Jazz 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Jazz

This is a great example of how to write an introductory book on a topic that might daunt some people. Szwed presents the major styles, players, and even some of the controversial issues of jazz with clarity and infectious enthusiasm. Just as importantly, he's not afraid to keep it intelligent, unlike a lot of introductory books. Like the subtitle promises, this book really can help you learn and love jazz. It sure fueled my passion for the music.

As a 17 year old high school student, I knew next to nothing about jazz before reading this book. John Szwed did an amazing job introducing such a vast musical genre in a simplistic and thought provoking manor. The history, key players, and different "types" of jazz are all discussed in this book. I honestly could not put it down. A must read for any musician.

I am a jazz musician and I have just read Jazz 101. Is a great book of the history and the musicians of Jazz. It explains the major types of jazz and the roots of jazz. It also includes short biographies of the significant jazz musicians who contributed to the styles of jazz. Its a great guide to the listening of jazz.

Those who really want an excellent book on the history of jazz should eschew Ken Burns' incomplete doorstop of a picture book and turn to John F. Szwed's compact and comprehensive volume. In only a little over 300 pages, Szwed succinctly and skilfully covers the entire spectrum of jazz, offering the reader everything and looking askance at nothing. Though opinionated at times (and who could not be, writing a book of this sort), Szwed is never judgmental, and his knowledge of the field and its many aspects is broad and sweeping without seeming superficial. And please note that this isn't just a book for jazz newbies -- I've been a jazz fan for many years, with a huge collection of records, CDs and books, and I still learned a lot. Szwed's illuminative sidebars on individual songs and albums had me pulling out some old favorites and hearing them with fresh ears. This volume belongs on the shelf of every jazz buff.

It's been a very long time since I've read a work of nonfiction as readable and lucid as this. Particularly interesting are the discussions of the African origins of the form and its relationship to Western European music. It doesn't take a lot of energy to read this book, but the rewards make it appear so.