Praised by the Washington Post as a `tough, unblinkered critic,' James Lincoln Collier is probably the most controversial writer on jazz today. His iconoclatic articles, and his acclaimed biographies of the jazz greats continue to spark debate in jazz circles. With the publication of Jazz: The American Theme Song, Collier does nothing to soften his reputation for hard-hitting, incisive commentary. Questioning everything we think we know about jazz - its origins, its innovative geniuses, the importance of improvisation and spontaneous inspiration in a performance - and the jazz world, these ten provocative essays on the music and its place in American culture overturn tired assumptions and will alternately enrage, enlighten, and entertain.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for anyone interested in Jazz, 16 Sep 1996

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In what he calls a number of assays but what reads as a complete book Collier debunks a number of popular myths and shines a new light into some dark corners. Among the myths are the fact that timing in Jazz is rigid (it ain't), blacks are the originators (a case is made that the black creoles were much more important) of Jazz and critics know what they are talking about (it seems they frequently don't). The final chapter is typical of the whole book. In it Collier describes the importance of the local amateur and semi-pro players to Jazz and argues that Jazz wouldn't be abe to exsist without these dedicated people, a fact which is frequently overlooked by almost everybody. This book definately isn't the be all and end all of Jazz studies, it is on the whole to superficial and fails to deal with any of the music except in passing, but it definately makes one think about some long held beliefs and popular 'myths' in Jazz.

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Jazz: The American Theme Song (Hardcover)

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