Early Jazz by Fumi Tomita

Early Jazz, a paperback book by Fumi Tomita, has as its subtitle “A Concise Introduction, from Its Beginnings through 1929.” Tomita conceived of his book as an overview of the early days of jazz (which he considers neglected in most jazz history classes) and a modernization of Gunther Schuller’s late 1960s work which was also called Early Jazz. It states on the back cover that it is “the first book on early jazz history in over fifty years.” Since I wrote Classic Jazz in 2001 and a few other books by others covering similar topics have also came out during the past few decades, this is one of several inaccuracies in this well-intentioned work. In Early Jazz, Tomita does a good job of summing up pre-jazz (including ragtime and the blues), the Chicago and New York jazz scenes in the 1920s, the development of stride piano and New York dance bands, Louis Armstrong in the 1920s, the Chicagoans, and Bix Beiderbecke. He includes brief summaries of many soloists and bands, some of which are rarely mentioned in jazz history books. He goes out of his way to be even-handed about the contributions of African-American and white musicians and tips his hat to the often-overlooked female jazz players. He even includes a brief chapter on Jazz Around The World which, along with mentioning Americans who played in Europe, has a bit on jazz in Asia. The text overall is quite readable and Fum
You've read three articles this month! That makes you one of a rare breed, the true jazz fan!

The Syncopated Times is a monthly publication covering traditional jazz, ragtime and swing. We have the best historic content anywhere, and are the only American publication covering artists and bands currently playing Hot Jazz, Vintage Swing, or Ragtime. Our writers are legends themselves, paid to bring you the best coverage possible. Advertising will never be enough to keep these stories coming, we need your SUBSCRIPTION. Get unlimited access for $30 a year or $50 for two.

Not ready to pay for jazz yet? Register a Free Account for two weeks of unlimited access without nags or pop ups.

Already Registered? Log In

If you shouldn't be seeing this because you already logged in try refreshing the page.

Or look at our Subscription Options.