The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire

摘要

Every so often a reference book appears and one thinks, this is such a good idea, why wasn't it done before? This new book is a guide to over 250 songs that are central to the repertoire of jazz musicians of all styles, and is the first, as far as I know, to tell the stories of the songs themselves. It begins with After You've Gone (1918) and ends with You'll be so Nice to Come Home To (1942). Chronologically speaking, the earliest song may be Tiger Rag, first recorded by the Original Dixieland jazz band in 1917. It is hard to tell what the latest song is, but the 1960s are certainly well covered. These are songs that have been used in jazz, so many started their lives on Broadway or in Tin Pan alley, rather than being written expressly for jazz. So the masters of American popular song, like Cole Porter and George Gershwin are well represented here, and so are all kinds of jazz from Dixieland through Swing to Bebop and even the "free" jazz of Ornette Coleman and others. Gioia is highly eclectic in his tastes and choices, as befits an author who has written several books on music, including The History of Jazz (Gioia, 1997).