just for objective judgment, full and accurate.

On John Coltrane:

The variation of Coltrane's music is highly symbolic of the man himself, an insatiable explorer and compulsive self-studier. It is a life of self-improvement. A voracious reader, Coltrane read a wide range of books, from Aristotle to Edgar Casey, to be found on his shelves, notably The Autobiography of a Yogi, recommended by Sonny Rollins, and Krishnamurti's The Thing About Being Alive, recommended by Bill Evans. The insatiable desire for novelty is also evident in Coltrane's music. Long before world music became popular, Coltrane delved into the aural cultures of India, Africa and Latin America. Classical composers, especially contemporary classical composers, have been studied with equal enthusiasm. For rehearsals, Coltrane liked to use Slonimsky's Scale and Melodic Patterns. It was a fitting choice, since Coltrane and Slonimsky shared a common complex: familiarity with all scales of the twelve equal temperament. (Soon, many jazz musicians imitated Coltrane and began digging into Slonimsky; The publishers were puzzled by the sudden surge in demand for this rare book.) Other times Coltrane would use music composed for the piano or violin or harp as material for honing his saxophone skills in the rehearsal room, knowing that it would force him to broaden his musical horizons. He loved new instruments, new mouthpieces, new sheet music - anything that would benefit his library of sound material. Together with the equally progressive Steve Lacy, he revived the soprano saxophone as a mainstream jazz instrument after years of neglect. In private, Coltrane played other instruments, such as the zither and sitar (both of which he brought back on tour in Japan), and purists scoffed at his interest in the electric saxophone. You might not have predicted that the "introverted" glitter of Giant Footsteps would eventually evolve into the assertive "extrovert" enabler of Ascension, but once you've experienced Coltrane's unquenchable desire for personal development, it's no surprise to see the jazz giant's dramatic transformation.

On Billie Holiday:

Holiday's achievement is all the more remarkable given her limited talent. Her vocal range is an octave and a half at best. And her voice isn't penetrating enough - unlike Bessie Smith, who doesn't have a wide vocal range either, but can sing all the way to the back. Holiday also lacks Ella Fitzgerald's onomatopoeia skills, Sarah Vaughan's timbre purity, or Louis Armstrong's eeriness - but she has more than enough to make up for it. Her strengths lie in an unparalleled sense of timing, soft but unusually slack phrasing, and, above all, the ability to give lyrics a previously unknown depth of meaning. You might say Billie Holiday is a style singer, not a virtuoso -- unless emotional depth is also a type of virtuoso. Her performance goes straight to the emotional depths of the song, honing the heart rather than the surface of the music.

I reviewed music for quite a few years. In my time, I covered many genres but as much as I loved jazz, I always felt inadequate reviewing it. The deep history intimidated me and my ability to understand (let alone explain) the theory, techniques, and stylistic approaches was completely inadequate. And I think that limited personal history with writing about jazz is what helps me appreciate Ted Gioia's ability to write about jazz in such an engaging and thorough way. I loved "How to Listen to Jazz" and how it explained to the layman what to listen for and why it mattered. In "The History of Jazz," Gioia does the same thing for the historical side of things. For a music that is so rich and varied, he does an admirable job of covering every era and style with respect. It's so nice to see free jazz get such a serious treatment right alongside hard bop, cool jazz, and Dixieland. About the only critique I can make is that I hope in the fourth edition, he fleshes out the "jazz around the world" section. Japanese and Polish jazz alone each deserve a deep dive but sadly only get a paragraph or two here.

I took over a year-and-a-half to finish this book, but certainly not because it was boring or dry. Indeed, Gioia brings life to the history of jazz and draws connections that only the truest of students can. No matter how much you think you know about jazz, you'll still learn quite a bit here. ( )

This book is excellent in surveying and tracking key contributors and developments to jazz across decades. It's ideal for the many casual listeners familiar with particular jazz styles yet inexperienced with so many others. Best read while sampling some of the many performers via streamed music. ( )

An excellent overview. Better-written, more-scholarly, more-comprehensive, and (of course) more up-to-date than Marshall Stearns' The Story of Jazz. Less technical than Gunther Schuller's two-volume history, but never in a way that talks down to the non-musician. Gioia takes a catholic view of what counts as jazz, and seldom seems to grind an ideological axe. The audiobook version is also well-read. [2021-11-22] ( )

As chronicled in this work, jazz is currently experiencing a resurgence as artists all over the world are using its elements to launch new musical sounds. Gioia captures this momentum by updating his celebrated second edition by Oxford University Press into a new third edition. In so doing, he continues to push forward scholarship about jazz while providing a tour de force of its history to interested readers.

In nearly 600 packed pages, Gioia analyzes the music of every important jazz artist and her/his place in jazz history. While at times this approach can get repetitive, most times, I left the book to download some music by an artist newly found to me. Gioia could have provided a bit more of an overarching narrative about jazz history in general. Instead, it reads as a list of disconnected artists and movements, but perhaps this is the author’s view of jazz itself.

I have not read prior editions (which were celebrated on their own), but by page count alone, this edition seems longer and more comprehensive than the others. As such, interested readers and fans of the jazz idiom will be grateful for more of a good thing. Everyone is covered – from Buddy Bolden and Scott Joplin to Diana Krall and Norah Jones. As musical instruments, technologies, and cultures have risen and evolved, so has jazz been present for every step of the way, as this book clearly communicates.

This work (written by an American writer, published by a British press about a global phenomenon) stands to reach many audiences. Musicians of high taste are able to cherry-pick elements that might help their musical evolution. Fans are able to extend their musical tastes into new areas with new sounds. Cultural observers are able to reach into the details of musical history. Even a global audience are able to see how jazz continues to impact Europe, Asia, Latin America, and even Africa.

I’m only a fan of both music and history; I’m no musical scholar or musician. Nonetheless, this book bettered my musical tastes. It contains some technical terms about music that I had either to glance over or to look up. It brings to life the music of this genre and the people behind it. Reading a meticulously researched history allows me to place the variegated sounds of jazz into the appropriate cultural context. My music library has grown dramatically as Gioia’s words inspired me to examine certain artists firsthand. Reading this book has been an enriching experience. ( )