The Philosophy of Jazz
Format:Hardback
Publisher:British Library Publishing
Published:23rd Sep '25
Should be back in stock very soon
Kevin Le Gendre brings his considerable knowledge and experience to The Philosophy of Jazz, interpreting the mindset, outlook and ambition of the jazz musician and a form of music that has captured the imagination of international audiences for over a century.
This is not a straight history of this genre of music but an exploration of what it means to be a jazz musician and the alchemy between players and audience during a live-music session. While drawing on historical references, in terms of cultural touchstones in Black music and the Black experience, this fascinating book very much immerses itself in the current jazz scene and the interesting directions being explored. Along the way the greats of jazz are all covered Joplin, Morton, Billie, Miles and Monk along with their influence and legacy.
'If you had to recommend just one book on jazz history to a neophyte, which would it be? Ted Gioia's The History of Jazz (Oxford University Press, 1997) is rightly regarded as a definitive account, but at nearly 600 pages it may deter readers looking for a lighter introduction. What if the essential information could be distilled into something closer to 100 pages? That is precisely what Kevin Le Gendre achieves with The Philosophy of Jazz—a compact, engaging primer that explains the when, where, who, why, and how of jazz in clear, succinct language' - Ian Patterson, AllAboutJazz.com
'His final observation is well put, and worth pondering. The rapid evolution of music performed under the label “jazz” means that multiple jazz vocabularies co-exist. Well-schooled musicians know this well, and can deepen our sense of a certain fluidity of past and present. As Le Gendre puts it, for some artists, “Everything previously stated can be relevant to what is yet to be stated. This teasing back and forth, this alchemy of old begetting new, a composition of then, informing one of now, is integral to the music”.
At which point it becomes apparent that there is a nice reflexivity about the text Le Gendre offers here – this is not just an idiosyncratic meander through genres, periods and styles (though it is that), it is also a book written in a way that mirrors its conclusion. I’ve not dipped into the other titles in this series, but I doubt if any of them take the trouble to instantiate their own argument so neatly.' - Jon Turney, UKJazzNews.com
ISBN: 9780712355032
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown