Unknown Title

Title:

Know-it-all jazz : the 50 crucial concepts, styles & performers, each explained in under a minute / editor Dave Gelly ; contributors, Charles Alexander, Kevin LeGendre, Chris Parker, Brian Priestly, Tony Russell ; illustrations, Steve Rawlings.

Author:

Gelly, Dave, compiler.

Alexander, Charles (Guitarist), contributor.

LeGendre, Kevin, contributor.

Priestley, Brian, 1946- contributor.

Parker, Chris (Jazz pianist), contributor.

Russell, Tony, 1946- contributor.

Rawlings, Steve illustrator.

ISBN:

9781577151753

Physical Description:

160 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cm.

Content Type:

text

Media Type (RDA):

unmediated

Carrier Type:

volume

Series:

Know It All

Know-it-all.

General Note:

Published in the UK in 2016 as 30-second jazz.

Abstract:

Know-It-All Jazz takes readers from the African-American roots and all the way to the global mix of styles and performers in today's jazz scene. Along the way, it looks at the shape, style, and instruments of the discipline, key personalities and recordings in the jazz canon, and, finally, at what might be expected next from this most diverse of musical forms. Punchy and engaging entries help readers understand the basics in under a minute, ensuring that this is the ultimate companion for newcomers to the instinctive and diverse world of jazz.

Subject Term:

Jazz -- History and criticism.

Jazz musicians -- Biography.

Added Author:

Gelly, Dave,

Alexander, Charles (Guitarist),

LeGendre, Kevin,

Priestley, Brian, 1946-

Parker, Chris (Jazz pianist),

Russell, Tony, 1946-

Rawlings, Steve

Format:

Books

Available:*

Library	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Lockport Public Library	34094004577634	781.65 KNOW	Searching... Unknown
Searching... North Tonawanda Public Library	34120006498832	781.65 KNOW	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

For non-aficionados, jazz can be slippery and difficult to grasp. Jazz can leave a novice baffled, unsure how to listen, and with the question "How is it that they know what to play?"

Know-It-All Jazz takes readers from the African-American roots and all the way to the global mix of styles and performers in today's jazz scene. Along the way, it looks at the shape, style, and instruments of the discipline, key personalities and recordings in the jazz canon, and, finally, at what might be expected next from this most diverse of musical forms.

Punchy and engaging entries help readers understand the basics in under a minute, ensuring that this is the ultimate companion for newcomers to the instinctive and diverse world of jazz.

The Know It All series takes a revolutionary approach to learning about the subjects you really feel you should understand but have never gotten around to studying. Each book selects a popular topic and dissects it into the 50 most significant ideas at its heart. Each idea, no matter how complex, is explained in 300 words and one picture, all digestible in under a minute.

Other titles in this series include: Know It All Anthropology, Know It All Chemistry, Know It All Classical Music, Know It All Energy, Know It All Fashion, Know It All Great Inventions, Know It All Medicine, Know It All Shakespeare, Know It All Whiskey, Know It All Wine, Space In 30 Seconds, Sports in 30 Seconds.

Author Notes

Editor Dave Gelly, born in the swing era, has written extensively on the subject of jazz. A former member of the New Jazz Orchestra, directed by Neil Ardley, he has co-led his own quartets and quintets, featuring Frank Ricotti, Jeff Scott and Barbara Thompson. He joined the Observer in 1974 and has written regularly for them ever since.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Each book in Quarto Press's Know-It-All series presents enough information, in a charmingly digestible format, to make anyone a small-talk aficionado. The volumes share a common format: 50 terms, names, or concepts explained over seven chapters. Each chapter begins with a two-page glossary of terms found in that chapter and a profile of a big name in the field. Each entry runs for two pages each: one page of information, one page of illustration. The information is divided into a thematically named three-second overview, three-minute at-a-glance information, three-second biographies, and cross references. Each book ends with a bibliography of books and websites, contributor biographies, and an index. Although brief, the contents are not elementary; instead, the Know-It-All books are sophisticated fun. Musician and scholar Gelly encourages readers to trust their ears while they learn to get jazz, then covers different styles of jazz, the major instruments and vocalists, key albums, and what is happening in jazz today.--Maguire, Susan Copyright 2018 Booklist

Library Journal Review

Each installment in Wellfleet's "Know-It-All" series, with ten books and growing, addresses 50 essential topics at one page each. The entries all include seven sections, each with a glossary and a brief profile of a key player. In Know-It-All Anthropology, Underdown (biological anthropology, Oxford Brookes Univ.) offers an "instruction manual for human beings," from ancient to modern peoples. Editor Gelly, a former member of the New Jazz Orchestra and a writer for the Observer, organizes his volume by the style and instruments of jazz and covers vocals, classic jazz, and jazz and the blues. Editor Basset, a Master of Wine and World Sommelier Champion, explores everything from training and pruning grapes to tasting wine. VERDICT Though the titles promise to explain each idea in "under a minute," comprehension of some concepts may take longer. These friendly introductions for nonexperts will be useful to most libraries. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.