Jazz

Dictionaries/Encyclopedias    Biographies   

Bibliographies    Discographies   

Dictionaries/Encyclopedias

Clayton, Peter. Jazz A-Z. Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness, 1986.
ML102.J3 C53 1986 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A dictionary of jazz terms, slang, styles, geographic locations, movements, clubs and other venues, etc. Includes a few biographical entries, but it is difficult to judge on what basis they were chosen. Also includes interesting illustrations of historical posters, advertisements, record jackets, and photographs. Selective list of jazz musicians and singers at end.

Cook, Richard. Richard Cook's Jazz Encyclopedia. London, New York: Penguin, 2005.
ML102.J3 C66 2005 MUSIC REFERENCE

• An A-to-Z listing primarily of jazz artists, but also including some terminology, jazz jargon, and other interesting information. Each artist listing has the name, dates, instrument or role, a brief biographical entry, and a suggested characteristic recording.

Feather, Leonard G. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
ML102.J3 F4 1999 MUSIC REFERENCE

• An expansion and revision of the Encyclopedia of Jazz series. Primarily consists of abbreviated biographical entries on jazz artists, includes full names, dates, instruments, and important recordings. Also includes abbreviation key.

Feather, Leonard G. Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies. New York: Horizon, 1976.
ML102.J3 F43 1976 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A continuation of the Encyclopedia of Jazz series. This work covers the field of jazz from the mid-60's to the mid-70's. Biographical entries comprise major portion of the volume. Includes article on jazz education, with list of schools offering courses or programs. Also a guide to jazz films, recommended recordings of 1966-1975, and bibliography.

Feather, Leonard G. Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties. New York: Horizon, 1966.
ML102.J3 F42x 1966 MUSIC REFERENCE

• Modeled after the basic Encyclopedia of Jazz, this work gives extensive coverage of jazz during the first half of the 1960's. The biographical entries are based on prominence during these years.

Feather, Leonard G. New Edition of the Encyclopedia of Jazz. New York: Horizon, 1960.
ML102.J3 F4 1960 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A classic reference book on the history and biographies of jazz from the turn of the century to 1960. Includes an extensive historical survey and a variety of articles, lists of organizations, schools, record companies, and a brief bibliography. The major portion of the work consists of biographical listing of jazz musicians. The entries are brief, but contain basic factual information. Illustrated.

Gold, Robert S. Jazz Lexicon. New York: Knopf, 1964.
ML102.J3 G6 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A dictionary of standard jazz terms, including definitions and citations from written usage. Somewhat dated.

Gold, Robert S. Jazz Talk. Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975.
ML102.J3 G63x MUSIC REFERENCE

• A dictionary of jazz slang from its beginnings to the mid-1970's. Each entry contains a definition of the term and selective citations from written record. Includes bibliography.

Johnson, Bruce. Oxford Companion to Australian Jazz. Melbourne; New York: Oxford University Press, 1987.
ML3509.A97 J64 1987 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A comprehensive reference work on jazz in Australia. Contains several essays on history and evolution, and a major section of dictionary entries for groups and individual jazz musicians. Thorough indexing.

Kinkle, Roger D. Complete Encyclopedia of Popular Music and Jazz, 1900-1950. 4 vols. New Rochelle, NY: Arlington House, 1974.
ML102.P66 K55 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A wide-ranging 4 volume work covering the contributions of singers, orchestra leaders, instrumentalists, composers, and lyricists to popular music and jazz. Volume 1 is devoted to a chronological listing of Broadway musicals, songs, and representative recordings. Volumes 2 and 3 are devoted to biographical entries, and volume 4 to appendices and indexes. Emphasis is more on popular music than jazz.

New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Second Edition. 3 vols. London: Macmillan, 2002.
ML102.J3 N48 2002 MUSIC REFERENCE & Grove Online

• A comprehensive dictionary of jazz, following the style and tradition of the other great Grove dictionaries of music. Includes entries for over 5000 individual jazz musicians, as well as articles on terminology and theory, musical instruments, record labels, festivals, and films. Most articles include one or more bibliographical citations for further reading, and some include selected recordings. The contents are also available in the New Grove Online.

Biographies

Carner, Gary. Jazz Performers: An Annotated Bibliography of Biographical Materials. New York: Greenwood, 1990.
ML128.B3 C37 1990 MUSIC REFERENCE

• An annotated bibliography of books, theses, dissertations, and scholarly journal articles, in all languages, published from 1921 to the present. The main section of the work is an alphabetical listing of biographical sources on individual jazz musicians and ensembles. Also includes a substantial supplementary bibliography and thorough indexing.

Carr, Ian. Jazz: The Essential Companion. London: Grafton, 1987.
ML102.J3 C33x 1987 MUSIC REFERENCE

• Primarily a biographical source, this volume also contains definitions of words and phrases, explanations of various terms, and essays on major subjects. Biographical entries are international in scope and include virtually all leading innovators and players. Representative recordings are listed with each entry.

Case, Brian. Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz. New York: Harmony, 1978.
ML102.J3 C34 MUSIC REFERENCE

• An alphabetical listing of jazz musicians. Each entry contains brief biographical information and a selective list of recordings. Many entries include photographs or portraits of the musician.

Chilton, John. Who's Who of Jazz: Storyville to Swing Street. 4th ed. London: Macmillan, 1985.
ML106.U3 C5 1985b MUSIC REFERENCE

• A biographical dictionary of over 1000 American jazz musicians born before 1920. The entries are fairly brief, but give basic information.

Claghorn, Charles Eugene. Biographical Dictionary of Jazz. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1982.
ML390.C59 1982 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A dictionary of jazz musicians, covering the beginnings to the present, and including European musicians. Most entries are quite brief, so this is most useful as a quick reference tool. Includes an index of jazz and various small groups.

Unterbrink, Mary. Jazz Women at the Keyboard. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1983.
ML397.U57 1983 MUSIC REFERENCE

• Contains biographical accounts, in varying lengths, of women jazz pianists. Not arranged in dictionary form, but rather by geographical area. Includes background information on various styles and areas of activity. Suffers from lack of separate index to featured biographies, but does include name index.

Bibliographies

Gray, John. Fire Music: a Bibliography of the New Jazz, 1959-1990. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991.
ML128.J3 G7 1991 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A comprehensive bibliography covering African-American "Free Jazz" beginning in 1959. Organized into six sections, including a chronology, African-American cultural history and art, general works and studies of New Jazz, jazz collectives and cooperative record labels, jazz lofts, and biographical and critical studies of artists and ensembles. Appendices include reference works, archives and research centers with large jazz collections, and listings of jazz artists.

Carl Gregor, Duke of Mecklenburg. International Bibliography of Jazz Books. Baden-Baden: Koerner, 1983.
ML128.J3 C4 1983 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A revised and expanded edition of International Jazz Bibliography and its supplements. The coverage is international, with the first volume including material published from 1921-1949, the second 1950-1959. Further volumes are projected for the 1960's and 1970's. Includes keyword and name indexes.

Carl Gregor, Duke of Mecklenburg. International Jazz Bibliography: Jazz Books from 1919 to 1968. Strasbourg: Heitz, 1969.
ML128.J3 C4 MUSIC REFERENCE

Carl Gregor, Duke of Mecklenburg. 1971/72/73 Supplement to International Jazz Bibliography. Graz: Universal Edition, 1975.
ML128.J3 C412x MUSIC REFERENCE

Hefele, Bernhard. Jazz-bibliography: International Literature on Jazz, Blues, Spirituals, Gospel and Ragtime Music. Munchen; New York: Saur, 1981.
ML128.J3 H46x MUSIC REFERENCE

• A bibliography listing over 6600 publications on jazz, blues, spirituals and gospel music, as well as selected literature on the background and origin of the music. The coverage is international, dating from 1836 for background material, and 1917 for the music. The bibliography is divided into 28 subject areas, with an index of personal names. Contents and introduction in both English and German.

Kennington, Donald. Literature of Jazz: A Critical Guide. 2nd ed. rev. Chicago: American Library Association, 1980.
ML128.J3 K45 1980 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A selective guide to English language material to the end of 1979. Divided into 9 separate chapters covering general background, blues, history, biography, analysis and theory, reference sources, jazz education, jazz in literature, and jazz periodicals. Each chapter contains a substantial essay on the subject and bibliographic listings.

