Jazz For Dummies, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

Dirk Sutro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 5, 2006

Includes a list of more than 100 recordings for your jazz collection


The fun and easy way to explore the world of jazz

Jazz is America's greatest music, but with over a century's worth of styles and artists, where do you begin? Relax! This hep cat's guide delivers the scoop on the masters and their music -- from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker to Wynton Marsalis. It's just what you need to tune in to the history and musical structure of jazz and become a more savvy listener.

Discover how to
* Understand the traits and roots of jazz
* Tune in to jazz styles, from big band to bebop
* Listen to great jazz artists
* Catch a live jazz performance
* Succeed in a jazz ensemble

Praise for Jazz For Dummies

"Now you can finally know about one of . . . America's greatest contributions to world culture."
--Jon Faddis, jazz trumpeter

"Fun to read. . . . An important stepping stone to understanding this complex and profound music."
--James Moody, jazz saxophonist

"Dirk Sutro is madly in love with jazz and . . . he knows what he's talking about."
--"Chubby" Jackson, jazz bassist

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Includes a list of more than 100 recordings for your jazz collection

The fun and easy way to explore the world of jazz

Jazz is America's greatest music, but with over a century's worth of styles and artists, where do you begin? Relax! This hep cat's guide delivers the scoop on the masters and their music — from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker to Wynton Marsalis. It's just what you need to tune in to the history and musical structure of jazz and become a more savvy listener.

Discover how to

• Understand the traits and roots of jazz
• Tune in to jazz styles, from big band to bebop
• Listen to great jazz artists
• Catch a live jazz performance
• Succeed in a jazz ensemble

Praise for Jazz For Dummies

"Now you can finally know about one of . . . America's greatest contributions to world culture."
—Jon Faddis, jazz trumpeter

"Fun to read. . . . An important stepping stone to understanding this complex and profound music."
—James Moody, jazz saxophonist

"Dirk Sutro is madly in love with jazz and . . . he knows what he's talking about."
—"Chubby" Jackson, jazz bassist

About the Author

Dirk Sutro is a writer and jazz lover based in Encinitas, California. He’s covered jazz for more than 20 years. As host of The Lounge on KPBS-FM public radio in San Diego from 1999 to 2004, Dirk interviewed jazz musicians including Arthur Blythe, Don Byron, Holly Hofmann, Lee Konitz, Mundell Lowe, Bennie Maupin, Steve Lacy, Joe Lovano, Charles McPherson, Sam Rivers, and Mike Wofford. He was the jazz critic for the San Diego edition of the Los Angeles Times from 1988 to 1992 and is the author of two books about architecture: West Coast Wave: New California Houses and San Diego Architecture from Missions to Modern. He currently serves as program promotion manager for the Department of Music at the University of California, San Diego. He’s a graduate of U.C. Berkeley (BA in English) and San Diego State University (MS in Mass Communications).

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 2 edition (July 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471768448
• ISBN-13: 978-0471768449
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,711 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great for neophytes!, April 9, 2008

By 

Alejandro Meza Barros (Santiago, Chile) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jazz For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I don't intend to become a jazz player, but I am curious about the underlying layers of this fascinating style of music. This book has not only driven me to a deeper understanding of the origins and of technical aspects of the jazz, but has indeed provided me with a better appreciation of it.
After reading this book I just want more jazz!

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Extremely uneven and often frustrating, April 16, 2008

By 

Christopher Culver - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jazz For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

Dirk Sutro's JAZZ FOR DUMMIES aims to introduce the genre to neophytes. It unfortunately suffers from the flaws of both a kitchen-sink approach, padding the book with irrelevant material, and some major oversights. Note that with the second edition the book no longer comes with a CD.

Sutro covers the major jazz figures from the hazy beginnings in New Orleans up to Miles Davis' proteges. I was aghast, however, to see Sutro completely overlook the ECM scene. How can you write a general introduction to jazz without mentioning Keith Jarrett or Jan Garbarek, two of the best-selling jazz artists from the 1970s on? He mentions Wynton Marsalis, but none of the controversy over his strict definition of jazz and exclusion of non-African-Americans from the canon. There are also some factual errors here, as when he claims that Schoenberg, Webern and Berg pioneered microtonal writing, setting the way for a strain of jazz, when in fact the innovation of the Second Viennese School was using 12-tone rows with only semitone steps.

The section on building up a jazz collection is better, with a list of recommended recordings and some pointers to audio equipment. However, some of its advice is lame. In talking about buying headphones, for instance, Sutro says "Ask the salesperson at the local audio store which headphones are best for your needs," when the salesperson is probably just going to recommend whatever gets him the most commission.

While most people buying JAZZ FOR DUMMIES will undoubtedly be music listeners who want to find inroads to this important but sometimes difficult genre, too much of the book is dedicated to jazz performance and recording and sales techniques. In a difficult market for record sells, would anyone be willing to take the advice of a book like this and an author with no experience in the field for how to market his music? Finally, an entire chapter is dedicated to how to play jazz to impress your friends at parties, and I hate to see this great music used for such snobbish reasons when it is so fascinating for its musical value.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz for Dummies - Great Book, December 4, 2010

By 

Jack R Erlinger - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jazz For Dummies, 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This book was assigned for a college class I took, but it is a great overview of Jazz for anyone interested.