Reviews for The jazz and blues lover's guide to the U. S

The average rating for The jazz and blues lover's guide to the U. S based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-08-23 00:00:00 Robert Mcdougal A very good read if you've listened to jazz, like it, and already have a bit of background knowledge. If this is going to be your introduction to jazz, then perhaps this isn't the place to start, as there's a fair bit of name dropping and music notation/theory that can be intimidating. It's well written and a joy to read; it balances biography, a little music theory/jargon, social history, etc. I found it really absorbing. However, I also listened to music most of the way through in order to give the text a bit more color. I now have a much better grasp of the nuances of different jazz idioms, and, of course, I know A LOT more about the history of jazz. Critics writing about jazz write in a similar style of a wine connoisseur. I don't have any background in music theory, so I read a bit faster over those entries. Luckily, Gioia limits his use of jazz vernacular and it's easy to take it all in, so don't be put off by that. You'll get used to it over time. My only complaint is that text is printed in the top and bottom margins, making it irritating to read through the first 100 pages or so until you get used to such small margins. On a positive note, the paper was nice crispy to handle and 388 pages is actually way more since they stuffed the margins. The extra resources in the back bring the page count of to 445ish. The Notes and Recommended Listening are a good place to start as far as what to tackle next. If you don't care to read all the way through, the Index is quite extensive, so you can pick and choose. Over all, an excellent resource you can refer to now and again if you have more than a passing interest in jazz.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-11-17 00:00:00 Nasser Al Amiri This book helped me consolidate my understanding of the development of jazz. The book strikes a good balance between breadth and depth. Keep your iPod handy while reading.