Meadows, Eddie S. Jazz Scholarship and Pedagogy: a Research and Information Guide. New York: Routledge, 2006.
ML128.J3 M34 2005 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A bibliographic survey of books on jazz and jazz musicians from the 1920s through 2004. The first section is divided by genre (general, pre-swing, swing, bop, and modern). The second section lists reference materials, including bibliographies, encyclopedias and dictionaries, biographies, discographies, technical materials and anthologies. All entries in this section include brief annotations. Includes separate indexes to both sections.

Meeker, David. Jazz in the Movies. New York: Da Capo, 1982.
ML128.M7 M38 1982 MUSIC REFERENCE

• An alphabetical listing of films and television shows or series in which jazz figures prominently. Each entry contains the original title, reissue or working title, country of origin, director or producer, and running time or number of segments. Most entries contain brief annotations. Includes index of names.

Newport Jazz Festival, Rhode Island, 1954-1971: A Bibliography, Discography, and Filmography. Providence, RI: Agostinelli, 1977.
ML128.J3 A33 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A selective list of books, journal, and newspaper articles, recordings, and films connected with the Newport Jazz Festival. The articles are arranged by year of publication, the other listings are alphabetical by main performer or title.

Discographies

Bibliography of Discographies. 3 vols. New York: Bowker, 1977-1983.
ML156.2.B49 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A bibliography of discographies of jazz, blues, ragtime, gospel, and rhythm and blues covering the years 1935 to 1980. The main section is arranged alphabetically by personal names and other subjects, with an index of authors, editors, and titles. Also includes list of periodicals cited.

Cooper, David Edwin. International Bibliography of Discographies: Classical Music and Jazz & Blues, 1962-1972. Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1975.
ML113.C655 I6 MUSIC REFERENCE

• About one half of this work is devoted to the subject of jazz and blues. There are several sections which list general guides, buyer's guides, and subjects, as well as chronological listings. A separate section covers jazz and blues performer discography. Includes a summary of national discographies, catalogs, and major review sources. Thorough indexing.

Erlewine, Michael. All Music Guide to Jazz: the Experts' Guide to the Best Jazz Recordings. San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 1998.
ML156.4.J3 A45x 1998 MUSIC REFERENCE

Harrison, Max. Essential Jazz Records. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1984.
ML156.4.J3 H33 1984 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A selective listing of mostly 78 rpm recordings, with emphasis on the 1920's and 1930's. Includes a preliminary chapter on the origins of jazz, and also chapters on jazz in Europe and it's influence on European composers. Includes indexes of LP titles, tune titles, and musicians.

Leder, Jan. Women in Jazz: A Discography of Instrumental Music 1913-1968. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1985.
ML156.4.J3 L44 1985 MUSIC REFERENCE

• An attempt at a comprehensive listing of recordings made by women jazz instrumentalists, covering the period of 1913 to 1968. Includes 250 players, of which 120 are pianists. The main listing is alphabetical by performer, with recordings listed chronologically. A shorter second section is a chronological listing of recordings with two or more women players. Includes name index.

The Rolling Stone Jazz and Blues Guide. New York: Random House, 1999.
ML156.4.J3 R65 1999 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A discography of jazz and blues, arranged alphabetically by artist or band name. Each entry includes a chronological listing of albums by release date, a star-review for each album, and a brief biographical entry. An anthology section and record label contact information are also included.

Rust, Brian A.L. Jazz Records, 1897-1942. 2 vols. Chigwell, Essex, Eng.: Storyville Publications, 1982.
ML156.4.J3 R9 1982 MUSIC REFERENCE

• A major discography of jazz, ragtime, and swing recordings made during the years covered. Arranged alphabetically by individual performers and groups, with the records identified by titles and matrix numbers. Includes thorough artist and title indexing.

Stagg, Tom. New Orleans, the Revival: A Tape and Discography of Negro Traditional Jazz Recorded in New Orleans or by New Orleans Bands, 1937-1972. Dublin: Bashall Eaves Publication, 1973.
ML156.4.J3 S8 MUSIC REFERENCE

• The discography attempts to list all issued recordings as well as party and private sessions. Arranged alphabetically by musician or group. Thorough indexing.