Customer Reviews
Hugely enjoyable if flawed social history of jazz - By: , 22 Apr 2005 
This is the book of Ken Burn's controversial television series. Although assisted by Wynton Marsalis, Burn's lack of knowledge on the music is a severe handicap & rather abruptly deals with the developments in jazz post-1950 as this seems little to interest him. Reading this book, you will find practicallly nothing about jazz after 1970, although some of the photographs of today's musicians may lead you to believe otherwise. These flaws have been well documented in the jazz press. This problem should not discourage the jazz fan as this beautifully illustrated book.
However, what was ignored was that this is reallly a social history of jazz & as the music became more esoteric (and more sophisticated) after the innovations of Charlie Parker, it lost it's status as popular music. This explains the goldmine of information about jazz up until the Swing Era & the interviews with the dancers who would cram into the Savoy Balllroom to hear the great bands of the likes of Chick Webb, etc. As great as the work of Bird, Trane, Monk or Mingus was, it cannot be argued that they had the social impact as Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman or Duke Ellington whatever the respective merits. Indeed, the only time the more modern players are featured as part of the civil rights movement. (Surely enough for atleast one whole chapter alone.)The presence of Louis Armstrong dominates this book - not a problem for me as I love the man's music.
What I like best about this book are the excellent photographs & this is worth the addition of a fourth star for me. Most of these photographs are new to me. They illustrate many long forgotten bands as well as historicallly important outfits such as James Europes' Clef Club Orchestra of 1911 with it's masses ranks of mandolins, guitars & banjoes. There also pictures of amateurs groups & famous musicians in line-ups before they had made a name for themselves.
All in alll, this is a good introduction to the early days of jazz but a waste of time for the modernist. Those wanting a better understanding of the musical theory of jazz would do searching for Gunther Schuller's accounts of "Early Jazz" & "The Swing Era" , if they are still in print. For a more professional overview, Alyn Shipton's more scholarly account, "A new history of jazz", is a better read & gives equal credance to traditionalist, modernist & the contemporary fan. Whilst Burn's tends to trot out some of the old cliches, Shipton's research has now cast serious doubt over much "accepted fact." For these reasons, Shipton is more of an enthrallling read & more representative of the music as a whole. Dyed in the wool jazz fans will want both books though !!
An excellent overview of a fascinating topic - By: Paul Kennedy, 18 Jun 2004 
This is the book which accompanies Ken Burns' 10-DVD series on Jazz from its beginnings to the present. Beautifully illustrated, it is quite comprehensive & a real gem for anyone like me who has only recently discovered the wonders of Jazz, or indeed, for long-standing aficionados. Another excellent feature is its focus on the shameful rascist treatment of black people in the US, which serves as a backdrop to the entire history of Jazz. I highly recommend this book.
Superb - By: , 02 Aug 2001 If you watched the documentary series on the BBC you will already be aware of the ground this book covers - it's a brilliant introduction to american jazz music & places the music & its main protaganists in the context of American history. It's lavishly illustrated & covers the history of jazz from its roots to be-bop & beyond. Highly recommended as an introduction to the music & as a social history of 20th century america
The book clarifies and adds to the current BBC 2 TV programe - By: , 12 Jun 2001 Having found the twelve part TV series on BBC 2 I found this book greatly enhances the information gained from the TV. The opening Chapters have fantastic pictures which greatly enhance the written words. Of course it only briefly discusses the various lives of the characters applicable to the beginnings of this music, but to the 'new' person wanting to learn more about the material & people who made the sounds of the last century, I would recommend that this book WILL aid such hunger for knowledge. It is written in an easy style & enables the reader to absorb the contents along with the pictures plentifully placed around the text. It contains anecdotes about the personnel it discusses as well as the history of the social & geographical times. A must for anyone who wishes to ease themselves into the history & times of American jazz music. Be warned that it does not discuss other Countries input to this music - it is "alll American", but never the less a major input to the history of the times & music.
