Why Jazz Happened - by Marc Myers (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Why Jazz Happened is the first comprehensive social history of jazz. It provides an intimate and compelling look at the many forces that shaped this most American of art forms and the many influences that gave rise to jazz's post-war styles. Rich with the voices of musicians, producers, promoters, and others on the scene during the decades following World War II, this book views jazz's evolution through the prism of technological advances, social transformations, changes in the law, economic trends, and much more.

In an absorbing narrative enlivened by the commentary of key personalities, Marc Myers describes the myriad of events and trends that affected the music's evolution, among them, the American Federation of Musicians strike in the early 1940s, changes in radio and concert-promotion, the introduction of the long-playing record, the suburbanization of Los Angeles, the Civil Rights movement, the "British invasion" and the rise of electronic instruments. This groundbreaking book deepens our appreciation of this music by identifying many of the developments outside of jazz itself that contributed most to its texture, complexity, and growth.

From the Back Cover

"Why Jazz Happened is a fantastic, eye-opening unfolding of the music and musicians who developed this spell-binding art between World War II and Watergate. Marc Myers shatters myths here, and treats jazz history like an epic saga. I lived and breathed this period during my extensive career in jazz, and this book brings a new perspective to the music's golden era."--Creed Taylor, multi-Grammy Award-winning jazz producer

"Marc Myers's Why Jazz Happened is the first wide-ranging social history of jazz, a highly original attempt to portray and understand the music's evolution by looking at it through the prism of non-musical historic events. The result is a book that will shape the way all subsequent commentators think and write about jazz history."--Terry Teachout, author of Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong

"For newcomers to jazz and the global audience for whom this music is a vital part of their lives, Marc Myers has written a deeply illuminating and engaging portrait of the essence of jazz. He writes from the inside of jazz--the experiences of the musicians themselves, on the stand and in their own lives. This book is full of surprises. I lived and wrote during much of this period, but I found here a lot that I didn't know."--Nat Hentoff, author of At the Jazz Band Ball: Sixty Years on the Jazz Scene

Review Quotes

"Excellent new jazz history. . . . A refreshingly concrete volume on a genre that stubbornly, sometimes proudly, refuses to be defined."-- "The New York City Jazz Record" (8/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"Why Jazz Happened contains a treasure trove of insider information . . . a valuable addition to readings in jazz history."--Mark C. Gridley "Notes" (6/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"'Why Jazz Happened' Makes Its Points Like a Snazzy Lawyer in the Courtroom: Zip, Zam, Zot. . . . Students and fans of jazz will come away enlightened about a huge part of the jazz story that has been mostly untold, before this otherwise intelligent and well-reported book was published."--Will Layman "Popmatters.com" (2/21/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"A highly engaging, thoroughly researched book."-- "All About Jazz" (10/28/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"A needed historical overview. . . . Myers presents his argument of 'why jazz happened' in a concise, powerfully convincing style. . . . Highly recommended."--G. A. Akkerman, University of South Carolina Upstate "Choice" (4/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)

"Myers has managed to come up with a fresh take on the [history of jazz's evolution]."--Willard Manus "LivelyArts.com" (4/1/2013 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Marc Myers is a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, where he writes about jazz, rock, soul, and rhythm & blues as well as art and architecture. He blogs daily at www.JazzWax.com, winner of the Jazz Journalists Association's Blog of the Year Award.