, this authoritative book offers a new method for enhancing enjoyment and understanding of jazz. It will be a valued resource for students and general listeners who wish to know more about this unique musical form.
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