War in Iran
The headlines are built on long histories and debates.
Posted on in Hot Topic
Jazz
10 titles on the history and evolution of jazz.
Posted on August 20, 2025 in Hot Topic
Epperson, Bruce D. More important than the music: a history of jazz discography. Chicago, 2013. 284p ISBN 9780226067537, $45.00; ISBN 9780226067674 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE May 2014
A discography was originally a list of phonograph records, but it now encompasses recordings in any format. The term was coined as records and record collectors proliferated in the 1920s and 1930s, and jazz enthusiasts became discographers early on. Their work was especially urgent, for the genre was improvisational, records providing the only documentation of many performers, pieces, and interpretations. Over the years countless jazz discographies have been published–with coverage ranging from vast and comprehensive to narrowly focused, for example, recordings of one artist–most notably by ardent, meticulous American and European amateurs. In this carefully researched history, Epperson (an independent scholar) chronicles jazz discography from its inception to the present, providing fascinating, behind-the-scenes information about the work and standards of seminal figures such as Brian Rust and Tom Lord, and a plethora of other important compilers. Information on how the discographers influenced each other is particularly notable. This study fills a significant gap in discographic research, and it belongs in academic music libraries and public libraries with significant music collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. —D. Arnold, University of North Texas
Henry, Clarence Bernard. Global jazz: a research and information guide. Routledge, 2022. 394p bibl index ISBN 9780367724832, $170.00; ISBN 9781003154969 ebook, $48.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE January 2023
Part of the “Routledge Music Bibliographies” series, Global Jazz is an invaluable resource for scholars and students interested in studying jazz as a “musical-lingua franca, a common musical language situated in a global landscape of artistic expression” (p. ix). In the last two decades, scholars in what has been termed new jazz studies have expanded their vision to explore “an African-American music tradition [that] has been absorbed and translated into different social, political, historical, musical, linguistic, and cultural landscapes” (p. ix). Each of the 1,300-plus entries includes thorough, paragraph-length annotations. Global Jazz is organized geographically, with chapters devoted to specific regions, e.g., South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and so on, but Henry (an independent scholar) also highlights the thematic concerns of each entry, which include gender, identities and communities, women in jazz, and jazz theory and pedagogy. Henry includes many non-English sources in Spanish, French, Chinese, German, Japanese, Bahasa Indonesian, and Bulgarian, although likely there are more than are included here. Global Jazz is an valuable resource for those in jazz studies, world music, and ethnomusicology programs. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers. —E. T. Atkins, Northern Illinois University
Kubik, Gerhard. Jazz transatlantic. University Press of Mississippi, 2017. 2v bibl index ISBN 9781628462302, v.1; ISBN 9781496806086, v.2; $75.00 ea.; ISBN 9781626746633 ebook, v.1; ISBN 9781496806109 ebook, v.2; contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE September 2018
In Jazz Transatlantic Kubik examines the confluence of jazz music and various African musics. In volume 1, The African Undercurrent in Twentieth-Century Jazz Culture, Kubik concentrates on the African musical/cultural practices that contributed to the development of jazz music in the US—e.g., its link to voodoo religions; its retention of African instrumental techniques; and how the concept of “swing” was guided by African rhythmic practices. In volume 2, Jazz Derivatives and Developments in Twentieth-Century Africa, he deals with the ways in which jazz styles such as swing, bebop, and post-bop inspired musicians in post–WW II Africa, predominantly South Africa. A common thread throughout both volumes is the interconnection of the music and musicians. Examining the contributions of individual musicians on both sides of the Atlantic, Kubik is emphatic in debunking the notions that millions of individuals within a given culture can be lumped into one musical and sociological stereotype, and that somehow the West is the measuring stick for arts and culture. Kubik draws on the research methods and theories of history, ethnomusicology, and anthropology, but does so in engaging, readable language. The bibliographies and indexes are extremely thorough. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. —D. J. Schmalenberger, McNally Smith College of Music
Mueller, Darren. At the vanguard of vinyl: a cultural history of the long-playing record in jazz. Duke, 2024. 435p bibl index ISBN 9781478025818, $117.95; ISBN 9781478030072 pbk, $31.95; ISBN 9781478059073 ebook, open access.
