Jazz: An American Journey places jazz music within its rich historical and cultural context. The book explains how and why jazz evolved as it did, as it emphasizes chronology, historical cause and effect, and the interactions between music and American history and culture.

Presented from the point of view of the original participants (musicians, critics, and audiences), the book focuses on the music with fifty-five recorded examples that are accompanied by a listening chart, commentary, and analysis, all to provide a more vivid setting for jazz grounded in the time, place, and worldview of its creators.

Features:

-Historical, political, cultural, and economic context for each stylistic period presented helps students understand how jazz relates to larger currents in American history, politics, and culture.

-Contemporary Voices and Great Debates—Contemporary Voices boxes contain quotations from people who lived during the period being discussed. Great Debates boxes summarize important controversies among jazz critics and scholars.

-Maps highlight important cities, regions, communities, and venues in jazz history to orient students to the geographical landscape of jazz.

-Matters of race, gender, and economic forces addressed directly—for example, how black ideologies shaped musical development; contributions made by white musicians; and the widely ignored role of women in jazz.