All art forms respond in some way to the socio-cultural issues surrounding them. It is the application and understanding of socio-cultural issues and methodologies that are crucial to understanding the evolution and development of arts in general, and jazz in particular. This essay will focus on selected methodological issues inherent in jazz research, past and present. Specifically, this essay outlines, concisely, selected methodological issues that deal with: History and evolution, origins, survivals, influences, classifications, and participatory discrepancies.
Yurochko, Bob. A Short History of Jazz. Chicago, Illinois. Rowman & Littlefield, 2001.
Records the evolution of jazz from West Africa. The author noted that Jazz developed out of performance venues as the picnic grounds, the brothels, and the street. This lineage of public performance means that, from the beginning, jazz professional musical instrument players gained knowledge or skills of playing by first paying attention to other group of actors and then making a reproduction or copy of their resonances, and second by act together or towards others and showing response to the listeners.
This text is unique in that Yurochko outlines development of the seventies, eighties, and nineties. He details later styles (Jazz-rock, fusion, Latin, Brazilian), young masters (Hollyday, Jordan, etc.), and erstwhile folks. The book is summarizing. Contains a glossary, bibliography, discography, videography, and study guides.
Waters, Keith and Martin, Henry. Jazz: the first 100 years.Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning, 2005.
The writers in their book presented a fresh overview of the history of jazz and focused greater attention on jazz since 1970. They further stimulate fresh thinking about the jazz canon, in addition to the books primary concern, they also noted the development of jazz and its most important artists and the relationship of jazz music to relevant aspects of social and intellectual history, including the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and black activism in the 1960s. Finally, the authors included the most up-to-date information possible, taking advantage of the fine scholarly work on jazz that has appeared during the past several years.
This book fully addressed the issues of jazz by raising some significant issues.
McCray, Jack. Charleston Jazz. Images of America. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2007.
The author presented the fundamental sets of reading on the history of jazz studies. He further undertook the studies of prehistoric people and their cultures through jazz, a development which according to the author “has up till now been almost absolutely deserted by historians”. Relying on a charleston model of power and knowledge, McCray charts the development of an unadulterated art discourse within the History of jazz, He further insisted that the only pure jazz was the hot music of New Orleans.
McCray convincingly argued that the difference in the history of jazz is based on the same proceeding to a conclusion by reason or argument rather than intuition formations that constituted jazz as a modernist art form.
The limitation of the book is the shallowness in which the revolution to jazz is treated.
Hartley, John. A short history of cultural studies. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE, 2003.
The author stated that the problems facing present-day jazz historians is the unraveling of the mythology and miscalculations disseminated by past writers and that the history of jazz has been pestilence by incorrect information.
Hartley, in his book, encourages precision in jazz historiography by spotting some of the “myths and errors disseminated by precedent writers”. He investigated the histories of certain major jazz performers and, where pertinent, to show how ill-health had an effect on their lives, He also talked about the pervasiveness of substance abuse in the world of jazz, mainly in the succeeding half of the century from 1901 to 2000 and lastly he gave confidence to the advance study of the deserted aspects of jazz history.
Latham, Alison. Companion to Music. Oxford University Press. 128.2 (2010): Oxford Search Complete. Web.
A renowned team of contributors came together to entirely amend and modernize this champion in the year 2002, compared to the previous edition, this current one has over 1,000 features; over 70 percent of the champion is either new or wholly rewritten. Every musical subject in this article range from clear crisp, explanations of musical proposals and conditions to extended surveys of musical forms and styles. Western classic tradition, Jazz, popular music and dance are some of the musical varieties that the Champion recommends a rigorous focus on.
The Champion provides comprehensive, accessible coverage of music from its study, theory of artistic, erudition to performance and distribution of jazz song taken together with the characteristic of art, a study of its history, and enlightenment.
Traill, Sinclair, and Gerald Lascelles. Just Jazz. Vol. 1, London: Souvenir Press. 1960. Web.
Contains essays by British scholars covering a myriad of jazz topics including style, history, criticism, and biographies. The volume contains a yearly discography complete with details. In addition to American recordings a significant number of British recordings are cited with different authors.
