In this vivid history of jazz, a respected critic and a leading scholar
capture the excitement of America's unique music with intellectual bite,
unprecedented insight, and the passion of unabashed fans. They explain
what jazz is, where it came from, and who created it and why, all within
the broader context of American life and culture. Emphasizing its
African American roots, Jazz traces the history of the music over the
last hundred years. From ragtime and blues to the international craze
for swing, from the heated protests of the avant-garde to the radical
diversity of today's artists, Jazz describes the travails and triumphs
of musical innovators struggling for work, respect, and cultural
acceptance set against the backdrop of American history, commerce, and
politics. With vibrant photographs by legendary jazz chronicler Herman
Leonard, Jazz is also an arresting visual history of a century of
music.