Jazz: From its Origins to the Present
Entertaining and well-written, this one-volume comprehensive history of jazz contains musical examples expansive enough so that students who do not read music will not be inhibited. Accurate and respectful of the industry's greatest artists, it combines general chapters on the history of jazz with more detailed treatment (i.e., biographies and contributions) of certain key figures. A good deal of attention is given to important solos, and the authors attempt to suggest the world from which the music emerged.