Jazz for Dummies [With Filled with Jazz Classics]

by Dirk Sutro

Book Overview

Every jazz lover's got his or her favorites. For some, it's John Coltrane's breathy, bitter-sweat ballad, "Naima." For others, it's Duke Ellington's hard-jiving swing opus "Take the A Train." Then there's Miles Davis's epic-making Kind of Blue , the improv tour de force in which Miles, Trane, and Cannonball trade solos and achieve sheer melodic transcendence. Whether you like it hip or mellow, hot or cool, Dixieland or avant garde, jazz is a vast...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764550810
• ISBN13: 9780764550812
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: For Dummies
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Great for neophytes!

I don't intend to become a jazz player, but I am curious about the underlying layers of this fascinating style of music. This book has not only driven me to a deeper understanding of the origins and of technical aspects of the jazz, but has indeed provided me with a better appreciation of it. After reading this book I just want more jazz!

A Good Place to Start

Both the accolades and criticisms of the reviews above are accurate. As someone new to jazz, I wanted to hear some examples of what makes jazz unique - such as syncopation, emphasis on chords, and slurred notes. The CD does not deliver this, but neither does any other introduction to jazz that I could find. The closest thing is the PBS web site for Ken Burns' Jazz, which has a virtual piano that morphs "Mary Had a Little Lamb" from the nursery rhyme tune into a jazz version, step by step. The author's emphasis on performers and "names" is true, but all music is developed by people. Jazz (more so than other music types) has evolved from the performers and their personalities. The different eras of jazz seem to be best explained by the creative changes of people playing it. Jazz as a whole today seems to be strongly influenced by the major figures of the past, such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and Thelonius Monk. Understanding these types of figures, and the others who have been influenced by them, explains a lot about the development of jazz. There are some omissions in the book that seem to be common from the jazz "elite", for example Glenn Miller. While maybe not the best performer of big band swing jazz, he certainly was one of the most popular. If you are interested in jazz, want to know more about it and the people who made it what it is, this book is a good place to start. After that, let your own taste be your guide as to where you go next.

Great Book!

This is a wonderful book in finding out who to listen to and a little about them. Just read it and give it a chance! You'll be surprised, it's great!

An approachable introduction to Jazz

This has been a great reference book that I've used extensively while watching the "Jazz" film series by Kenneth Burns on public TV. All the key points and players have been presented in "Jazz for Dummies" and it has helped me identify names, understand musical concepts and follow the chronology of the jazz players, and their influences, as they are introduced on the TV series. Clearly the author has a deep appreciation for jazz and shares his passion in an approachable style rather than showboat himself by adopting a more academic tone. I totally disagree with one of the other reviewers appearing on this web page. His pet peeve about Miles Davis' album "Kind of Blue" being slighted in the book is unfounded. On page 141 Mr. Sutro recommends listening to this album as an introduction to Davis' music. This is a very cool album, it has a reputation as the ultimate "make out" music. But it's my conclusion that serious jazz afficionados would agree with Mr. Sutro that some of Davis' other albums such as "Birth of the Cool" and "Sketches of Spain" are far more indicative of the range of his talent. There's decades of great jazz music to choose from and Mr. Sutro has done a commendable job pointing novice listeners in the right direction.

The most complete all-around guide to jazz I've seen.

Jazz for Dummies is essential reading--both for new jazz fans and seasoned jazzophiles. The book is easy to use, loaded with information, and it even includes a CD that lets you sample some of jazz's greatest music--from Louis Armstrong to Miles Davis. I especially enjoyed the sections on "Listening to Jazz" and "Starting a Collection," and I have yet to find a jazz player who is not included among the thousands of musicians mentioned in the book.