Sign-In
Cart
The Majesty of Chicago Jazz: Twenty-Five Visionaries Who Define the City's Sound
Hardcover
General MusicJazzMusic Reference
Publisher Price: $27.50
ISBN13: 9780226846446
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: Oct 6 2026
Pages: 296
Weight: 1.00
Language: English
The first book to trace the vast influence of Chicago jazz from its origins to today--from Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton to Anita O'Day, Herbie Hancock, and the AACM.
Author and Chicago native Howard Reich gives readers a front-row seat to the history of Chicago jazz as it roared forth in jazz clubs, concert halls, and festivals. Reich covered Chicago jazz for more than thirty years as the Chicago Tribune's staff critic, and in this collection, he argues that jazz as an art form is inconceivable without Chicago. Carefully choosing from among his thousands of articles on jazz, Reich highlights twenty-five of the most important Chicago jazz artists who pushed the art form forward.
The Majesty of Chicago Jazz begins with two New Orleans visionaries who achieved their artistic pinnacles in Chicago in the Roaring Twenties: Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong. In the decades that followed, Chicago produced an uninterrupted line of innovators: revolutionaries Ahmad Jamal and Sun Ra, iconoclasts Von Freeman and Fred Anderson, populists Herbie Hancock and Ramsey Lewis, chameleons Patricia Barber and Kurt Elling, and the breakthrough band of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), among others. Reich offers two pieces on each of the book's twenty-five visionaries, including profiles, reviews, appreciations, and obituaries. The book concludes with a beginner-friendly discography, perfect for those looking to listen along.
The Majesty of Chicago Jazz is captivating for jazz newcomers and aficionados alike--all are guaranteed to learn something surprising here. With a musician's ear and a journalist's expertise, Reich offers listeners a valuable guide to the groundbreaking jazz that has come out of Chicago, a city that remains a fertile breeding ground for musical experimentation.
Also from
Reich, Howard
Jelly's Blues: The Life, Music, and Redemption of Jelly Roll Morton
Reich, Howard
Gaines, William
Paperback
The Van Cliburn Story: The Remarkable Story of a Pianist Who United Russia and America
Reich, Howard
Paperback
Also in
Jazz
3 Shades of Blue: Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, and the Lost Empire of Cool
Kaplan, James
Paperback
Jazz: Best of the Apollo, Village Vanguard, and Riverside Sessions
Schapiro, Steve
Scheinin, Richard
Hardcover
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood: Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, and the Birth of Black Power
Miller, W. Jason
Hardcover
The Jazz Barn: Music Inn, the Berkshires, and the Place of Jazz in American Life
Gennari, John
Hardcover
R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country: Portraits of the Pioneers Who Shaped American Music [With CD Audio]
Crumb, R.
Hardcover
Jazz, TX: A Love Letter to Live Music, Community, and the Little Club That Could
Watkins, Doc
Hardcover
The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America
Tye, Larry
Paperback
How to Go Mad Without Losing Your Mind: Madness and Black Radical Creativity
Bruce, La Marr Jurelle
Paperback
Advanced Jazz-Fusion Guitar Techniques: Discover the Art of Modern Jazz-Fusion Soloing using Lines, Phrasing and Harmonic Concepts
Meader, Josh
Pettingale, Tim
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
The Jazzmen: How Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie Transformed America
Tye, Larry
Hardcover
Bill Frisell, Beautiful Dreamer: The Guitarist Who Changed the Sound of American Music
Watson, Philip
Hardcover
After The Final Curtain Call: The Road Was Long And Hard, But I Finally Made It Home
Hicks, Alan
Hardcover
Triad Soloing For Modern Guitar: Master Triad Shapes, Creative Patterns & Triad Pairs for Articulate, Melodic Guitar Soloing
Noy, Oz
Pettingale, Tim
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in the 1,001 Best Albums
Cook, Richard
Morton, Brian
Paperback
Playing Solo Jazz Piano: A New Approach for Creative Pianists (2nd Edition)
Siskind, Jeremy
Paperback
Guitar: Guitar Music Book For Beginners, Guide How To Play Guitar Within 24 Hours
Mahalo, Tom
Paperback
Whistle Stop: Kenny Dorham, Jazz, and the Journey of a Texas Family
Pallitto, Robert M.
