What to Listen For in Jazz [Paperback]

Mr. Barry Kernfeld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 1997

Barry Kernfeld provides an introduction to jazz, discussing its musical concepts, procedures and styles, providing the background to this musical art. The book is organized around 21 historical jazz recordings - from the New Orleans Rhythm Kings' "Tin Roof Blues" (1923) to Ornette Coleman's "Honeymooners" (1987) - that are analyzed in the text and included in a free compact disc that accompanies the book. The author draws from these musical works to illustrate jazz rhythm, forms, arrangement, composition, improvization, style, and sound (recording fidelity, tuning systems, instrumentation, and timbre). Included in the book are 85 notated music examples keyed to the compact disc and a biographical dictionary of musicians who figure prominently on the disc. By laying out musical ideas that unify the genre, rather than by splintering it along stylistic lines, this book offers a method for enhancing enjoyment and understanding of jazz. This should be a useful resource for students and general listeners who wish to know more about this musical form.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In what must be one of the most useful descriptive studies of jazz, Kernfeld focuses on analyzing the music's basic elements and showing how the music's foundations have been shaped and changed during each stage of its evolution. A useful and enjoyable accompanying compact disc exemplifies and diligent transcriptions illustrate Kernfeld's explanations of how rhythm, arrangement, and form operate in specific significant musical passages, and Kernfeld also discusses the different kinds of improvisation, commenting interestingly about the uses of contrasting sounds in live and recorded performances. He opens such time-honored standards as Sonny Rollins' "St. Thomas" and Charles Mingus' "Fables of Faubus" up to illuminating investigations, and his quick introduction to the various styles of jazz--from New Orleans to fusion--is particularly handy. Students and fans alike have much to gain from thoroughly reading this incisive guide; indeed, so do professional critics humble enough to admit that they probably don't know all this stuff already. Aaron Cohen --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 268 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press; Bk & CD edition (October 20, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300072597
• ISBN-13: 978-0300072594
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-written and practical, February 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: What to Listen For in Jazz (Paperback)

If, like me, you know a little about Jazz (but not much), and you're looking for a way to broaden your knowledge, this is the book you want.

Kernfeld focuses on the basics. He uses 22 landmark recordings (provided on the accompanying CD)to illustrate the points he makes. The six chapters of the book deal with rhythm, forms, arrangement, composition, improvisation and sound. In the course of reading the book, you revisit the same composition several times, each time focusing on a different excerpt from it. When Kernfeld talks about backbeats, syncopation and blue notes, he explains what he means!

This book is a must-have! (A useful accompaniment to this book -though not essential- is "How to read music" by Terry Burrows, another book/cd combination.)

Note: The accompanying CD features tracks by Miles Davis ('round midnight), Billy Holiday ( georgia on my mind), Louis Armstrong (hotter than that), Duke Ellington (ko-ko, trumpet no end), Jelly Roll Morton (black bottom stomp) and Thelonious Monk (misterioso). Others on the cd include Dizzy Gillespie, Weather report, Herbie Hancock, Sun Ra, Coleman Hawkins, Earl "Fatha" Hines and Charlie Mingus.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting but flawed in format, July 14, 2000

By 

B. Sloane "dotalbon" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: What to Listen For in Jazz (Paperback)

There is some valuable stuff in Kernfeld's book; I enjoyed particularly the section on the historical evolution of jazz styles. Kernfeld obviously knows his subject well. However, I found his organization lacking. Including a CD with selections by jazz greats to illustrate his points was a fine idea; but the text should have been divided up so that the cuts on the CD could be listened to in conjunction with full text descriptions in the same order -- something about the personnel playing, why the cut is significant historically, and comments on what we're listening to. Instead, Kernfeld scatters the references to the different tracks throughout the text and this makes it much more laborious for the listener/reader. My second gripe is with the idiot at the publishing house (I presume it wasn't Kernfeld) who thought it would be cute to use a tiny (maybe ten point) pseudo-artsy type face for the entire text. Come on folks -- not every book has to be set in Times Roman, but this isn't even remotely a book face. It gave me a headache after three pages.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction, December 6, 2001

By 

Christo "montxsuz" (Vancouver, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What to Listen For in Jazz (Paperback)

Mr Kernfield is definitely an authority on jazz. I also own the "New grove Dictionary of Jazz", which he edited. "What to listen for in jazz" is well-written, though it can be hard going if you're not familiar with all the musical jargon.

The book is accompanied by a CD containing a rich selection of songs, covering many decades and many styles. Unfortuantely, some songs are excerpts (for example John Coltrane's Ascension). Excerpts of the notation of the songs are printed in the book. For example, I found enough about Weather Report's Birdland to understand the structure of the song well enough for my purposes.

I also found the book to be well organised. The chapters cover rhythm, forms, arrangement, composition, improvisation, sound and style. The appendices feature a discography and biographical sketches of some musicians, and there is also a good index.

If you read this book along with Aaron Copland's "What to listen for in music, you will not only learn heaps more about music, but you will enjoy your music heaps more.