How to Listen to Jazz Paperback – April 1, 2015

I have a lot of respect for the author and educator as well as those writing the forwards whom I have studied with at workshops. However this book will not be helpful to non musicians attempting to embrace the jazz idiom. As a musician who improvises I tried to imagine explaining the concepts presented to non musicians. It’s not easy, and unfortunately this book proves that. I did enjoy the higher level view, there is great information within. It’s held up well since it was published in 1978. This is not music appreciation for jazz, but would provide one source for consideration to someone thinking about teaching that course.

The book is fine, my only issue is I don't know who it's for. I have trouble imagining someone who has taken the time to identify jazz as something they would like to explore, and buy a book about it, but who doesn't know that the drums keep time?All in all, it's fine, but I think if you are really that new to music (which is totally fine, everyone starts at the beginning) then a broader book might be of more interest, and if you are more than passingly interested in music a lot of this will seem almost insultingly simplistic.There is nothing wrong with this book, but I think you'd learn more in a couple days listening to your local jazz station off and on.

There have been so many people and so many styles of jazz in the last 100years that ones needs a program to distinguish the players and their styles.This book is a help in that. Jerry Coker has better ears than mineand can pick out things ( techniques) that are lost to me.This book is helpful even if you already know something about jazz.