Jazz For Dummies

Sutro, Dirk

ISBN 10: 0764550810 / ISBN 13: 9780764550812

Published by For Dummies, 1998

All pages and cover are intact. Dust jacket included if applicable, though it may be missing on hardcover editions. Spine and cover may show minor signs of wear including scuff marks, curls or bends to corners as well as cosmetic blemishes including stickers. Pages may contain limited notes or highlighting. "From the library of" labels may be present. Shrink wrap, dust covers, or boxed set packaging may be missing. Bundled media e.g., CDs, DVDs, access codes may not be included. Seller Inventory # COLV.0764550810.G

Synopsis:

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.

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.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Jazz For Dummies
Publisher: For Dummies
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: good