Experiencing jazz : a listener's companion / Michael Stephans.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stephans, Michael.

Contributor:

ebrary, Inc.

Joseph B. Glossberg Fund.

Series:

Listener's companion

The listener's companion

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Jazz--Analysis, appreciation.

Jazz.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiii, 488 pages) : illustrations.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Scarecrow Press, 2013.

System Details:

text file

Summary:

In Experiencing Jazz: A Listener's Companion, writer, teacher, and renowned jazz drummer Michael Stephans offers a much-needed survey in the art of listening to and enjoying this dynamic, ever-changing art form. More than mere entertainment, jazz provides a pleasurable and sometimes dizzying listening experience with an extensive range in structure and form, from the syncopated swing of big bands to the musical experimentalism of small combos. As Stephans illustrates, listeners and jazz artists often experience the essence of the music together-an experience unique in the world of music. Experiencing Jazz demonstrates how the act of listening to jazz takes place on a deeply personal level and takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the genre, instrument by instrument-offering not only brief portraits of key musicians like Joe Lovano and John Scofield, but also their commentaries on how best to experience their music they create. Throughout, jazz takes center stage as a transaction that enriches the lives of both musician and listener. Written for anyone curious about the genre, this book encourages further reading, listening, and viewing, helping potential listeners cultivate an understanding and appreciation of the jazz art and how it can help-in drummer Art Blakey's words-"wash away the dust of everyday life." Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Ears, Mind, Heart: A Path to Open Listening 1

2 Groundwork: Developing Listening Skills 10

3 Jazz as a Mirror of Our Times: From Birth through the 1940s 32

4 Jazz as a Mirror of Our Times: From the 1950s to the Present 53

5 Functions and Forms: Jazz on and off the Bandstand 77

6 Points of Departure: Small Groups and Big Bands 90

7 Horn of Gabriel: The Trumpet (Getting Personal with Dave Douglas) 112

8 Raspy, Gaspy, Smooth, and Silky: The Trombone (Getting Personal with Roswell Rudd) 139

9 Reeds and Deeds I: The Tenor Saxophone (Getting Personal with Joe Lovano) 160

10 Reeds and Deeds II: The Alto Saxophone (Getting Personal with Rudresh Mahanthappa) 186

11 Reeds and Deeds III: Highs and Lows-The Soprano and Baritone Saxophones (Getting Personal with Dave Liebman) 208

12 Reeds and Deeds IV: Top and Bottom Woodwinds-The Clarinet, Flute, and Bass Clarinet (Getting Personal with Bennie Maupin) 224

13 I Got Rhythm I: The Piano (Getting Personal with Alan Broadbent) 243

14 I Got Rhythm II: The Acoustic and Electric Basses (Getting Personal with John Patitucci) 281

15 I Got Rhythm III: Give the Drummer Some! (Getting Personal with Jim Black) 308

16 I Got Rhythm IV: A Little Discussion about Percussion (Getting Personal with Joe Locke) 344

17 I Got Rhythm V: The Guitar (Getting Personal with John Scofield) 363

18 The Singer and the Song (Getting Personal with Dwight Trible and Roseanna Vitro) 385

19 Is Jazz Entertainment or Is It Art? 419

20 The Shape of Things to Come: Jazz in the 21st Century 430.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Electronic reproduction. Palo Alto, Calif. Available via World Wide Web.

Description based on print version record.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Joseph B. Glossberg Fund.

ISBN:

0810882906

9780810882904

Publisher Number:

99962187318

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license.