Jazz for Dummies [Paperback]

Dirk Sutro (Author), Barney Kessel (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: For Dummies (Computer/Tech) | Publication Date: September 16, 1998

Every jazz lover’s got his or her favorites. For some, it’s John Coltrane’s breathy, bitter-sweat ballad, “Naima.” For others, it’s Duke Ellington’s hard-jiving swing opus “Take the A Train.” Then there’s Miles Davis’s epic-making Kind of Blue, the improv tour de force in which Miles, Trane, and Cannonball trade solos and achieve sheer melodic transcendence. Whether you like it hip or mellow, hot or cool, Dixieland or avant garde, jazz is a vast and many-faceted sound space (and soul space) that you could spend a lifetime exploring. And it couldn’t hurt to have a savvy guide like former Los Angeles Times jazz critic and author Dirk Sutro to help you navigate its many depths and riches.

In Jazz For Dummies, Sutro takes you deep into the history and soulful sounds of jazz. From Sachmo to Bird, Mingus to Weather Report, you get a rare behind-the-scenes look at the masters and their music, and you:

• Get the lowdown on jazz, firsthand, from today’s greats
• Get inside the different types of jazz—from big band to bee-bop to funk
• Get a handle on the concepts, terms, and conventions that distinguish jazz from other forms of music
• Get a perspective on the history of jazz
• Put together a fine jazz collection of your own
• Recognize the key characteristics of particular players’ sounds

Whether you’re getting into jazz for the first time or you’re been in the scene for years, Jazz For Dummies is a treasure trove of facts, insights, and guidance on:

• One hundred years of jazz—from Dixieland to fusion and beyond
• Great front men and women, on sax, trumpet vocals
• Keyboard geniuses of jazz from ragtime to the present
• Percussionists, bassists, and guitarists of note
• Shopping for jazz recordings and finding live jazz in your area

The bonus CD features a sampling of vintage recordings, including cuts by Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Art Tatum, and others.

Your swingin’ guide to the world of jazz, Jazz For Dummies lets you tune into the different jazz styles and help you become a more savvy listener.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dirk Sutro, obviously, is madly in love with jazz and its foremost players. It is also more than obvious that he knows what he's talking about." —"Chubby" Jackson, jazz bassist

"When asked, "What is Jazz?" the great Louis Armstrong replied, 'If you have to ask, you'll never know.' With Jazz For Dummies, now you can know one of...America's greatest contributions to world culture." —Jon Faddis, jazz trumpeter

"Dirk Sutro has done an excellent job of conveying to the layman the intricacies and subtle nuances involved in the playing of jazz music. Well done!" —Charles McPherson, jazz saxophonist and composer

"Not only is Jazz For Dummies educational, it's fun to read. This book provides an important stepping stone to understanding this complex, profound music. After all, Jazz is America's only true art form. It's about time someone did Jazz For Dummies. Thanks to Dirk Sutro...It's here! —James Moody, jazz saxophonist

Jazz For Dummies is clear, concise, and a accurate look at the jazz scene, a major step in demystifying the music and making it more accessible. Long overdue, if you could have just one book about jazz, this should be the one." —Bobby Matos, Latin jazz recording artist, percussionist, leader of Bobby Matos & the Afro Cuban Jazz Ensamble

From the Back Cover

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

• Your Swingin' Guide to the World of Jazz — from New Orleans to Bebop to Fusion to Acis Jazz
• Hear the Lowdown on the Jazz Scene Through Interviews with the Masters
• Expert Recommendations for Building Your Own Cool Collection

"Not only is Jazz For Dummies educational, it's fun to read. This book provides 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

Get into the Swing of Jazz...
Written in style that's as hip as the music itself, this ever-so-copacetic guide lays down the rich history and soulful sounds of jazz. Take a behind-the-scene look at the masters and their music — from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker to Wynton Marsalis. Tune into the different jazz styles and become a more savvy listener. Whether you're getting into the rhythm for the first time or a hep cat solid in the scene, Jazz For Dummies will keep you bopping!

Stay in the Groove

• Get the lowdown firsthand from today's freats
• Appreciate the different types of jazz — from the big bands to funk jazz
• Assemble your own library of great jazz music
• Keep those fingers snappin' — recommended online and newsstand jazz resources
• Treat your ears to some of the hottest jazz on CD

Exclusive CD Feature Many of the Coolest Jazz Tunes Ever Recorded!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies (September 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764550810
• ISBN-13: 978-0764550812
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of notes; short on melody., December 17, 2000

By 

Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jazz for Dummies (Paperback)

As refreshing as the "Dummies" series can be, its limitations often become readily apparent when its reductive approach is applied to the arts and humanities. I purchased this text planning to give it to a friend who does not share let alone understand my passion for jazz. Now I wish I'd exercised more judicious consumer restraint. This is a book for those who are curious about some of the many "names" of jazz as well as a brush-up on historical periods and musical styles. But it's of little help in explaining how to listen to this difficult, challenging music, or even what to listen to.

With respect to the latter criticism, one or two examples should serve. Duke Ellington, arguably the greatest American composer and all-around American musician, is represented by a couple of off-beat recordings in which he agreed to perform with Charles Mingus and John Coltrane. And the most beloved, revered, inarguably influential recording of the last 50 years--Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue"--is not even included among the authors' list of essential recordings.

From years of experience, I've learned that it's insufficient to overwhelm jazz neophytes with hundreds of names of musicians. Nor does it help younger listeners to learn that a bebop tune is based on Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm." Even playing a Charlie Parker solo for most listeners simply makes no impression. Great thoughtfulness, selectivity, and ingenuity are required to communicate the essence of this profound, beautiful American art form.

For those who want all the names, check out Leonard Feather's "Encyclopedia of Jazz." For those who want a clearer perspective on the 5-6 musicians who count most as well as better understanding of musical form, improvisation, and stylistic distinctions, try Mark Gridley's "Jazz Styles" (or catch a lecture by Wynton Marsalis). This "Dummies" edition I would regard as an occasionally convenient reference tool, but I can't think of anyone I'd give it to.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Waste of a bonus CD, November 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Jazz for Dummies (Paperback)

The nicest aspect of this book is it's accompanied with a 10-song CD, including great tunes such as Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West" and Miles Davis' "Oleo." But the author doesn't say much about these pieces. I personally would've loved to see some detailed annotaion about the song structure, instruments, melodic development, etc.

In fact, Sutro is mostly interested in names. He spends only about 5-10 pages on what constitutes jazz: swing, improv, and so on. This is what I wanted more of. I want to listen to a piece of music and have someone whisper in my ear "notice the synocpated the beat here." I also would like a clearer description of the differences between historical periods. How does hard bop differ from bebop? Sutro gives me some names in each group, but he doesn't help me to *hear* the difference. Why not use the bonus CD to help us out here?

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place to Start, August 26, 2004

By 

Bruce Gerhardt (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Jazz for Dummies (Paperback)

Both the accolades and criticisms of the reviews above are accurate. As someone new to jazz, I wanted to hear some examples of what makes jazz unique - such as syncopation, emphasis on chords, and slurred notes. The CD does not deliver this, but neither does any other introduction to jazz that I could find. The closest thing is the PBS web site for Ken Burns' Jazz, which has a virtual piano that morphs "Mary Had a Little Lamb" from the nursery rhyme tune into a jazz version, step by step.

The author's emphasis on performers and "names" is true, but all music is developed by people. Jazz (more so than other music types) has evolved from the performers and their personalities. The different eras of jazz seem to be best explained by the creative changes of people playing it. Jazz as a whole today seems to be strongly influenced by the major figures of the past, such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, and Thelonius Monk. Understanding these types of figures, and the others who have been influenced by them, explains a lot about the development of jazz. There are some omissions in the book that seem to be common from the jazz "elite", for example Glenn Miller. While maybe not the best performer of big band swing jazz, he certainly was one of the most popular.

If you are interested in jazz, want to know more about it and the people who made it what it is, this book is a good place to start. After that, let your own taste be your guide as to where you go next.