One of the Best Books of the Year: NPR, GQ, Billboard, JazzTimes In jazz parlance, “playing changes” refers to an improviser’s resourceful path through a chord progression. In this definitive guide to the jazz of our time, leading critic Nate Chinen boldly expands on that idea, taking us through the key changes, concepts, events, and people that have shaped jazz since the turn of the century—from Wayne Shorter and Henry Threadgill to Kamasi Washington and Esperanza Spalding; from the phrase “America’s classical music” to an explosion of new ideas and approaches; from claims of jazz’s demise to the living, breathing scene that exerts influence on mass culture, hip-hop, and R&B. Grounded in authority and brimming with style, packed with essential album lists and listening recommendations, Playing Changes takes the measure of this exhilarating moment—and the shimmering possibilities to come.

This history of jazz, spanning the twentieth century, is the first to place it within the broad context of American culture. Burton Peretti argues persuasively that this distinctive American music has been a key thread in the tapestry of the nation’s culture. The music itself, its players and its audience, and the critical debates it has prompted, tell us much about changes in American life since 1910. Mr. Peretti traces the emergence of jazz out of ragtime during a time of tumultuous growth of cites and industries. In the 1920s jazz flourished and symbolized the cultural struggle between modernists and traditionalists. As American sought reassurance and self-esteem during the Great Depression, jazz reached new levels of sophistication in the Swing Era. World War II encouraged rapid changes in popular tastes, and in the postwar decades jazz became both a voice of a globally dominant America and an avant-garde music reflecting social and political turmoil. Today, Mr. Peretti concludes, jazz symbolizes important cultural trends and enjoys a new prestige in a complex musical scene. Jazz in American Culture tells a peculiarly American story, evaluating the music as well as those who created it, and opening new perspectives on our cultural history.

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 158. Chapters: Steve Lacy, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, John Zorn, Eric Dolphy, Lol Coxhill, Ornette Coleman, Bill Laswell, Dave Liebman, Roscoe Mitchell, Tomasz Sta ko, Tony Oxley, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Peter Brotzmann, Keith Tippett, Barry Guy, Yoshihide Otomo, Anthony Braxton, Archie Shepp, Yusef Lateef, Nels Cline, Susie Ibarra, Skuli Sverrisson, Gary Burton, Albert Mangelsdorff, Alex Cline, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Henry Threadgill, Charles Lloyd, Jan Garbarek, Henry Grimes, Trevor Dunn, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Paul Motian, Jimmy Giuffre, Sam Rivers, Alice Coltrane, Kenny Wheeler, J.R. Mitchell, Enrico Rava, Joseph Jarman, Marion Brown, Tom Varner, Evan Parker, Wadada Leo Smith, Steve Reid, Jason Moran, Giuseppi Logan, Keshavan Maslak, Billy Martin, John Gilmore, Sunny Murray, Ben Monder, Grachan Moncur III, Cuong Vu, Julian Priester, James Newton, Don Moye, John Law, Jim Pepper, Chico Freeman, Larry Harlow, David Torn, Hamiet Bluiett, Ken Vandermark, Maggie Nicols, Miroslav Vitou, Fred Ho, Arthur Blythe, Graham Collier, Larry Stabbins, Charles Gayle, Uri Caine, John Stevens, Marilyn Crispell, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Mark Dresser, Andrew Cyrille, Thomas Borgmann, Ronald Shannon Jackson, Elton Dean, Dino Saluzzi, Barre Phillips, Julius Hemphill, Leroy Jenkins, Walter Norris, Pierre Favre, John Carter, Matt Lavelle, David Toop, Mat Maneri, Joelle Leandre, Johnny Dyani, Burton Greene, Craig S. Harris, Hamid Drake, Mary Halvorson, Omar Sosa, Patty Waters, Gary Peacock, Marty Ehrlich, Joe McPhee, Tony Levin, Willem Breuker, Buschi Niebergall, Craig Taborn, David S. Ware, David Fiuczynski, Kahil El'Zabar, Butch Morris, Tristan Honsinger, Mor Thiam, D. D. Jackson, Steve Swell, Thomas Chapin, Art Lande, Ori Kaplan, Peter Kowald, John Tchicai, Sonny Simmons, Ned Rothenberg, Jaki Liebezeit, Frank Wright, Assif Tsahar, Vyacheslav Ganelin, ...

Introduce a new generation of music enthusiasts to 17 legendary jazz artists who have enriched the world with their incredible talents. Dr. McCurdy's illuminating stories about the lives, times and music of these great jazz musicians span the entire twentieth century, from early New Orleans Jazz through the Golden Age of Swing plus the avant-garde and jazz fusion eras. Includes units on Louis Armstrong, James P. Johnson, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Clifford Brown, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Charles Mingus and Herbie Hancock. Also available: Classroom Kit and Activity Sheets! The Activity Sheets are perfect for the classroom! 100% reproducible!