is one of the seminal books on American jazz, ranging from the beginnings of jazz as a distinct musical style at the turn of the century to its first great flowering in the 1930s. Schuller explores the music of the great jazz soloists of the twenties—Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, and others—and the big bands and arrangers—Fletcher Henderson, Bennie Moten, and especially Duke Ellington—placing their music in the context of the other musical cultures of the twentieth century and offering analyses of many great jazz recordings. provides a musical tour of the early American jazz world. A classic study, it is both a splendid introduction for students and an insightful guide for scholars, musicians, and jazz aficionados.