Reddit reviews The History of Jazz

interesting. I recently put together an huge list of Jazz books oriented towards non-musicians. After putting together the list I organized it into courses like a university might. I called it my "Masters Degree in Jazz Studies for Non-Musicians." The first two courses I think would be perfect for you.

<br /> <br /> **Course 1: Jazz Appreciation**<br /> This course is meant to give you a solid grounding in how to listen to jazz music without delving too deeply in music theory or requiring the student to be a musician. It is also meant to expose you to the core body of work of jazz. <br /> <br /> [Enjoying Jazz - Henry Martin](http://www.amazon.com/Enjoying-Schirmer-Books-Henry-Martin/dp/0028731301/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)<br /> <br /> [How To Listen To Jazz - Jerry Coker](http://www.amazon.com/How-Listen-Jazz-Jerry-Coker/dp/1562240005/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&amp;amp;ie=UTF8&amp;amp;qid=1420760894&amp;amp;sr=1-9)<br /> <br /> [Jazz Standards - Ted Gioia](http://www.amazon.com/The-Jazz-Standards-Guide-Repertoire/dp/0199937397/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&amp;amp;refRID=0DX94W5SY4BM04GD6W5J)<br /> <br /> <br />

Course 2: Jazz History 101
This is a basic course in jazz history. it is not meant to be an in depth coverage of every style. It is meant to give the student a broad overview of the general progression of jazz from it's inception into the modern era. Other courses in the program go much further in depth into specific styles and the major players of those styles.

Ken Burns Jazz

Jazz 101 - John F Szwed

History of Jazz - Ted Gioia

Visions of Jazz - Gary Giddins

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so far the program I developed has 10 courses. If anyone is interested I could share the content of the other courses. and I am considering developing a syllabus for each course and possibly even more courses, but the time and effort needed to complete the 10 courses would already be more than the effort I put in to obtaining an actual master's degree from a university so I'm not sure how much more effort I would want to put into this right now.

I'll play Devil's Advocate.

To begin, I agree with everything you wrote. African Americans have arguably been the most innovative and important musical creative geniuses in shaping American music culture and identity. Two of the largest genres of music in the 20th century (jazz and rock 'n' roll) are both owed to the African tradition of music that emerged from the deep south. I highly recommend Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz which delves deeply into this topic and extensively covers the integration and experimentation of traditional African music with the traditional and folk music of Europe. African Americans have also spearheaded genres such as Gospel and Samba (there are dozens of latin american genres that are mixes of African and other cultural traditions). Even today with the emergence of hip-hop and R&B, African Americans have shown an adeptness in crafting music.

The real argument is whether or not delegating a month to such ideas and concepts is an adequate or even progressive means of advancing those ideals. I think there is validity to an argument that such honors can actively be divisive rather than inclusionary. I think if any American child were to sincerely learn about American music, especially in any collegiate setting, the emphasis of the importance of African American participation and leadership in crafting and exporting these genres is unquestionable and absolutely emphasized. Now, I don't think making June 2016 "African-American Music Appreciation Month” is a bad thing, but I do question the underlying notion that African American music is not already appreciated. I would honestly argue that it is one of the most cherished gifts this country has ever bestowed upon the world, and the amount of academia, journalism, and knowledge concerning these genres pales in comparison to whatever pop websites or music blogs post on a daily basis.

Just thought I'd give my two cents! I'm honestly not too terribly opinionated on this topic one way or another, but I thought it would be worthwhile to offer a varying perspective. Furthermore, I've seen a few comments sort of criticizing the political and volatile nature of the subject, but most of the conversation thus far has been very civil and I think it is a good thing that serious conversations can happen in this sub.

seconding the miles bio. very entertaining.

ted gioia's history of jazz is very comprehensive, and probably "the standard history", but a bit boring (imho). i guess what i really want to read is a history of european jazz in the last 40 years, say, and that is perhaps half a chapter of that book (understandably...).

a better history, for me, was why jazz happened by marc myers. while gioia explains who learnt from whom, and how all the music inter-relates, myers focuses on the politics, sociology, technology, economics, etc., of the time(s), and how all that shaped the music (each chapter is a separate theme - for example, the availability of LPs was probably one chapter, another was the rise in popularity of rock music, if i remember correctly). i found that much more interesting - it really explained some of the broad changes while gioia felt a lot more like genealogy.

would love to hear other suggestions. those are the only "jazz only" books i've read. [though i think this has been asked before...]

Perhaps this?

These books are (left to right):

Notes And Tones: Musician to Musician Interviews (Arthur Taylor): http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Tones-Musician---Musician-Interviews/dp/030680526X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419879383&sr=8-1&keywords=notes+and+tones

The Jazz Standards: A Guide To The Repertoire (Ted Gioia): http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Standards-Guide-Repertoire/dp/0199937397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419879452&sr=8-1&keywords=the+jazz+standards

DownBeat - The Great Jazz Interviews (a 75th Anniversary Anthology) (Frank Alkyer): http://www.amazon.com/DownBeat-Great-Interviews-Anniversary-Anthology/dp/1423463846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419879539&sr=8-1&keywords=the+great+jazz+interviews

The History Of Jazz (Ted Gioia): http://www.amazon.com/History-Jazz-Ted-Gioia/dp/0195399706/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1419879629&sr=8-1&keywords=the+history+of+jazz+ted+gioia

The History of Jazz. Link here...
https://www.amazon.com/History-Jazz-Ted-Gioia/dp/0195399706/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_img_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=S7ZN28FT8BN1TV51B7X9

I used Ted Gioia's book when I took History of Jazz in college. It was easy to read, and very informative.

I'd also check out the Ken Burns Jazz documentary on Netflix. It's really long, but very thorough and interesting.

I tend to avoid mindless rock god memoirs. I'd highly recommend these...

• England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock and Beyond
  
  
• Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day
  
  
• Rip it Up and Start Again: Post-Punk 1978-1984
  
  
• Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
  
  
• Sound of the Beast: The Complete Headbanging History of Heavy Metal
  
  
• The History of Jazz
  
  
• Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation

Ted Gioia has a bunch of great books on Jazz. His History of Jazz is a must read.

Jan Swaffords Language of the Spirit is an excellent overview of classical music.