Almost immediately after the national popularity of jazz in the United States in the early 20th century, American writers responded to what this exciting art meant for listeners. This book explores the relationship of uniquely American music with other aspects of American life, including books, movies, language, and politics. Observing how jazz has become a cultural institution, widely celebrated as 'America's classical music', it consistently keeps attention on its roots in African American cultural expression and its ongoing ability to critique problems of democracy or to confront violence and inequality, from Jim Crow to George Floyd. The book guides the reader through time and expressive forms, tracking jazz as an aesthetic influence, political power, and representative focal point in American literature and culture. It shows how jazz has long been a rich source of aesthetic stimulation, influencing writers with a broad stylistic range such as Langston Hughes, Eudora Welty, and James Baldwin, or artists as diverse as Aaron Douglas, Jackson Pollock, and Gordon Parks.

Pages: 400, Dimensions: 15.8x15.8cm