Ugly Beauty: Jazz in the 21st Century

by Philip Freeman

What does jazz mean 20 years into the 21st century? Has streaming culture rendered music literally meaningless, thanks to the removal of all context beyond the playlist? Are there any traditions left to explore? Has the destruction of the apprenticeship model (young musicians learning from their elders) changed the music irrevocably? Are any sounds off limits? How far out can you go and still call it jazz? Or should the term be retired? These questions, and many more, are answered in Ugly Beauty, as Phil Freeman digs through his own experiences and conversations with present-day players. Jazz has never seemed as vital as it does right now, and has a genuine role to play in 21st-century culture, particularly in the US and the UK.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2022

About the author

I teach Classics and Celtic studies at Luther College in the beautiful little town of Decorah, Iowa. I did my doctoral work at Harvard and taught at Boston University and Washington University in St. Louis before coming to Luther to help run the Classics department. I love teaching and see my writing as an extension of my work in the classroom. I hope you enjoy the books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Reviews

[Tim Jarrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, comprehensive survey of a lot of the scenes that make up contemporary improvisational music, aka jazz, in the present moment. Would make a pretty good companion to an anthology record.

[Brad Lyerla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jazz is a difficult subject to write about. Freeman has a talent for it. But when it comes to music, descriptive narrative in text is no substitute for listening to the artist in question.

Still, Ugly Beauty is worthwhile. In it, Freeman collects and organizes a great deal of information about new jazz artists who have emerged in the past few decades. Much of this information is not easy to access on one’s own even if one is a dedicated jazz fan.

I especially appreciate his recommendations of recordings that he regards as indispensable. My own jazz collection grew by 20 or so records as a result of Freeman’s suggestions. And I thank him for that.

[Roz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and insightful ride through contemporary improvised music - Freeman lists them all under jazz, regardless if they swing or not - that takes you into crowded New York clubs, sweaty recording sessions and touches on music from everywhere: South Africa, Los Angeles, London and more. He’s seemingly heard everything and what’s more, he knows just about everyone too. In a series of small dispatches (Freeman calls them postcards) that are loosely organized thematically, he goes inside the music and tries to capture the sounds going on. It’s a frequently interesting book and it leaves the reader not only wanting more, but with a helpful playlist of records to seek out and start your own journey. Recommended

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent overview of newer jazz music and the connections between the artists making it. Nice short, easy to digest, chapters, sometimes more like reading a very long magazine than a book. Only one request, the suggested listening list at the end of each chapter is great, it would be useful if they were all available in one place, with cross links of artists appearing on each others work. Maybe a web site?

[Herzog · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent overview of 21st Century jazz. Similar to Alex Ross's The Rest is Noise and Nate Chinen's Playing Changes, the book covers contemporary jazz in 5 parts. I was familiar with some of the music, but have a very long playlist that I'll use to discover more. As with nearly all music books, I wish that there were an accompanying streaming playlist.

[Dutcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great guide to what is currently called jazz. The book provides excellent insight into the musicians creating innovative sounds across the world, including their history, influences, and personalities. The book is an excellent companion to the Burning Ambulance podcasts, website, and record label, and had broadened my appreciation for all the new music that is jazz.

[Michael Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nice to have a book about modern jazz artists doing great music that both honors what came before and adds modern influences such as hip-hop to expand the genre to the current century.

It’s a great guide that showcases a creative generation having fun adding their stamp to one of the longest lasting genres of music.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really nice overview of the younger musicians pushing jazz in exciting new directions right now. I was already familiar with several of the artists discussed, but walked away from it with a long list of other artists to check out - always a good sign.

[Stephen Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a grab bag very subjective look at current recordings of which Freeman is quite familiar.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Jazz is not a box or an envelope, it's an umbrella, or a house. All who wish to stand under it, or live within it, are welcome."