The Jazz Standards

Description

Ted Gioia's first new jazz book since The History of Jazz, The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire, is a comprehensive handbook to the 250 most important jazz compositions. The book highlights the most popular jazz standards, tells their story, explains their role in jazz, and serves as a gateway to the historic recordings that made these compositions into the foundations of the art form. The selected standards includes tunes from Broadway shows, written by the great American songwriters; pieces that first appeared in movies or were originated by big bands, or by pop singers outside the jazz world; and, of course, works written by jazz musicians themselves. A unique resource, a browser's companion and an invaluable introduction to the art form, this book suits the needs of new fans, jazz lovers, musicians, and students alike.

• Includes composer details, recording history, and brief commentary from jazz expert Ted Gioia on 250 well-known jazz pieces
• Presents unprecendented canonical guide to the standard jazz repetoire

About the Author(s)

Ted Gioia, Freelance Author, USA

Ted Gioia is a pianist, recording artist, and the author of eight books including the award-winning The History of Jazz and Delta Blues.

Reviews

"Apart from his elegant prose style, the first thing you notice about Ted Gioia's approach to his subject is that the music clearly gives him no end of pleasure." - Clive Davis, Independent

"A monument to taste and scholarship ... The Jazz Standards - issed by Oxford University Press, the world's preeminent publisher of jazz titles, and informed by a single and esteemed critical sensibility - canonizes the selected works in a fashion that a Website cannot. The value of such a work, of course, depends on the acumen of the author. In virtually every instance, Gioia delivers." - The Atlantic

"Ted Gioia has created a masterwork of reference and study, an essential accompaniment to all song studies ... This book is that rare thing in music writing, a winner in terms of both content and style." - Sebastian Cotney, London Jazz

"This book should be in the library of every gigging jazz musician and every serious jazz fan; to the extent that these 250-plus pieces remain in the repertory, it will be relevant for years to come" - James E. Perone, Library Journal