How to Listen to Jazz

March 14, 2016
Pianist and historian Gioia (The History of Jazz) seeks to enlighten those most unfortunate of souls: music lovers whose attempts to understand jazz have been routinely thwarted by what he believes to be the vague, unhelpful criteria used by reviewers. Theorizing that meticulous listening sessions can remove much of the mystery from this nebulous art form, the author walks fans through a crash course in jazz appreciation that’s suitable for newcomers and intermediate listeners alike. Some sections of Gioia’s historical overview read like textbook synopses, and his references to media such as YouTube can sound preemptively out of date, but his prose is nevertheless inviting and often playful, sprinkled with personal anecdotes and barely contained snark regarding the state of modern pop rock. Most valuable is the extensive catalogue of recommendations, not just of the genre’s top performers but of 150 contemporary jazz musicians—a list that new fans can use to kickstart their journey, and experienced ones can reference to keep up with the form’s continuing evolution.

April 15, 2016

Pianist, author (The History of Jazz; The Jazz Standards), music columnist (The Daily Beast), and educator (formerly music, Stanford Univ.) Gioia has written a concise guide to jazz appreciation. Unlike some books of this type, the focus of this work is on relatively easy-to-discern distinctions between the jazz styles and leading performers. The author provides minimal biographical information on the musicians, preferring to concentrate on the music than on the personal details of his subjects' lives. The result is a fresh, clearly written, and infinitely usable book that should put the jazz novice on track. Readers with a more thorough knowledge of the genre might be a bit disappointed. VERDICT Written primarily to introduce newcomers to the genre and its primary artists, this volume should prove to do just what Gioia set out to accomplish.--James E. Perone, Univ. of Mount Union, Alliance, OH

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