Jazz: A Beginner's Guide

Beginner's Guide (Oneworld Publications)

by Stuart Nicholson

This definitive guide includes a unique chapter-by-chapter playlist for the reader.

A Beginner’s Guide is a lively and highly accessible introduction to a global musical phenomenon. Award-winning music journalist and author Stuart Nicholson takes the reader on an entertaining journey from jazz's early stirrings in America’s south through to the present day, when almost every country in the world has its own vibrant jazz scene.

En route we meet a host of jazz heroes past and present, from Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Miles Davis, to Keith Jarrett and Kamasi Washington. Each chapter is accompanied by a playlist designed to provide a stimulating and enjoyable entry point to what has been described as the most exciting art form of all.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2017

Reviews

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title suggests, this is an introductory book.

I went through it rather quickly. I had expected it to be more of a "history" of jazz rather than a breakdown of the music. The best part of the book was the songs recommended to listen to, which were accompanied by "listening notes." I would suggest going to youtube and listen to the songs and read the listening notes. That part of the book was very helpful to understanding jazz through individual songs.

I read this book on my Nook and it was very reasonably priced at Barnes & Noble for download.

[Mat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped me connect the dots on different jazz sub-genres and get some context on how they came about. I've particularly enjoyed the "Modern" and "Change" chapters and one could argue they deserved even more attention in comparison to the early jazz and the big band era. The most recent jazz scene explosion in London, Chicago and LA isn't covered - perhaps because the book was published in 2017 when it only started getting traction. One of the best things about the book are the playlists accompanied by the author's notes on what to pay attention to.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway and would like to thank the author, publisher and Goodreads for my free copy.

When I received the book, it wasn't quite what I expected- it appeared more to be a small text book. However, upon reading the first few pages I found the author's tone very friendly and approachable, not text book at all.

Sadly, I found I am not as interested as I initially thought I may be (please forgive a person who had just watched La La Land and entered this competition oddly inspired by the music of the film!) However, I still found this book engaging and interesting, therefore, if you are looking to expand your knowledge of jazz, this book will definitely be a great help to you. It contains information on the different forms of Jazz and explores the changes it's gone through throughout the decades as well as a whole host of other interesting facts and many useful listening notes (which I feel is a lovely touch). This book was an enjoyable and informative introduction to Jazz.

[Nguyen Hanh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I looked for in a book about Jazz. While most books about Jazz history I found just has nice hard cover picking up some big names in the timeline with great black and white photos and some song suggestions, this book by Stuart Nicholson offers me the most exciting journey through jazz’s history, covering from the music’s structure and rhythm, its historical context and important figures of each era. Never have had so much fun having a glas of wine going through chapter by chapter and listening to his suggested playlist with his scholar and artful review. I am a big fan of jazz and always enjoy listening to jazz music. However, the book has enlightened my view of jazz and taken my passion for jazz music to the next level. The book is worth more than its cover price. Definitely my favorite pick this year :)

[Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit music theory and a little bit history, this truly is a beginner's guide. The best thing about the book, by far, are the music playlists along with track by track observations. I give the book four stars based on those alone. They introduced me to some new music that I really enjoyed and probably would not have discovered otherwise. As with any overview this brief and broad, you can quibble with the selections, including what gets skipped and (arguably) what gets overemphasized. Still, I wish that there were more books with these kind of playlists. Recommended for both jazz newcomers and those looking to expand their horizons a little.

[maryam :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read! Eye opening on the evolution of jazz

[narwhal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, concise primer and overview stretching from New Orleans all the way to glocalization. Sometimes gets a bit heavy with references to discography that bogs you down but overall good.