For undergraduate courses in Jazz History, Evolution of Jazz, Jazz and Rock, American Music, Popular Music, African-American Music, Black Music in African-American Music, Jazz in America, Jazz Survey, Understanding Jazz, Jazz Styles, Jazz Appreciation, and Twentieth Century Music. Focusing on what Jazz is, how it is made, and how to listen to it, this best-selling introduction to jazz skillfully mixes written text with audio recordings to help students learn how to improve their ear for music and gain a deeper appreciation of the many layers of sound found in each recording. Highlighting the musical characteristics of each style and contrasting each successive era in a point-by-point manner, it details the basic musical principles, important styles, musical trends, history, innovations, and instruments of jazz, ideal for both non-musicians and music majors alike, it is easy-to-read, tightly organized, and filled with tips to help increase listening enjoyment as it guides students through the full spectrum of jazz historyfrom Africa to New Ageexamining the major artists and providing an abundance of examples throughout the text and in the accompanying cassettes and CD's.

Mark C. Gridley is an active jazz musician and educator. He has done field research in Africa, the Caribbean, and all the jazz centers of America. His books have been translated into five foreign languages. His articles appear in the Grove Dictionaries of Music, Encyclopaedia Britannica, The Musical Quarterly, The Black Perspective in Music, The Instrumentalist, and Jazz Educators Journal.