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Title: Jazz: A History of America's Music by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns, Levar Burton ISBN: 0375416420 Publisher: Bantam Books-Audio Pub. Date: 07 November, 2000 Format: Audio CD Volumes: 8 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.71
Rating: 5
Summary: Beautiful
Comment: This is a wonderful book. First of all, it is well-written. Ward draws the reader into the life of jazz greats by making judicious use of first person accounts. He weaves their lives and stories into a broader sociohistorical context, showing, for example, how racism and economic poverty shape, and are shaped by, the music. The beautiful pictures and overall format help provide a compelling sense of the time and drama presented in the narrative. There is a lot of new information in the text even for seasoned jazz veterans. Yet the writing, and stories, are accessible to newcomers to the music.
Ignore the petty sniping by some of the reviewers complaining about the abbreviated treatment that jazz from the last 40 years receives. This is a book which aims to provide a panorama of jazz AND society. So the focus, understandably, is on those musicians who have had the greatest impact on American culture (e.g., Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Miles Davis). Just hearing those names immediately evokes a certain place and time in American history. Sadly, many jazz musicians of the past 40 years have chosen to marginalize the music: the names "Lester Bowie" and "Pharoah Sanders" don't resonate for the public-at-large because, and this may be hard to take for some, the influence and popularity of the so-called avant-garde outside of the jazz intelligensia is minimal.
The purpose of this book is to present a history of America's music. It overwhelmingly succeeds. I don't think the music has ever received a finer treatment in print.
Rating: 3
Summary: Out of Burns' league, I'm afraid.
Comment: Burns has crafted a highly successful documentary career based on his own personal style and approach to presenting history, but he is clearly out of his depth in this beautifully illustrated but sadly unbalanced work on jazz. While they are certainly giants in their field, there is much more to the incredibly complex and multi-faceted world of jazz music than Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, who seemingly intrude on every page of Burns' misguided essay. Breaththrough artists such as Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and other "difficult" musicians are glossed over, and innovators such as John Coltrane and Miles Davis are sadly underrepresented given the scope of their influence. All in all, Burns seems to see jazz as a triumph of the mainstream rather than the rebellion against established norms that truly defines what the music is all about.
The photographs are undoubtedly beautiful, and many have had rare circulation in the last century. For graphic presentation alone, the book rates three stars. But Burns' overall viewpoint is ultimately a cozy, yuppie-class look at a music that defies and transcends his eagerness to rein it in into a neat, tidy narrative.
Seductively rendered, disappointingly researched.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great Book Abrupt Ending
Comment: This is a lavish book. Great pictures and stories about the founding fathers of jazz, particularly Louis Armstorng and Duke Ellington and how they affected and were affected by historical events. This also gives a lot of insight about earlier jazz artists who are not as popular today but still important.
What bothers me the most about this book is that it seems to abruptly end at about 1955-1960. Admittedly jazz becomes harder to cover as styles branch out and diversify. However, I am a big Miles Davis fan and I was greatly disappointed by the coverage of Miles and artists of the last 50 years. A lot of sniping in the book from artists about other artists. I'm more interested in the stories behind the music.
That said, this is a great book about jazz up to 1955, but it runs into a brick wall and stops. This series is good in that it will get people interested in all type of jazz again but there is a lot more than what this book covers.
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Title:Ken Burns's Jazz: The Story of American Music ASIN: B000050HVG Publisher: Sony Pub. Date: 14 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $59.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $53.99 |
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Title: The Oxford Companion to Jazz by Bill Kirchner ISBN: 019512510X Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: October, 2000 List Price(USD): $49.95 |
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Title:The Best Of Ken Burns Jazz ASIN: B000050HVJ Publisher: Sony Pub. Date: 07 November, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.98 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $12.99 |
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Title: The History of Jazz by Ted Gioia ISBN: 019512653X Publisher: Oxford University Press Pub. Date: December, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Penguin Guide to Jazz on Cd (Penguin Guide to Jazz on Cd, 5th Ed) by Richard Cook, Brian Morton ISBN: 014051452X Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: February, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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