ANNOTATED

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Student: Dimitrije Vasiljevic
Final Project Topic: Polyphony In Jazz Piano


1. Ake, David, Charles Hiroshi Garrett and Daniel Goldmark, ed. Jazz/Not Jazz:
The Music and Its Boundaries. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012

A collection of essays about what the word jazz means today and how far it has
departed from its original state. Is jazz yet another cultural product of 20th century
that stopped developing and has been put to a side, or has it broaden its boundaries,
spreading all over the world, impacting its different cultures and music traditions?
This work reveals various points of views on jazz by members of nations who
adopted jazz and adjusted it according to their own needs and traditions. Jazz is on
the constant move today and varies in shape and definition while being torn
between jazz purists and jazz innovators, both who keep claiming that they own the
exclusive right to label jazz as a definitive entity.


2. Ake, David. Jazz Cultures. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002

The author of this book, being both, a jazz pianist and a musicologist has written a
comprehensive study about identities that jazz musicians, as well as jazz audiences
have been shaping over the course of the last century. Specific relationships
between jazz composers and their works, as well as their presentation to listeners
both give an insight to different narratives within jazz education, performance and
criticism. This books also discusses various types of characteristics among different
jazz communities.

3. Ake, David. Jazz Matters. Berkeley: University of California, 2010

Where and what is jazz today? Does it have a significant place in the modern worlds
scene and who are its main disciples? Jazz Matters helps jazz re-identify itself in the
society where it seems to be less and less place for it. Through observing and
analyzing jazz musicians behavior patterns, mutual relationships and thoughts on
their professions, this book brings very organized post WWII jazz history at a
glance, but, unlike many other jazz history publishing, this one provides a
sociological insight into the means that turned to be main factors of jazzs
development into an art form.

4. Berliner, Paul F. Thinking In Jazz: The Infinite Art of Improvisation. Chicago:

The University of Chicago Press, 1994

This book is a capital work in the field of jazz musicology which follows a complex
process of learning jazz language, from beginner to master. This books insight into
the issue of overcoming the obstacles on the path of becoming a jazz musician,
justifies its value primarily by an extensive musicological analysis of various sorts of
jazz musicians life aspects, but also by numerous interviews with renowned jazz
musicians who presented their experiences from the first hand. Review of both, the
individual and collective learning of improvisation sheds light on the difficult path of
musicians in the process of mastering jazz, not only as a style but also a specific
aesthetical expression of our time.

5. Cerchiari, Luca, ed., et al. Eurojazzland: Jazz and European Sources, Dynamics
and Contexts. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2012

Jazz history, its evolution through sub-genres and development of the style are
usually linked to the United States ground and culture. This volume represents one
of a few books that explore a strong impact that jazz music has been doing to the
European music scene over the course of more than half a century. From first
jazzmen such as Sidney Bechet and Duke Ellington who introduced jazz to
Europeans, to some of the most recent European jazz greats who not only adopted
jazz language as their mother tongue, but also managed to establish their own
distinctive styles that are nowadays commonly related to the sound of European
jazz. A missing link between a blend of classical music heritage and jazz through the
cultural exchange process between the US and Europe has been thoroughly
investigated in this work and the main disciples of European jazz have been
rediscovered in an inspiring way.


6. Gabbard, Krin, ed. Jazz Among the Discourses. Durham: Duke University Press,
1995
Whether jazz is yet another musical style that emerged in 20th century, or is
something more than that, this partly sociological, partly musicological study
uncovers in the most profound way. The evolution of jazz music from the music for
dance to an art form. Its impact on modern societies, not only in the US, but also in
other worlds cultures who recognized in jazz a spark of freedom and a possibility
for creativeness, has been an important subject for debates in jazz world for
decades, and this book managed to cover it from different perspectives. Yet another
interesting phenomena a common ground between learning jazz and a foreign
language at all levels of musicianship. Jazz Among the Discourses successfully shows
how jazz gradually turned from dancing music to a concept of playing and looking at
music in the ways so much different from any other kind of music today.

7. Gioia, Ted. The Imperfect Art: Reflections On Jazz and Modern Culture.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988

A thoughtful study on various aspects of jazz as a phenomenon of a modern society
and its impact on contemporary culture. Over the course of many questions about
the characteristics of jazz aesthetics, audience reaction to it and different
professional jazz musicians thoughts about its very essence, the author argued
about certain myths that got established by the public, as well as truths that have
been long forgotten or underestimated. From jazz primitivism to jazz
neoclassicism, this profound and extremely intriguing work manages to touch on
wide variety of issues about jazz and shows its well deserved place on todays art
scene.



8. Gridley, Mark C. Jazz Styles: History & Analysis 9th ed. Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006

A hailed publication on jazz history that has seen its 9th edition. A detailed review of
jazz genres and subgenres as well as their most notable practitioners, this work also
and gives the reader the authors personal view on the subject. Rich with
suggestions for listening examples and selected discographies, it encourages the
reader to fiercely delve into the exploration of jazz history, providing at the same
time a musical analysis of certain aspects of the mentioned style. An invaluable
resource and a foundation for a research of any type in jazz history and style
analysis.





