ABSTRACT

Experiencing Jazz, Third Edition is an integrated textbook, website, and audio anthology for jazz appreciation and history courses. Through readings, illustrations, timelines, listening guides, and a playlist of tracks and performances, Experiencing Jazz journeys through the history of jazz and places the music within larger cultural and historical contexts. Designed for the jazz novice, this textbook introduces the reader to prominent artists, covers the evolution of styles, and makes stylistic comparisons to current trends and developments.

New to the third edition:

  • Richard J. Lawn is joined by new co-author Justin G. Binek
  • Expanded coverage of artists, particularly important vocalists and prominent women in jazz, including Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, The Manhattan Transfer, and Terri Lyne Carrington
  • A dynamic, web-exclusive bonus chapter—Chapter 14.5: The Story Continues—exploring contemporary jazz artists who push the boundaries of jazz by creating new stylistic fusions and who utilize new media to create, collaborate, and share their artistry
  • A re-worked companion website featuring new recordings, a more comprehensive audio anthology, and a major revision of The Elements of Jazz section
  • Condensed musician biographies and updated content reflecting jazz’s global impact
  • Revised listening guides for spotlighted recordings highlighting key moments worthy of closer listening and analysis

Comprehensive and immersive, the third edition of Experiencing Jazz provides a foundational understanding of the history of the genre.

part 1|48 pages

Understanding Jazz

chapter Chapter 1|8 pages

The Nature of Jazz

chapter Chapter 2|14 pages

Listening to Jazz

chapter Chapter 3|24 pages

The Roots of Jazz

part II|102 pages

Classic Jazz 1917–1945

chapter Chapter 4|22 pages

Jazz Takes Root

chapter Chapter 5|24 pages

The Jazz Age

From Chicago to New York

chapter Chapter 6|30 pages

The Swing Era

Jazz at Its Peak

chapter Chapter 7|24 pages

Swinging Across the Country

The Bands, Singers, and Pianists

part III|58 pages

Modern Jazz

chapter Chapter 8|30 pages

The Bebop Revolution

chapter Chapter 9|26 pages

The 1950s and Early 1960s

Cool, Intellectual, and Abstract Jazz

part IV|142 pages

Postmodern Jazz

chapter Chapter 10|26 pages

Tradition Meets the Avant-Garde

Moderns and Early Postmoderns Coexist

chapter Chapter 11|32 pages

Miles and Miles of Miles

Miles Davis and His Sidemen Redefine Postmodern Jazz

chapter Chapter 12|22 pages

The 1970s

An Electric Revolution

chapter Chapter 13|26 pages

The Eclectic 1970s–1990s

chapter Chapter 14|34 pages

Jazz for a New Century