Product Description

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 and many–faceted sound space (and soul space) that you could spend a lifetime exploring. And it couldn’t hurt to have a savvy guide like former Los Angeles Times jazz critic and author Dirk Sutro to help you navigate its many depths and riches.

In Jazz For Dummies, Sutro takes you deep into the history and soulful sounds of jazz. From Sachmo to Bird, Mingus to Weather Report, you get a rare behind–the–scenes look at the masters and their music, and you:

• Get the lowdown on jazz, firsthand, from today’s greats
• Get inside the different types of jazz—from big band to bee–bop to funk
• Get a handle on the concepts, terms, and conventions that distinguish jazz from other forms of music
• Get a perspective on the history of jazz
• Put together a fine jazz collection of your own
• Recognize the key characteristics of particular players’ sounds

Whether you’re getting into jazz for the first time or you’re been in the scene for years, Jazz For Dummies is a treasure trove of facts, insights, and guidance on:

• One hundred years of jazz—from Dixieland to fusion and beyond
• Great front men and women, on sax, trumpet vocals
• Keyboard geniuses of jazz from ragtime to the present
• Percussionists, bassists, and guitarists of note
• Shopping for jazz recordings and finding live jazz in your area

The bonus CD features a sampling of vintage recordings, including cuts by Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Art Tatum, and others.

Your swingin’ guide to the world of jazz, Jazz For Dummies lets you tune into the different jazz styles and help you become a more savvy listener.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #88861 in Books
• Published on: 1998-09-02
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Publisher
Attention all Jazz lovers...
With "Jazz For Dummies®", noted jazz journalist Dirk Sutro takes a giant step towards securing the widespread appreciation that jazz music deserves. Designed for fanatics and novices alike, "Jazz For Dummies®" is more than a series of biographies or an exhaustive discography. In addition to the fundamentals of jazz music and comprehensive information about seminal musicians, songwriters, vocalists, and their recordings, Sutro delves even deeper to reveal the heart of jazz. Arguing that jazz is primarily primal - created to speak to the deepest emotions, Sutro gives equal weight to the head and the heart, telling readers what they need to know to find the music that will move them. An included CD of jazz classics allows even neophytes to start listening to some of the best of what jazz has to offer.

In addition to his engaging, accessible prose and exhaustive knowledge of jazz music, Sutro peppers "Jazz For Dummies®" with anecdotes, opinions and explanations of the artists themselves; readers can learn about jazz first-hand from such masters as Dave Brubeck, James Moody, Joe Lovano. Both a fascinating cover-to-cover read and a handy, helpful reference guide,"Jazz For Dummies®" has all the answers, whether readers want a complete overview of jazz or specific information about an individual musician or recording. Pick up a copy and open your mind and heart to some amazing American art!

From the Back Cover
"Now you can finally know about one of...America′s greatest contributions to world culture." —Jon Faddis, Jazz Trumpeter

• Your Swingin′ Guide to the World of Jazz — from New Orleans to Bebop to Fusion to Acis Jazz
• Hear the Lowdown on the Jazz Scene Through Interviews with the Masters
• Expert Recommendations for Building Your Own Cool Collection

"Not only is Jazz For Dummies educational, it′s fun to read. This book provides an important stepping stone to understanding this complex and profound music." —James Moody, Jazz Saxophonist

Dirk Sutro is madly in love with Jazz and...he knows what he′s talking about." —"Chubby" Jackson, Jazz Bassist

Get into the Swing of Jazz...
Written in style that′s as hip as the music itself, this ever–so–copacetic guide lays down the rich history and soulful sounds of jazz. Take a behind–the–scene look at the masters and their music — from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker to Wynton Marsalis. Tune into the different jazz styles and become a more savvy listener. Whether you′re getting into the rhythm for the first time or a hep cat solid in the scene, Jazz For Dummies will keep you bopping!

Stay in the Groove

• Get the lowdown firsthand from today′s freats
• Appreciate the different types of jazz — from the big bands to funk jazz
• Assemble your own library of great jazz music
• Keep those fingers snappin′ — recommended online and newsstand jazz resources
• Treat your ears to some of the hottest jazz on CD

Exclusive CD Feature Many of the Coolest Jazz Tunes Ever Recorded!

About the Author
Dirk Sutro, former jazz writer for the Los Angeles Times, was baptized into live jazz at San Francisco′s legendary Keystone Korner. He has written about jazz for more than 15 years and has profiled or reviewed major players ranging from Branford Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, and Pat Metheny to Mose Allison, Milt Hinton, and Chick Corea. Sutro also interviews jazz musicians as regular guest host of the "These Days" on public radio.

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Customer Reviews

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.

a quick and easy overview
This is quick and easy overview of jazz for the interested neophyte on his way to becoming a buff. Readers with some musical knowledge who want to play as well as listen to jazz might turn from here to Jerry Coker's excellent IMPROVISING JAZZ and then to Jeff Burns's PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST.