美國爵士樂全攻略

by John F. Szwed

耶魯大學等長春藤各校指家教材附贈歐洲進口爵士CD乙張(76分鐘) 獲國家藝術基金會補助出版，優良學術讀物. 爵士樂被認為是美國唯一的原創藝術形式，卻也是我們在二十一世紀才重新發掘與理解的新興現象之一。..美國爵士樂全攻略..（Jazz 101）是引導入門者、初學者、好奇者、愛樂者進入爵士樂世界的絕佳窗口。美國耶魯大學的約翰．史威玆（John F. Szwed）教授將在這本廣為長春藤名校指定使用的入門書中，替讀者逐一分析這種迷人音樂的歷史、風格、精神、發展、迷思。史威玆教授將帶領讀者航行在多元化、非線性的奇異歷史觀裡，並一同探索爵士樂如何從種族色彩濃厚的庶民音樂，一躍成為美國最早期的流行音樂，甚至成為西方前衛藝術運動的一環。爵士樂這些傲人的成就卻在五十年內就達成。另外，史威玆教授也提供犀利的見解與評論，以釐清爵士樂如何改變世人看待音樂的態度，像他就曾在書中提及：「當爵士樂在第一次世界大戰期間首度傳佈到巴黎時，音樂鑑賞家感到一致的震驚：爵士樂不只是音樂上的形式，同時也是肢體、視覺、社會、情緒上的藝術表達。」此外，本書提供的爵士樂全覽也包括： ◎爵士樂主要的風格形式，以及二十世紀傑出樂手的簡介 ◎爵士樂的根基與源流，其中包括來自歐洲與非洲的影響 ◎延伸聆聽的建議清單，再加上關於爵士樂歌手、唱片廠牌、網路資源、電影、評鑑指南、延伸閱讀等的精美附錄 ◎美國爵士樂全攻略在史威玆教授深入淺出且語帶幽默的流暢筆鋒下，是本適合各種程度樂迷的工具書，並是理解與欣賞爵士樂的重要參考資料。

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Unfinished, Art

372 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Connie G · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is an overview of jazz history, including the types of jazz and the most important jazz musicians. Most chapters included several sidebars with suggestions of appropriate recordings for listening. I found YouTube to be a wonderful resource . If the reader takes the time to listen to some of the musicians highlighted, they will benefit much more from their reading.

[David Rubenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

They say that writing about music is a bit like dancing about architecture. It just doesn't translate well, and that certainly is the case for this book. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Grover Gardner. While the narration is very good, you might expect that some musical examples could be played in the auudiobook, but that is not done here. I guess that it would have required permissions for excerpts to be played. I guess it doesn't matter too much, as many--maybe even most--of the musical examples can be found on YouTube. However, it would have been much more convenient to have musical excerpts played in the audiobook.

Anyway, this is a broad look at the firmament of jazz, over the past hundred years or so. And while the book tries to convey the underlying principles of jazz and its various styles of performance, it seems at times like a compendium of musician names. Some of the great jazz musicians are discussed in some depth, but at other times it is simply a list of names of people who played various styles. And, while the author attempted to define the various styles, doing so in words just is not really as useful as even a quick listen.

[Michael Pronko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any intro to jazz is going to disappoint some jazz lover somehow, but Szwed does better than most all other writers in getting down to the basics in clear language for the beginning jazz listener, and jazz thinker. I use excerpts from this in classes about American culture, where students have only the vaguest idea of what jazz could be. It works a trick! The way of explaining very complex musical concepts in accessible language is a wonder and a great help. This book is not just a guide, but it gets through the thicket of pretentious nonsense that often surrounds jazz, to make the music learnable and lovable to a vast array of potential listeners. As a long-time jazz lover, and educator and writer about jazz, I, too, found much in here to make understand the music more deeply. Essential.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not expecting much from this book as it bills itself as "Jazz 101" and I'm fairly knowledgeable in Jazz but my thoughts are always along the lines of "if I can learn one or two things that I didn't know before then it was worth my time".

I did learn a few things so I will give it three stars but as expected this book is really for a more novice jazz listener and I would call the book more of a history of jazz then a Jazz 101 book.

It accomplished what I thought it would and am glad I read it but it wasn't revolutionary.

[Jayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author begins with a wonderful disclaimer that gives the reader the proper expectation for how to interpret the information within. The first part of the book describes basics of jazz music: elements of its sound, musical composition, etc. I found this the most interesting part of the book. The rest continues into a dense history of jazz. Often hard to get through, mostly due to the criticisms I describe later, in the end I was very happy I read it. Now when I hear the artists or styles he described, there's a certain familiarity. "Aha! I've heard of stride piano!"

Overall, it was easy to read, but the asides with details on each artist/point were just too distracting. I eventually stopped reading those, continuing instead with only the main text. However, the primary flaw with this or any academic book on musical topics is the missing element of sound. He tries hard to describe musical concepts or artistic styles, but as truly a student at a "jazz 101" level of knowledge, I had a hard time grasping the musical sensibilities described in text. Better would have been an accompanying CD with snippets of examples, which could have been referred to via footnotes: a far better use of those, might I add, than what he did refer to which were catalog references in some library of music I'll never get to.

Otherwise, an author who is obviously highly educated in jazz and many other realms of music has produced a useful collection of information for non- or novice-musicians hoping to expand their appreciation of jazz into the next level.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really a 101 of the music but certainly a very good history of the genre.

Music, being another language, doesn't always translate well into words especially when it is as complex and intellectual as jazz can be. The language used in this book is often very technical, rendering it difficult to grasp for the novice or indeed anyone without a good understanding of musical notation, structure and theory. Not everyone who listens to jazz, or plays an instrument for that matter, has this level of knowledge.
However , the book is more than redeemed on all other points. Firstly, by the addition of separate notes, aside from the main text, that recommend tracks that exemplify the style or innovation being discussed and also, in that it is as comprehensive and thorough history of jazz in all it's myriad styles and developments, as you could hope to find, omitting only a few of the major players but then venturing into discussing areas in which jazz has influenced other genres, name dropping the likes of Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Igor Stravinsky and Dmitri Shostakovich.
So, in summary a book more suited for those who already like jazz rather than those who are looking for a "Jazz for Dummies".
Four stars

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very smart book written by a very smart man and these brief comments will fail to do either of them justice. Szwed argues that because so many different forms of music evolved from southern and ultimately African music, it is all jazz, it is just that fusion, standards, swing, remixes, bebop, and other tributaries are not always recognized as jazz. This makes inarguable sense, though many will no doubt mount a failing argument. The final answer is that there is no where to draw the line and say that on the left side is bebop and the right side is jazz because too many works and players straddle the line. The book explores the history of all of these forms mostly without judgement and shows the connections. A fault for me, and it may not be for you, is the jargon required to fully understand Szwed's explanations. I know the meaning of harmony, for example, but I am not as clear on harmonics. Many similar phrases are used throughout. Those who are more musically astute will get more out of this book. Another fault, built into the writing of any book about music, is that reading about music is different than hearing the music. To compensate for this, each chapter ends with recommendations of CDs that may be bought, or these days downloaded, that audibly illustrate the points made about the artists discussed.

Look, I don't like jazz and perhaps I never will, but this book gave me a handle on its history and a way to explore it farther should I choose. Highly recommended.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent overview of jazz for newbies who want to take the next step. Be aware that it reads like a textbook and is quiet dry at times, even as it's full of good information.

[SD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best way to read the paperback book is with a readily available smart phone. As I read the book, I googled the composers or compositions described in the text. With the smart phone wifi connection, I listened to the musical selections critiqued in the book. Listening to the compositions while reading the book brought the music and musicians to life. While I recommend the book to jazz enthusiast or casual listeners of jazz, the book reads like a text book. While I enjoyed the historical information on the compositions, composers and performers, reading the book was slow and tedious. A comprehensive historical text.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Complete” is a bit of a a stretch. More like a drop in the bucket guide to starting to get your head around the history of jazz in [almost exclusively] the United States.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Does what I expected: helped organize stuff in my mind better, and pointed the way towards some music I might like. Szwed does a good job of pointing out the blurriness of subgenre boundaries. I always appreciate that. For example, I never did understand what "hard bop" or "modal" is supposed to mean, and now I have both a better idea of what those words are used for, and at the same time I am more confident that these definitions aren't so fixed and don't really matter anyway. Szwed is white and has a nice, inclusive stance about race and jazz (both the music itself and the musicians and audiences) without whitewashing what is first and foremost an African-American art form. Szwed also has no problem giving equal time to the heavy, pretentious stuff at one end and things like acid-jazz at the other, without equating masterpieces like Coltrane's best to goofball jazzy projects like Cherry Poppin' Daddies. This was a fun book to read on my lunch breaks, but I needed a pen and paper to jot down the artists and albums I wanted to look for in the public library.

[Gary Geiger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to as an audiobook. It would've been better with musical examples, but I found it to be a good supplement to a Great Coursse that I listened to on jazz by Bill Messenger.

[Fuzzy Cow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jazz is an elusive art. What it is most known for is evolution and improvisation, however the main way that most listen to music these days is via a recording (be it on streaming, CD or vinyl). It is not considered pop music, but to ignore it's influence on pop music is ignorance, for it was the music of it's time and had a hardcore following to day. With that said, if you are not in the culture already, how would anyone attempt to develop an understanding for this brand of music? John F. Szwed offers an option. In this book, he goes through a history of jazz, breaking it's evolution into distinct sub-genres and highlights the major players of those scenes. He also provides recordings, either songs or albums, that we the audience can refer to for examples (it's hard to learn about music without listening to it).

I am no jazz scholar, but I did find this book to be interesting. The preamble proves that Szwed can write well enough to hold my interest, however his real strength is Part II to the end of the book. In Part I, he tries to define jazz and breakdown his plans for the future of the book. Unfortunately, defining jazz proves unprofitable. However, as we delve into the eras and the genres that define jazz, definition breeds into enthusiasm. The characters portraits care almost exclusively about music, focusing on what Szwed believes these people added to the field. This leads into a very focused look at the music, highlighting how it evolved and what it inherited from the previous genre. You can feel jazz developing as you continue reading, and this is the strength of the book.

But jazz is complicated, and it's impossible to ignore that much of interpreting an ever changing art has some reflection of the author in it. From the start, we should say that this is a book that focuses only on listening side of things. There are brief comments about band make-up and how each member contributes, but this book is not about creating jazz music. Additionally, it feels like there are some strange personal crusades outlined throughout the book. Jazz is undoubtedly a black music, though it is ignorant to say that it is exclusively black. Swed seems to have some feeling about this. He is careful to follow the leaders, but adds a few lesser known white jazz players. Additionally, I think Szwed really like European jazz. It is important to note that America's unique art form stretching it's international wings is a major development. But it feels like he's given up on the local American scene, urging towards the growth coming overseas. I don't know if that's true.

This is a good music book. Clearly the author can write, and shares a passions for listening to jazz music. It's very straightforward and written for the novice to pick up, and quickly reference some jazz greats (understanding what made them great). However, I don't know if it's even handed. Some arguments feel biased, and modern jazz is generally underwhelming. The future of jazz is not secure. It's no longer on top, and modern methods of listening do not play to the strengths of the art form. It's a space to keep an eye on.

[Karmakosmik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Da totale ignorante sul jazz, mi sono approcciato alla sua lettura come punto di partenza per entrare nel misterioso mondo del jazz. Il libro traccia in maniera sommaria l'evoluzione cronologica del jazz dalle prime band da parata, lo stomp ed il ragtime, fino ad arrivare ai giorni nostri, cercando di trovare un tratto distintivo nelle varie fasi che si sono vissute. Utile è soprattutto la presenza di piccoli box nella quale vengono messi in evidenza dei brani o dischi particolari, che ben rappresentano lo stile di un particolare genere o musicista. Ovviamente, data la sua piccola stazza, non è un libro definitivo e certamente molte cose saranno state omesse e mal trattate, ma d'altronde, come dice lo stesso autore, lo stesso jazz è un genere di difficile connotazione e gli stessi grandi autori tendono ad eludere qualsiasi tentativo di catalogazione. Ripeto un buon punto di partenza, da cui poi scegliere un autore od un genere da appronfondire. Personalmente, Mingus e Monk sono stati gli autori che più mi hanno colpito ad un primo e sommario ascolto e probabilmente in futuro acquisterò libri che mi aiuteranno a capire maggiormente questi grandi musicisti.

[Randy Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s easy to criticize this by its title alone—and I thought I might—but I found the book, as a whole, both informative and enjoyable. You’re not really “learning” jazz—but getting an overview, a foundation to proceed from. And as far a “loving” goes, that’s between you and the music. The “101” part is apt, though—meaning, an introductory course, an overview—meant to be the foundation for further leaning and experience. I’ve been listening to Jazz for half a century, but I have my favorites—and there’s lots and lots, volumes, of music I know nothing about. The history of Jazz is so vast and varied that no person could know it all or have heard everything. Even if you had an unlimited budget for music, you wouldn’t have the time. The nice thing about this book is that it gives you recommendations, so you can at least narrow down the vast and varied music out there. For me, I liked hearing about the music from the artists I know about—which added to my love for it. Then based on that, hearing about other artists I’m not familiar with, so that I might continue exploring in those directions.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, accessible, admirable writing style. I am tempted to try to describe it in the way he describes the musical texture of various jazz instrumentalists throughout. I won't here but will say that it is remarkable how he can distinguish and differentiate artists with seemingly novel vocabulary. The scope is incredible and the single author a great boon. The one disappointment I have is likely an inescapable one: where is ____ ??! How could you possibly leave my favourite jazz musician out?

In my case, I was most disappointed to discover no reference to bassists Ray Brown, Niels Henning Orsted Pederson, Christian McBride... Neither is there a reference to Oscar Peterson!

That said, the book introduced me to a new 'non-linear' way of thinking about Jazz history and a whole host and pantheon of lesser jazz celestials that I will spend many years following up. Also, some knowledge to inform my own musicianship.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been really into jazz for the past year or so, and this is a great book to help discover more jazz artists and to learn about the history and different styles. I personally like this just as much as Ted Gioia's "How to Listen to Jazz" book. This gives you a listening guide as you read it. Back when this was written there was no Youtube or Spotify, but now it is really easy to go along and listen to the history of jazz as he writes it. I recommend it to anyone curious about jazz history and don't want to read a huge history book.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you know jazz, there's nothing new here. But even though I just skimmed this more than read it thoroughly, I think this is a good book for people interested in understanding the basics of jazz (hence the 101). There are a bunch of music recommendations with short reviews throughout and I put together a playlist on YouTube that includes most of them. The appendices also provide a wealth of resources for further exploration, though some things are a bit out of date.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost gave up at the beginning but very glad I stuck with it. Succinct and comprehensive (as much as a short book can get) on “periods” of jazz. I think it would be a lot more impactful if the author had prefaced that some intermediate knowledge of music theory is required to fully grasp his content cuz I had to look up several terms to understand what he meant. Would read again, maybe later in life once I know more abt music theory.

[Salem · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's difficult to each music through words, and these were particularly dry words. I'm not sure this was a good entry point or a helpful complement to other books on jazz, so probably best to skip it.

[Joe Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid primer for jazz history. Szwed tries to cover as much as he can, but jazz doesn't lend itself to a neat history. If you want to learn the basics, and catch some solid album recommendations, this is a great starting place

[Kristi Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“As far as playing jazz, no other art form, other than conversation, can give the satisfaction of spontaneous interaction.” Stan Getz

This is an interesting book for someone looking into Jazz for the first time. I wish it had played more of the music in this audiobook but the discography is great. If I were to listen to this again, I would try to stop and find the music, listen and then continue the audiobook.

This book seemed to go into more detail than my great courses on Jazz but I enjoyed that one better because it had listening samples and the instructor was a fine musician himself.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to those with like interests. I borrowed this book from my local library.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome introduction and overview. The audiobook on Hoopla is quite effective (and only 8 hours though it looks like 13).

[Maziyar Khavajiyan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just Perfect!

[Sam Zwiefelhofer · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it was an enjoyable read, I think the book struggles to find an appropriate audience. The brief and relatively un-detailed chapters provide an undemanding introduction to many different eras and genres of the music without overwhelming someone who might be diving into jazz for the first time. By providing a general overview of each style of jazz and focusing on quintessential musicians, Szwed provides an adequate starting point off of which to build. However, his descriptions of musical styles often involve jargon that a non-musician, or a beginner, would not comprehend. He does not provide sufficient definitions of technical music terminology such as “musical texture,” “polyphony,” or “atonal,” to name a few, and he frequently combines these complicated terms together to describe specific artists and styles. While some readers may be familiar with these concepts, I feel that an average beginner would not understand them. On the other hand, this book would not be a good fit for a jazz aficionado either because of the lack of depth into specific genres.

Anyway, if you’re looking for names and records to start with, this could be a good choice.

[RA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good, detailed look at Jazz history. John Szwed discusses a variety of artists & genres.

[Becky L Long · Rating 3 out of 5]

audiobook..... does not deliver on promise of title. have not found a comparable resource yet though.

[Kenya Hudson]

John Szwed's book celebrates the diversity of jazz and jazz styles. Rather than reading out certain musicians or approaches, he reads nearly everyone into the jazz tradition. Consequently, Szwed covers nearly all the jazz styles that are typically excluded from jazz histories (e.g. dixieland, jazz fusion, jazz rock, smooth jazz and European jazz) as well as the mainstream styles. He eschews the narrative that places the birthplace of jazz in New Orleans and emphasizes less than others the paternity of the blues in jazz's birth. Instead, he makes the case for ragtime as the proper predecessor to jazz to the extent one need be found. Most rewarding for the reader is that Szwed focuses on what occurs in the music, why it occurs and how subtle differences (for the uninitiated) can herald the development of a new style. His is the best explanation of the musical difference between swing and bebop that I've read in a jazz history. Jazz 101 often seems to not take seriously the arguments of neotraditionalists in jazz (read: Wynton Marsalis) and spends precious little time on the world variants of jazz beyond europe. Also, it covers jazz vocals in an appendix that removes it from the context of the history and the jazz styles examined earlier. Jazz 101 is not intended as a history so the sense of historical depth one finds in other works like Gioia'sThe History of Jazz is missing. However, it remains a solid work recommended for the person who wants to understand not just what he enjoys, but what he is hearing.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

1241st - 2011

Meskipun mengaku tidak fanatik pada jenis musik tertentu, ada masanya aku keranjingan musik jazz, dan radio pun selalu disetel di KLCBS. Ada masanya aku mengumpulkan kaset dan CD Harry Connick Jr dan Ken Hirai, atau malah yang lawas bin jadul ala Frank Sinatra atau Dean Martin. Tapi sejauh itu saja, tanpa berusaha memahami dan mengenal jazz lebih jauh, sampai mencari buku mengenai asal-usul jazz segala. Setidaknya, buku ini mungkin bisa membuka sedikit cakrawala mengenai musik yang pernah kunikmati untuk menemani acara membaca buku...

[Frank Haug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, I was hoping for more history and cultural analysis, this reads like a more or less chronological list of songs and albums and artists with a little cultural, personality, and contextual commentary, but more focused on the musical aspects of the different genres and artists and albums. It helped me put together a pretty good spotify jazz playlist, but was not super fun or entertaining to read.