, .."the best approach to contemporary classroom jazz education extant." -- "Jazz Times", .."clearly a text designed to fit a ten-week college quarter; but it can also serve nicely as an informative introduction to jazz for novice fans...Gridley manages to touch most of the important musical bases with chapters devoted to early jazz, swing, bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, avant-garde and fusion ...a few hours with the Concise Guide to jazz will add immeasurably to one's enjoyment of the music." -- "Jazz Forum"
The author tells what jazz is, how it originated, and how it is made. He emphasizes effective strategies to get the most out of listening to jazz. Focusing on 46 of the most historically significant musicians, Gridley offers a basic, first-time orientation to jazz.
Special Features - NEW TO THIS EDITION is a chapter entitled NOW which considers recent developments in contemporary jazz and discusses such players as: John Zorn, Kenny G, Dave Sanborn, Joe Henderson, and Wayne Shorter.
- EASY-TO-FOLLOW LISTENING GUIDES are keyed to 99 track numbers, chorus-by-chorus, on the 76-minute Classics CD (ISBN 0-13--142497-1): 21 historic recordings by Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and many more.
- The 72-minute Demonstration CD (ISBN 0-13-142496-3): 157 narrated illustrations of instruments and methods that jazz musicians use to make their music.
- The text is available at a discounted package price combined with the 2 accompanying CDs (ISBN 0-13-183979-9), or with just the Classics CD (ISBN 0-13-183980-2), or with just the Demonstration CD (ISBN 0-13-142519-6).
- Both CDs and a videocassette version of the Demonstration CD (Listening to jazz by Steve Gryb; ISBN 0-13-532$624) can be ordered by phoning $00-947-7700.
- 104 STUNNING PHOTOS of top musicians at work, with captions summarizing their contributions.
- ELEMENTS OF MUSIC APPENDIX offers an illustrated short course in the basics of music: rhythm, scales, blue notes, chord progressions, song forms, and tone color.
- ALBUM BUYING STRATEGIES APPENDIX gives handy pointers for quickly selecting and locating the best albums.