Reviewed in CHOICE October 2024
In 1948, the long-playing record (LP) was introduced commercially. It would soon supplant the 78rpm record, which had been the standard format for music recordings for decades. The 78rpm only had room for about three minutes of music per side, whereas the LP had room for much longer passages. This was significant for many genres of music. Mueller (Eastman School of Music, Univ. of Rochester) chronicles his exhaustive investigation of how the LP influenced the history of jazz and the nature of jazz records. A welcome by-product is his comprehensive discography of jazz LPs, particularly from the 1950s. A major change brought about by the LP was that recordings of lengthy jazz improvisations could be provided in entirety. Black men performers were working in the studio for white men record company executives, exposing various aspects of the racism that prevailed. Furthermore, women artists were mostly excluded. Mueller explores the role of particular record companies and artists, such as Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie, in the LP revolution. The breadth and depth of his research is exemplary. This book is suitable for academic libraries with significant music collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Advanced undergraduates through faculty; professionals. —D. Arnold, University of North Texas
Myers, Marc. Why jazz happened. California, 2012. 267p ISBN 9780520268784, $34.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE April 2013
Myers (who writes at The Wall Street Journal and blogs daily at Jazzwax.com) provides a needed historical overview of not only the chronological turning points in jazz history but also the societal contexts in which those events were made more likely to occur and thrive. Myers is most convincing when he focuses on technological advances such as the advent of the long-playing record album, which facilitated the typical length of the improvisationally based modern jazz that had previously been truncated by the time limits of earlier recording methods. Also of interest are discussions of the intricacies of the recording bans enforced by the musicians union, the urbanization of Los Angeles, and the civil rights movement. Myers presents his argument of “why jazz happened” in a concise, powerfully convincing style, making this book a welcome addition to the literature on the genre’s history. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —G. A. Akkerman, University of South Carolina Upstate
Perchard, Tom. After Django: making jazz in postwar France. Michigan, 2015. 297p index afp ISBN 9780472072422, $80.00; ISBN 9780472052424 pbk, $39.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE August 2015
This book covers a wide variety of topics related to French infatuation with American jazz, but it is especially noteworthy for its detailed account of the decades-long debate in France between the devotees of traditional jazz and the proponents of bebop. Most fascinating is the author’s narrative of the life and career of Hughes Panassié (1912-74), one of the founders of Le Hot Club de France, who attempted to define and control for French audiences what music constituted jazz. Perchard’s explication of the political and religious underpinnings of Panassié’s aesthetics is an important contribution to jazz studies. Most serious jazz fans will be familiar with the details Perchard (Goldsmiths, Univ. of London, UK) presents in discussing Miles Davis’s improvised score to Louis Malle’s Ascenseur pour l’échafaud (1958); however, the lengthy chapter on the French bebop tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen (1937-96) includes much information that will be unfamiliar to anglophone readers. This well-documented, intelligently argued book is a welcome addition to the continuing dialogue between American jazz and its French reception. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals; general readers —W. E. Grim, Strayer University
Ramsey, Guthrie P., Jr. The amazing Bud Powell: black genius, jazz history, and the challenge of bebop. California/Center for Black Music Research, 2013. 240p (Music of the African diaspora, 17) ISBN 9780520243910, $34.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE November 2013
Bud Powell, one of the most influential pianists in jazz history, is certainly worthy of attention. But this is far from a straight biography. In this volume, Powell’s famously troubled life (barely disguised and mythologized in the 1986 film Round Midnight) and brilliant music become the starting point for exploration of bebop and how it changed not only jazz music but also jazz and the wider popular culture. Essential to this is the question of whether jazz and bebop in particular are folk, popular, or “high” art. Related questions lead to extended investigation of racial issues, jazz masculinity, and the writing of jazz history. In the final chapter, Ramsey (Univ. of Pennsylvania) goes into depth discussing several of Powell’s recorded solos, which are transcribed. Throughout, no matter what subject matter is under consideration, this study is academic and interdisciplinary in the style of so-called “new” jazz studies; it would not be easy reading for a general audience. Ramsey does address all the areas of his book’s title and subtitle in a fairly slender volume. One might argue that he has the makings of several books within this one. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. —K. R. Dietrich, Ripon College
Tackley, Catherine. Benny Goodman’s famous 1938 Carnegie Hall jazz concert. Oxford, 2012. 223p ISBN 9780195398304, $74.00; ISBN 9780195398311 pbk, $18.95.
Reviewed in CHOICE June 2013
Only the fourth book in the “Oxford Studies in Recorded Jazz” series, Tackley’s work joins the previous three entries as a distinguished contribution to the literature. The 1938 Goodman concert has become legendary, largely because the night’s proceedings were recorded. The recording was not released to the public until 12 years after the event. Five years later, the concert served as the climax of the popular film The Benny Goodman Story (1956), further cementing its status. Tackley (Open Univ., UK) thoroughly examines this process of canonization, which has continued through later releases of the recordings. She begins by exploring the few precedent jazz concerts and events that led to this one, and also the concert’s promotion. Consulting contemporary sources, to gauge the initial reactions to the performances, she also addresses the cultural issue of having a swing band play in a hallowed venue for classical music. The largest section of the book delves into each of the selections performed, analyzing them and comparing them to other versions recorded by the Goodman band and others. Some of the musical discussion will be beyond the nonspecialist, but there should be a broad audience for this volume. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. —K. R. Dietrich, Ripon College
Tomita, Fumi. Early jazz: a concise introduction, from its beginnings through 1929. SUNY Press, 2024. 240p bibl index ISBN 9781438496382, $99.00; ISBN 9781438496399 ebook, contact publisher for price.
Reviewed in CHOICE September 2024
Countless books have been written about jazz, but the topic of early jazz history has been largely neglected for more than 50 years. Grounded in seminal works, such as Gunther Schuller’s Jazz History (1968), Early Jazz updates such writings with a detailed study of the genre from its earliest manifestations in the 1870s through 1929. In the first chapter Tomita (Univ. of Massachusetts) considers ragtime. Other chapters encompass the blues, New Orleans jazz, the New York scene, stride piano, Chicago jazz, vocal jazz, and jazz around the world. Tomita intentionally covers not only the most famous figures, such as Louis Armstrong, but also lesser-known artists who have been neglected for various reasons. He does not limit his study to African Americans but delves into the contributions of white artists. He intends his book for a wide variety of readers, from fans and students to performers and scholars. Meticulously documented, it belongs in academic and public libraries with music collections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers through faculty; professionals. —D. Arnold, University of North Texas
Yanow, Scott. The great jazz guitarists: the ultimate guide. Backbeat Books, 2013. 237p ISBN 1617130230 pbk, $24.99; ISBN 9781617130236 pbk, $24.99.
Reviewed in CHOICE June 2013
This reference work by the prolific Yanow exhibits the breadth and depth of knowledge and enthusiasm readers expect of his unparalleled work (e.g., Jazz, CH, Oct’05, 43-0854; The Trumpet Kings, CH, Feb’02, 39-3309). The guide profiles over 550 jazz guitarists and recommends standout performances by artist. Yanow divides his dazzlingly encyclopedic analysis into three sections covering the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, other contemporary jazz guitarists, and guitar players who have contributed notable performances in jazz idioms. He assesses his picks for each category by means of historical research, reviewer opinion, and in the case of living artists, a questionnaire to aid him with selection. Entries for each artist appear alphabetically and focus on musical influences, career trajectories and highlights, significant collaborations, and notable elements of guitarists’ styles. Articles conclude with lists of recommended recordings and, when appropriate, desirable out-of-print LPs and relevant URLs. The volume closes with a list of other resources devoted to jazz guitarists, and an excellent and eye-opening section titled “Jazz Guitarists on Film” (which even includes a single entry titled “The Best Ghosting by a Jazz Guitarist”). Readers seeking this bit of information also will be delighted by the entirety of Yanow’s indispensable guide. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers. —J. G. Matthews, Washington State University Libraries