9. Heble, Ajay and Rob Wallace, ed. People Get Ready: the future of jazz is now!
Durham: Duke University Press, 2013

This book is a collection of essays on jazz written by scholars, musicians and
journalists. These essays are dealing with the emergence of modern sub-genres of
jazz such as nu-jazz, acid jazz, fusion and other different form of experimental
improvisatory music. The book also explores economical, political and sociological
backgrounds of jazz musicians lives and belief systems. A jazz musician who
stylistically leans more toward experimental sound, often fails to get financially
accomplished because of the certain cultural boundaries that society puts before
him. Peope Get Ready delves into this topic as well, trying to find out recurring
patterns of thinking and living the jazz way.

10. Kennan, Kent. Counterpoint: Based on Eighteenth Century Practice -4th ed.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1999

Among countless methods books on the 18th century counterpoint, Kents work
stands out from the most because of its wonderful balance between the big amount
of information it brings and the simplicity to use. Detailed explanations, analysis,
notated examples and exercises from the basic, species counterpoint to multiple
voice fugue are neatly organized, written in straight to the point manner and
extremely informative. Yet another quality is the authors flexibility to demonstrate
approach to counterpoint, not only in a baroque style, but also in different music
epochs, therefore showing the importance of counterpoint technique itself, rather
than just a musical style people usually connect it with.



11. Mehldau, Brad. Artist Transcriptions: The Brad Mehldau Collection.
Milwaukee: Hal Leonard, 2002

A collection of improvised solo transcriptions by one of the most influential jazz
musicians of the younger generation, Brad Mehldau. Contains not only masterpiece
versions of standard tunes as Nobody Else But Me, Prelude to a Kiss,
Bewitched, but also the pianists original pieces like Sehnsucht and Unrequited.
This volume represents a precious material for the analysis of Mehldaus unique
contrapuntal approach to jazz piano. It also serves as a starting ground for delving
into the world of modern jazz piano that had been influenced by European classical
music tradition, and for getting familiar with concepts used in that process. In
addition to notated music, Mehldaus discography and biography have been
provided, but since the book was published in 2002, this information are obviously
not up to date.



12. Mehldau. Brad (jazz pianist). Writing. [A section of a personal WEB page].
Internet. Available: http://www.bradmehldau.com/writing/

A rare example of a musicians programmatic writing about his own music and
thoughts on compositional processes and meanings behind it. Mehldau
encompasses a wide range of artworks from literature, drama, music as well as
fruits from his own artistic experience in these essays. Through them he manages to
familiarize the public with his artistic intentions and also reveal a hidden world of
his imagination, influences and innovative approaches to jazz piano. This way, he
adds a new dimension to his, already highly acclaimed music, letting the consumer
at least somewhat better understand the great mind of a genius, which Mehldau
certainly is. A gold mine for anyone interested in polyphonic jazz piano, philosophy
of new tendencies in mixing jazz with classical music tradition and Mehldaus
thinking processes while composing and playing.

13. Olmstead, Neil. Solo Jazz Piano: The Linear Approach. Boston: Berklee Press,
2003

Being the only available method book about contrapuntal jazz piano techniques on
the market, this study encompasses comprehensive approach to polyphonic jazz
improvisation, yet it mostly focuses on styles of Lennie Tristano, Dave McKenna and
Bill Evans. By its content, it could be said that it was meant mainly for beginner
through intermediate jazz piano student, but certain chapters, especially those
dedicated to motivic development and imitation, could prove challenging for even
an advanced student. A great number of notated musical examples, also recorded on
the CD that comes with the book, make this work even more precious for anyone
interested in improving their hand independence and inner voice movement in the
field of jazz piano.



14. Pilc, Jean-Michel. Its About Music: The Art and Heart of Improvisation.
Montrose, CA: Glen Lyon Books, 2012

A masterpiece of its own kind in the field of jazz improvisation. A unique approach
to the subject of refining the art of improvisation, this hybrid between a personal
statement, anecdotal collection, philosophy of music and a method book opens up a
new realm of unexplored territory full of intuitive means to overcoming the
obstacles in an endeavor to become a master jazz musician. Mr. Pilc, being one of the
most innovative jazz piano players and thinkers of our time, shares his own
experiences that help up and coming jazz musicians in their effort to switch back
on their ears and primal senses, and put aside all the theory and musical math
that modern jazz education insists on. Fresh, organic and logical, yet at moments
unconventional ideas for exercises are constructed in such a way to help students to
feel the rhythm better, to breath life to their improvised lines and direct them to
eventually develop their own unique voice in playing jazz.


15. Walser, Robert, ed. Keeping Time: Readings In Jazz History. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1999

An invaluable source of magazine articles, memoirs, program notes and other
written, historical sources about jazz greats, the music they played and their
thoughts on it. Giants like Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Charles
Mingus are only a few of the jazz legends whose lives and careers, as well as their
relationship with music they not only played and composed, but also lived, has been
depicted in the series of published material that found the place in this book.
Following the jazz timeline leading the reader from decade to decade, all the
important points in time about jazz has been mentioned and, in one or the other
way, paid tribute to. A precious resource from both, historical and musical
standpoint.