John Edward Hasse and Tad Lathrop, Discover Jazz and Thomas E. Larson, History and Tradition of Jazz

  • John Behling University of Illinois
Keywords: jazz history, textbook

Abstract

Jazz history texts address two different audiences: jazz performance majors whose first commitment is to their lessons and ensembles, and non-majors interested in satisfying cultural studies requirements. Discover Jazz by John Edward Hasse and Tad Lathrop takes a broad, culturally grounded view of jazz, while History and Tradition of Jazz by Tomas E. Larson takes a more nuts-and-bolts approach that focuses on the history of styles and musicians, accompanied by a simpler and shorter discussion of jazz’s historical and cultural contexts. Both books target general audiences and are intended for introductory courses.

Author Biography

John Behling, University of Illinois
John Behling is an accomplished scholar and teacher, as well as a Chicago jazz guitarist who has performed throughout the United States. He has written extensively about jazz in Chicago and has presented talks on various topics including Chicago jazz, Sammy Davis, Jr., Broadway musicals, and other issues related to music and American culture. He holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Michigan and an MM in jazz and classical guitar performance from the University of Arkansas. He currently teaches at the University of Illinois, Columbia College Chicago, and DePaul University. 
Published
2014-05-28
Section
Reviews