Concise Guide to Jazz - Softcover

Gridley, Mark C.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0131733311 ISBN 13: 9780131733312

Publisher: Pearson, 2006

Synopsis

This book is for courses in jazz history, intro to jazz, evolution of jazz, jazz appreciation, or "Jazz in America."

 

This introductory text, an abridged version of Jazz Styles, teaches students to appreciate jazz with its in-depth listening guides, CD's with historic recordings of jazz, and a Demonstration CD illustrating instrument sounds and how musicians make jazz.

 

Concise Guide to Jazz was developed in response to student and professor requests for an introductory text offering the clarity and accuracy of Jazz Styles with 1/2 the size, 1/40 the number of names and tune titles, and 1/3 the number of musician profiles, in just 11 chapters. Written by an active jazz musician and jazz historian, this brief introduction examines how jazz originated, how it is made, what to listen for, the major style eras, and the individual styles of 49 historically significant jazz musicians.

About this title

Review

"...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 baes 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

From the Back Cover

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.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pearson
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0131733311
• ISBN 13: 9780131733312
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 5
• Number of pages: 304