The Birth of Bebop: A Social And Musical History (Roth Family Foundation Music in America Book)
Book Information
- Publisher
- University of California Press
- Published
- 1999-03-29
- Pages
- 610 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 15.24 x 3.56 x 22.86 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9780520216655
- ISBN-10
- 0520216652
- Price
- 6376 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Arts & Photography/Music/Musical Genres/Jazz
The richest place in America's musical landscape is that fertile ground occupied by jazz. Scott DeVeaux takes a central chapter in the history of jazz—the birth of bebop—and shows how our contemporary ideas of this uniquely American art form flow from that pivotal moment. At the same time, he provides an extraordinary view of the United States in the decades just prior to the civil rights movement. DeVeaux begins with an examination of the Swing Era, focusing particularly on the position of African American musicians. He highlights the role played by tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, a "progressive" committed to a vision in which black jazz musicians would find a place in the world commensurate with their skills. He then looks at the young musicians of the early 1940s, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk, and links issues within the jazz world to other developments on the American scene, including the turmoil during World War II and the pervasive racism of the period. Throughout, DeVeaux places musicians within the context of their professional world, paying close attention to the challenges of making a living as well as of making good music. He shows that bebop was simultaneously an artistic movement, an ideological statement, and a commercial phenomenon. In drawing from the rich oral histories that a living tradition provides, DeVeaux's book resonates with the narratives of individual lives. While The Birth of Bebop is a study in American cultural history and a critical musical inquiry, it is also a fitting homage to bebop and to those who made it possible.
Scott DeVeaux is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Virginia. He is the author of Jazz in America: Who's Listening? (1995) and coeditor of The Music of James Scott (1992).
Reviews
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Highly recommended for the average punter or jazz aficiando who is looking for an understanding of the stucture of bebop, its history and characters, with numerous musical technical examples of the musical theory and development of this important cultural art-form. Ted Bee.
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This is one of the most authorative and informative books on jazz. For sure it is technical, but one can skip through those parts. The author's approach is different and covers the whole gamut of jass history, blowing so many long-helf myths and truisms out of the water at the same time. In particular the view held by so many "purists" that the early musicians were unschooled and untrained in music. Jazz is a highly technical music to play - and always has been. It was born out of marching bands and ragtime, both of which require an understanding of harmony and syncopation and a thorough knowledge of the instrument. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
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Picked this up second hand after seeing it recommended in a bibliography. What a shame it's not still in print. It's very weighty but supremely readable. Helps to have a bit of musical knowledge but not essential
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wonderful
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Great!