Melendez, John A.
Paperback
Christmas with Nat King Cole: A Legacy of Merry Music and Holiday Memories
McGevna, Allison
Nat King Cole Estate
Hardcover
Beginner Gypsy Jazz Guitar: Master the Essential Skills of Gypsy Jazz Guitar Rhythm & Soloing
Nolan, Robin
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
100 Modern Jazz Licks For Piano: Learn 100 Modern Jazz Piano Licks In The Style of 10 Legendary Players
Hayward, Nathan
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
Melodic Jazz Guitar Chord Phrasing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Advanced Jazz Guitar Chord Phrases from Melodic Lines
Whitfield, Mark
Paperback
Leave It for the Children: A Visual History of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra
Lamontagne, Samuel
Kae, Darol Olu
Hardcover
Living Space: John Coltrane, Miles Davis, and Free Jazz, from Analog to Digital
Veal, Michael E.
Paperback
Have Horn, Will Travel: The Life and Music of Herman "Junior" Cook Volume 21
Nero, Courtney M.
Hardcover
Guitar: Guitar Lessons For Beginners, Simple Guide Through Easy Techniques, How T
Mahalo, Tom
Paperback
Hating Jazz: A History of Its Disparagement, Mockery, and Other Forms of Abuse
Berish, Andrew S.
Paperback
101 Walking Jazz Bass Lines: Learn to Build & Play Walking Basslines on Every Essential Jazz Chord Sequence
Cox, Johnny
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
Jazz Soloing Basics for Guitar: A step-by-step method for learning jazz phrasing with chromaticism and swing-feel lines
Tagliarino, Barrett
Paperback
Gypsy Jazz Guitar Soloing Etudes - Volume Two: Learn Guitar Soloing Strategies & Techniques For 6 Essential Gypsy Jazz Standards
Pettingale, Tim
Alexander, Joseph
Harris, Remi
Paperback
The Baroness: The Baroness: The Search for Nica, the Rebellious Rothschild and Jazz's Secret Muse
Rothschild, Hannah
Paperback
100 Gypsy Jazz Guitar Licks: Learn Gypsy Jazz Guitar Soloing Technique with 100 Authentic Licks
Pettingale, Tim
Alexander, Joseph
Harris, Remi
Paperback
Martin Taylor: A Step-by-Step Pathway to Turn Traditional Blues Playing Into Sophisticated Jazz Guitar
Pettingale, Tim
Taylor, Martin
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
Gypsy Jazz Guitar Soloing Etudes - Volume One: Learn Guitar Soloing Strategies & Techniques For 8 Essential Gypsy Jazz Standards
Harris, Remi
Alexander, Joseph
Paperback
Soundtrack to the Revolution: Free Jazz and Leftist Nationalism in Quebec 1967-1975
Fillion, Eric
Paperback
Black Music, White Business: Illuminating the History and Political Economy of Jazz
Kofsky, Frank
Paperback
Keys That Fit: How a Common-Sense Innovation Is Transforming the Musical Lives of Pianists Around The World
Tessler, Michael
Paperback
Miles & Me: Miles Davis, the Man, the Musician, and His Friendship with the Journalist and Poet Quincy Troupe
Troupe, Quincy
Paperback
Clean Living Under Difficult Circumstances: A Life in Mod - From the Revival to Acid Jazz
Piller, Eddie
Paperback
Kurt Rosenwinkel: A Creative Guide to Soloing With Modes & Chords to Create Cutting Edge Jazz Guitar Language
Pettingale, Tim
Alexander, Joseph
Rosenwinkel, Kurt
Paperback
Beginner Jazz Soloing For Trumpet: The Beginner's Guide To Jazz Improvisation For Trumpet
Pettingale, Tim
Birch, Buster
Paperback
Jazz Religion, the Second Line, and Black New Orleans, New Edition: After Hurricane Katrina
Turner, Richard Brent
Paperback
John Patitucci Walking Bass: How to Play Walking Basslines On Any Chord Sequence - For Upright & Electric Bass
Alexander, Joseph
Patitucci, John
Pettingale, Tim
Paperback