The Wonder of Jazz by Sammy Stein begins with the history of jazz in New Orleans, mentioning Ragtime, Dixieland, and the complex influences of international music. The author then attempts to define jazz according to structure, improvisation, and relationship to other genres, while also discussing...

When we think of the musical greats throughout history, we’re bound to think first of the men who dominated music. There were women musicians, music teachers, performers, and composers, but their lights didn’t shine quite so brightly. To a certain extent, that continues today, but...