How to Listen to Jazz, Gioia

How does a casual listener learn to understand and appreciate the nuances between the unapologetic and innovative sounds of Louis Armstrong, the complexity of Coleman Hawkin’s saxophone and the exotic and alluring compositions of Duke Ellington? How does Thelonius Monk fit in alongside Benny Goodman and John Coltrane?

In How to Listen to Jazz, award-winning music scholar Ted Gioia presents a lively, accessible introduction to the art of listening to jazz. Covering everything from the music’s structure and history to the basic building blocks of improvisation, Gioia shows exactly what to listen for in a jazz performance. He shares listening strategies that will help readers understand and appreciate the great American art form for the rest of their lives, as well as a guide to 150 elite musicians setting the tone for twenty-first century jazz.

Both an appreciation and an introduction to jazz by a foremost expert, How to Listen to Jazz is a must-read for anyone who has ever wanted to understand America’s greatest contribution to the world of music.

Ted Gioia is a jazz pianist, award-winning music historian and the author of 10 books including The History of Jazz and The Jazz Standards. He previously served on the faculty of Stanford University’s Department of Music. Gioia is currently columnist for The Daily Beast and writes regularly on music, books and popular culture.

Author: Ted Gioia
Format: Paperback, 272 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (2017)
ISBN: 9780465093496