Jazz and blues books
Jazz and blues books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
The History of Jazz
Ted GioiaA broad one-volume survey from ragtime and early jazz through the later styles, widely used as an introduction.
Deep Blues
Robert PalmerA history of the Mississippi Delta blues and its players, combining field research with critical listening.
Lady Sings the Blues
Billie Holiday with William DuftyA memoir by the singer, written with a ghostwriter, covering her early life, career and the racism she faced. It is a primary source with known gaps and inaccuracies.
Stomping the Blues
Albert MurrayAn essay on the blues as a form and as a way of shaping experience, with attention to its structure and its place in American culture.
Blues People
Le Roi JonesAn early and influential argument that the blues and jazz reflect African American social history and its changes over time.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
More jazz and blues books
- Miles
MilesQuincy Troupe - Beneath the Underdog
Beneath the UnderdogCharles Mingus - The Swing Era
The Swing EraGunther Schuller - Blues Fell This Morning
Blues Fell This MorningPaul Oliver - John Coltrane
John ColtraneLewis Porter - Coltrane
ColtraneBen Ratliff - Jazz Styles
Jazz StylesMark C. Gridley - The Jazz Theory Book
The Jazz Theory BookMark Levine - How to Listen to Jazz
How to Listen to JazzTed Gioia - Improvising Jazz
Improvising JazzJerry Coker - Lady sings the blues
Lady sings the bluesBillie Holiday1956 - Blues people, Negro music and white America
Blues people, Negro music and white AmericaAmiri Baraka1963