Thomas, Pete. Jazz Theory & Improvisation. Taming the Saxophone. Vol. 3. 2003. Web.
Details problem in jazz composition and performance providing information on the history of jazz as music. He has several purposes: to present jazz to those whose interest is “serious” or classical music, to relate jazz theory to music theory, to relate jazz to the history of music in general. He uses musical examples to illustrate his insightful perceptions of the styles.
Pollock, Stephen. “Jazz”. Modal jazz. 2010. Web.
This is the history of modal jazz from the beginning to present day. There is a discussion of the music and contributions of selected artists. There are no new insights. Geared to beginning modal jazz enthusiasts. Selected discography.
‘Niliov’ van Hemert, Christiaan. Dominants and Subdominants. Jazz Resource Centre. 2005. Web.
Both the collection of previously published articles, (Record Changer) which uses both an anthropological and historical approach. Bornemann’s anthropologic approach deals with issues of continuity and change in instrumentation and tradition. His historical essay addresses pre-jazz issues/genres like African roots, blues, spirituals, ring shouts, minstrelsy, and emergence of jazz. He also addresses economic and sociological factors. The weakness of the book is the superficial way in which he treats the transformation from pre-jazz genres to jazz.
Koenig, Karl. Jazz in print (1856-1929): an anthology of selected early readings in jazz history. Hillsdale, NY: Pendragon Press, 2002.
The book covers the narration and development of jazz since “The Development of Afro-American Music” to the present and future status of jazz. Although, the chapters that deal with the history and foundations and retentions do not use race or ethnic musicological narratives to express the change, fusion, or new or different meaning. The book includes several bio-musical representations, eavesdropping assignments, topics for supplementary research, and additional reading recommendations. Setting the level to the jazz positive reception market to a certain extent than the academic listeners. Contains a glossary, bibliography, discography, jazz video listing and an author subject index.
Leo, Humphrey Van, and Arie Ligthart (editors). Teddy Wilson Talks Jazz. Foreword by Benny Goodman. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; 1993.
A vivid account of Wilson’s life and musical career. Among the many personal insights are his collections of Al Capone, respect for musicians like Jelly Roll Morton, account of Billie Holiday’s recording career, and a very penetrating account of working with Benny Goodman. Of significant musical interest are his comparisons of piano techniques, including those of Earl “Fathe” Hines, Art Tatum, and “Fats” Waller. Overall, this autobiography offers a penetrating account of Wilson’s life and music, as well as the life and music of the thirties, forties, and fifties.
Horricks, Raymond. Gerry Mulligam’s Ark. London: Apollo; 1986.
Biography supplemented with a selected discography by Tom Middleton. Although concise, the biography contains information on his compositions/arrangements, concert Jazz band, quartet, and style. His associations with significant artists and the influence of Lester Young are also covered. Associations, recordings with musicians like Calude Thornhill, and Miles Davis, and his role in the 1949 Birth of the cool album (Millies Davis) are discussed as is his extended stay in Denmark.
Townsend, Peter. Jazz in American culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2000.
The author noted that in some descriptions of the history of jazz, the dangling age is seen as a transitory deviation, a divergence from the factual path of jazz as an independent composition into the marsh of commercialism. He further noted that within the sequence of events of the narration of trendy music, the large dance or jazz band usually featuring improvised solos by lead musicians era is frequently seen, ironically to the historians of jazz, as an acme instant. Accordingly in the period of history, an extraordinary alliance of cultural and economic forces is seen as having created music of lasting significance.
James, Burnett. Billie Holiday. Staplehurst, England and Spelimount, New York: Hippocrene Books; 1984.
The author talks about the childhood in Baltimore, drug addiction, and eventually fall from grace. She further discusses his holiday’s role as a jazz innovator is also chronicled. He also contributes a selective discography which provides personnel, title, and venue and album number for each citation.
Meeder, Christopher. Jazz: the basics. New York, NY: Routledge, 2008.
This book provides the jazz neophyte with a general technical understanding of the mechanics of a jazz performance, as well as historical context for any jazz recordings or performances that might be encountered, whether in a jazz club, record store or classroom. In addition to discussing the musical aspects of any particular artist or style, the author discussed major controversies and conflicts that arise in jazz.