Cool Jazz and Hard Bop: Different Directions in Modern Jazz
Explore cool jazz and hard bop through their shared bebop roots, distinctive sounds, major musicians, landmark recordings, and a practical listening guide.
Billy M. Spikes
Bebop History: The Musicians, Ideas, and Recordings That Reshaped Jazz
Explore bebop history through Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and their peers, with musical explanations, a timeline, and landmark recordings.
The Swing Era: Big Bands, Dancing, and Jazz in Popular Culture
Explore the swing era through big bands, Lindy Hop, radio, and popular culture, with key musicians, social history, a timeline, and listening examples.
Jazz Instruments Explained: Their Roles, Sounds, and Historical Development
Discover the roles, sounds, and history of jazz instruments, from trumpet and saxophone to piano, bass, drums, organ, percussion, strings, and voice.
The Origins of Jazz: New Orleans, Black American Music, and Cultural Exchange
Explore how jazz emerged from Black American musical life in New Orleans through blues, ragtime, community institutions, and Caribbean cultural exchange.
How to Listen to Jazz: A Beginner’s Guide to Rhythm, Improvisation, and Form
Learn how to listen to jazz through simple exercises in rhythm, improvisation, and form, with guided recordings, a beginner glossary, and a one-week listening plan.
Jazz Styles Explained: A Guide to the Major Sounds and Movements
Explore the major jazz styles, from New Orleans and swing to bebop, modal jazz, fusion, and global traditions, with comparisons and practical listening cues.
What Is Jazz? A Guide to Its Sound, Traditions, and History
Learn what jazz is, how improvisation, swing, blues, and musical interaction shape its sound, and where to begin listening to its varied traditions.
Vocal Jazz History: Singers, Interpretation, and Improvisation
Explore vocal jazz history through its major singers, the art of interpretation, scat and vocalese, ensemble interaction, and essential listening examples.
Women in Jazz History: Performers, Composers, and Bandleaders
Explore women in jazz history as performers, composers, arrangers, and bandleaders, with major figures, essential listening, and insights into their lasting contributions.