Jazz Anecdotes delivers as promised, and provides the reader with pithy and entertaining stories of the jazz eras throughout the past century. Some of the stories are surprising, including one that includes Native American musicians who make their non-Native band members wear long black wigs. This book captures the essence of jazz culture, which extends far beyond the music. The music of course shapes the culture because it is the music that brings disparate people together. However, the disparate people that come together for the music also engage in the co-creation of unique identities that are subcultural and a bit subversive as well. The jazz scene was perceived of as being wild in the early days, even if now the jazz scene is considered more intellectual and artsy.
I appreciate the fact that the stories were about jazz scenes around the world, and not just about New Orleans, New York, or Chicago. I also appreciated how an entire chapter is developed along the premise of defining the word "jazz" by tracing possible origins of the word. It is impossible to pinpoint exactly how the word evolved, but the anecdotes about possible origins of the word are entertaining enough. Possible origins include...
One thing becomes clear: jazz was, has been, and always will be about experimentation, fun, and art. There are no boundaries or border with jazz, which is why it is a musical form that irked many and got under the skin of many more. Jazz appeals to those with a lighthearted spirit willing to take risks and experiment, especially when it comes to improvisation. The definition of jazz as it is applied to genres of music tends to refer to non-traditional ways of interpreting music, or even untraditional methods of using traditional instruments. Of course, now, rock musicians and avant-garde art musicians do the same thing and manipulate sounds in ways that result in music that cannot be called "jazzy" by most listeners.
I found the chapter breakdowns via instrument a surprising, convenient, and refreshing way to learn more about jazz. Dividing the sections by instrument allowed me to have insight into the peculiarities of each position. For example, pianos are not portable instruments of course. It was difficult to incorporate pianos into sets because one never knew what type of piano the house had, if it had one. Many musicians…
