Description
Book SynopsisThis title explores the ideas of African American musicians, analyzing them on the context of meanings circulating around jazz. The text shows how much black musicians have struggled against the definations of racial authenticity and racism in the dominant culture.
Trade Review"Among the many books on the history of jazz, most document the interpretations of white critics....But now, Eric Porter's brilliant book seeks to trace the ways in which black jazz musicians have made verbal sense of their accomplishments, demonstrating the profound self-awareness of the artists themselves as they engaged in discourse about their enterprise." - Susan McClary, author of Conventional Wisdom: The Content of Musical Form
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1 "A Marvel of Paradox": Jazz and African American Modernity 2 "Dizzy Atmosphere": The Challenge of Bebop 3 "Passions of a Man": The Poetics and Politics of Charles Mingus 4 "Straight Ahead": Abbey Lincoln and the Challenge of Jazz Singing 5 Practicing "Creative Music": The Black Arts Imperative in the Jazz Community 6 Writing "Creative Music": Theorizing the Art and Politics of Improvisation 7 "The Majesty of the Blues": Wynton Marsalis's Jazz Canon Epilogue Notes Acknowledgments of Permissions Index
