May 30 is International Jazz Day. Jazz was born in early 1900s New Orleans, where African American musicians mixed blues, ragtime and a whole lot of soul into something brand new. With legends ...

Three Books For The Jazz Lover On Your List Fresh Air jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews a singer's biography, a pianist's autobiography, and a fat coffee table book. NPR Music ...

Whether you lean towards bebop, ragtime or avant-garde sounds, we've rounded up some of our favorite jazz books. Whether you lean towards bebop, ragtime or avant-garde sounds, ...

The book’s first half covers the development of jazz before 1900, depicting a distinctly African American style of music that drew inspiration from the experience of slavery.

To many, composed music and improvised music seem to be opposites, but in jazz, they merge in a unique fashion. It has been said that the best improvised music sounds composed, and that the best ...

'Tokyo Jazz Joints' Spotlights Japanese Jazz Kissa Culture: A look inside Japanese "kissas," longstanding bars and coffee shops devoted to playing jazz music.

SEND ME DOWN—Henry Steig—Knopf ($2.50). A first novel by the brother of New Yorker Artist William Steig is the best story so far about hot jazz and the people who make it. Dorothy Baker’s ...

Holiday Gift Books: Music Jazz, country, hip-hop, rock—and ancient music too. Reading to harmonize with any music lover. Illustration by James Joyce for the WSJ. By . John Check. Share.

He's worked with legends in his over 60 years as a bassist. Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Chuck Israels joined us to share stories from his new book, "Bass Notes: Jazz in American Culture".

The author of now 11 books on popular music — covering everything from Robert Johnson to the Beatles to the proto-rap game of ... He’s a grinder,” New Orleans jazz icon Danny Barker ...