Jazz in American Culture (American Ways Series) [Paperback]

Burton W. Peretti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998 | ISBN-10: 1566631432 | ISBN-13: 978-1566631433

This history of jazz, spanning the twentieth century, is the first to place it within the broad context of American culture. Burton Peretti argues persuasively that this distinctive American music has been a key thread in the tapestry of the nation’s culture. The music itself, its players and its audience, and the critical debates it has prompted, tell us much about changes in American life since 1910. Mr. Peretti traces the emergence of jazz out of ragtime during a time of tumultuous growth of cites and industries. In the 1920s jazz flourished and symbolized the cultural struggle between modernists and traditionalists. As American sought reassurance and self-esteem during the Great Depression, jazz reached new levels of sophistication in the Swing Era. World War II encouraged rapid changes in popular tastes, and in the postwar decades jazz became both a voice of a globally dominant America and an avant-garde music reflecting social and political turmoil. Today, Mr. Peretti concludes, jazz symbolizes important cultural trends and enjoys a new prestige in a complex musical scene. Jazz in American Culture tells a peculiarly American story, evaluating the music as well as those who created it, and opening new perspectives on our cultural history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This brief but thorough survey is an accessible history of jazz, suitable for listeners new to the music and for those who have long been familiar with it. Burton W. Peretti takes as his thesis the notion that jazz is intimately linked with American history, "associated with the rise and fall of America's cities [and] with the fluctuating reputation of American culture around the world." In this examination of the music and the men and women who made it, Peretti traces the links between jazz and the culture that formed it (and that was, in turn, influenced by it). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

It is generally agreed that jazz became an identifiable style of music at around the turn of the century. This brief survey by Peretti (The Creation of Jazz, LJ 9/1/92) focuses primarily on jazz as a cultural, rather than a musical, phenomenon in the course of the last century. He points out that jazz has had a huge impact on the music of this century?from folk to both American and European modern classical to pop music and rock'n'roll. But he focuses on how jazz has influenced and been influenced by the social movements in American history, examining its function as a social marker for the emergent youth culture of the 1920s, the aura of countercultural rebellion that grew around it in the 1940s and 1950s, its place as a source of African American pride during the Civil Rights movement, and so on. Peretti writes in a straightforward, felicitous style, making the book accessible to a broad readership. Only the reading list, with its incomplete bibliographic citations, leaves something to be desired. Heartily recommended for all libraries.?Rick Anderson, Penacook,
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566631432
• ISBN-13: 978-1566631433
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #495,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informational, March 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Jazz in American Culture (American Ways Series) (Paperback)

I had to read this book for a school research paper. My thesis was to show that the state of society greatly influenced the sounds of Jazz. This book was exactly what I needed to read. It clearly explains the topic that I needed to research. This book is written in English clear enough for even Junior High students to read. I found it interesting and enjoyable. I used to think that I hated anything to do with Jazz, but this book really shows the reader how much of the music Americans like actually evolved from jazz(ex. swing, beebop). This is a good book for jazz lovers, jazz researchers and basically anyone who wants to learn more about the only music which tells the tale of America's stuggles

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good overview of a deep subject, December 26, 2010

By 

Lance P. Boos - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jazz in American Culture (American Ways Series) (Paperback)

Burton Peretti's "Jazz in American Culture" does precisely what it set out it do. It adeptly examines how jazz music has related to American culture and society throughout various stages of its development. Peretti offers fascinating insight onto jazz as an expression of 1920s subculture, its role in the Civil Rights movement, and other ways that jazz has both influenced and reflected American culture in the 20th century. This is not exactly a "jazz history" per se; it is more of a cultural analysis, and it examines jazz from a perspective that is worthy of more attention from both musicologists and historians. "Jazz in American Culture" does not demand a thorough understanding of jazz history as a prerequisite, nor is it redundant to readers who already have such background knowledge. It would make an excellent companion piece to more traditional jazz histories such as Ted Gioia's "History of Jazz" and Gunther Schuller's "Early Jazz" and "The Swing Era," adding its insightful social and cultural perspectives to the study of jazz history. Overall, "Jazz in American Culture" is extremely readable, and very informative. Its topic can certainly be explored in greater depth, but Peretti's book is a concise overview of a complex and still emerging area of study.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to America's History of Jazz, March 26, 2000

By 

Joan McMillin - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jazz in American Culture (American Ways Series) (Paperback)

Jazz in American Culture was the first book I purchased in hopes of developing a background of jazz music and artists -- and how it related to our culture.

The book has an excellent outline of the history of jazz in the US with brief portions about many influential artists; major occurances in our jazz history; and the different styles of jazz (and what critics thought of them).

Although it wasn't a book that I started and couldn't put down, it was still good and worth a read.