Search - The Story of Jazz (Masters of American Music) on DVD

Fantastic Overview of Jazz

J. M. Toenjes | Tolono, IL United States | 03/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The best 90-minute look at jazz you can imagine. I used this in my music class and the kids were engaged all the way. Interviews are to the point and fun, clips are great. Hard to imagine a better succint treatment of the history of jazz. Highest recommendation!"

This is one great video of golden era jazz.

jjjoules | Sequim, WA United States | 02/15/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The samplings are wonderful[esp. Willie the Lion Smith and Sarah Vaughn],but the commentary does justice to all the included muscians as well as the history of jazz in general.I could watch this video ten times in ten days and not get tired of it."

The Story of Jazz

singerdeb | CA | 09/29/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I teach a Music Appreciation course and this dvd was ideal for the introduction to jazz in this setting. I use more of the Ken Burns series in my American Popular Music course, but this dvd is an excellent overview. I ordered the dvd to have shown in class when I had to be away, and it was just right. If you are completely new to jazz, it's a good place to start. There is a good bit of attention given to bebop and basically ends there; I do wish that some had been given to jazz-rock and bossa nova. But in a dvd of this length, there is no way to cover everything. If you are fairly well versed in jazz already, you probably want something more comprehensive."

Great for survey-of-music courses

Scott R. Harding | St. Johns, MI USA | 01/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I use select bits of this video in both my Jazz History and Music Appreciation classes. Having real musicians talk about (and play!) the music really draws the students in, much more so than just talking about the players and seeing them in the book. The video is well-planned, well-directed and exceptionally well thought-out."