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Summary: Should be titled "Jazz Origins: Popular Jazz up to 1955."
Review: I really liked this book because it gave great detail to the Founding Giants of Jazz. I get disapointed with books that try to be all things to all people and end up just skiming over everything. I like that this book went in-depth with the most popular artists. To try to fully cover the "Complete History of Jazz" would take about 10,000 pages of similairly over-sized books broken into about 20 volumes. Critics I have read on this page do a lot of name dropping to show off some knowledge. Perhaps they should write a book or two on the subject; I would love to read such a book. "Fusion: The Complete Evolution" would be a great volume in the above mentioned theoretical 10,000 pager, but most people have no interest in fusion. If you start going into Anthony Braxton's complex sheet music you are just going to loose people. This book sticks to the popular art form which is an evolution of sorts on it's own. An evolution of popular music and the evolution of the "musician's music" are two different things. I think the authors gave people what they wanted with this book. The REALITY of publishing a book like this is that it has to have broad appeal. You just aren't going to get funding to do a book that spends 25 pages on an extremely talented yet popularly obscure artist. This book is great for the novice or for the more educated jazz historian who wants to read some great stories and see some great photo's even if many of them are "common jazz knowledge" and repeats. (The story of Armstrong running into Oliver while selling tomatoes is a classic. I hadn't heard that one.) If you want a complete Jazz history, you will need a library of about 100 books. This book should be in that library.
Rating: 
Summary: That's a nice introduction to Jazz
Review: I think that the guys who are complaining about this book should understand that it's important to have some atractive devices to people that are interested in jazz but are afraid of so many different opinions, groups, tendencies... In this sense, I believe that this book is important. To many people, specially outside US, jazz looks like a kind of hermetic tradition. It's a nice introduction, though I am sure it's not sufficient once you have already started hearing jazz.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent overview.....
Review: I thought this was a terrific overview that captures the spirit and beauty of the music. It gave wondeful insight and depth to the people behind the music...innovators such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and others. I think some people will be disappointed in the book simply because it does not adhere to their particular viewpoint (there is very little coverage of fusion....no great loss in my book). But for people who want to get the background of the music and peer into the origins of it, who want to understand the passion that lies within it, this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Introduction To Jazz
Review: I would endorse this book and the accompanying series as a way for neophytes to enter an extremely challenging and complicated genre and as a reasonably good summation of the history of Jazz through 1960. But I would hope that Ken Burns' work isn't received as the final word on Jazz. Too often projects of these nature take on a Hand of God character and are regarded simply as the final take on a theme. Not so here, and anyone who knows the history of Jazz will point to numerous ommissions throughout the series. But if you're looking for a good entertaining way to learn or enjoy Jazz, this is probably a good bet. And if even one person ends up liking Jazz as a result of Burns' work, the world will be a better place. The series can't hurt and the debate is healthy. It just shouldn't be regarded as the only word on the subject.
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Summary: Total and complete jazz retrospective.
Review: It's a shame that jazz isn't as popular a music form as it was from it's beginning to the late 50's. There's something about the syncopation, improvisation, and vocal styling combination that I think is unsurpassed in today's techno, bubblegum pop inundated culture. This book is for both the true jazz aficionado and the jazz amateur. From its New Orleans start to today's foremost jazz artists, Wynton Marsalis and Cassandra Wilson, it's all there. As mentioned in a couple of reviews, the book does give a short shrift to contemporary jazz...I feel that the main reason for that is that jazz, unfortunately, doesn't enjoy near the popularity it did in its hey-day. What you will come away with, however, is a feel for the social, historical, and ethnic backgrounds that shaped jazz as an American art form. These lavish pictures, quotes, and biographies of the greats...Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Count Basie...you know who they are! will captivate you and make you feel as if you have always been a part of this musical phenomenon.
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Summary: A lavishly illustrated history of jazz music
Review: Jazz: A History Of America's Music provides a lavishly illustrated history of jazz music, from its roots in the black community to its rise as an American musical art form. Civil rights struggles, business and community relationships and musical style alike were all affected by the rise of jazz music: Jazz: A History of America's Music provides an outstanding visual and text coverage of the genre.
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Summary: A must have for any Jazz fan
Review: Ken Burns has done another excellent job of bringing to light the unsung heroes of America's musical tradition. Jazz has not recieved much attention the last couple decades or so with the possible exception of Winston Marsalis and a couple others and while the main focus of the book deals with the roots and founders of Jazz (as well it should) it does skimp on present day Jazz. But the flavor of the book captures the smooth essence of what Jazz is and the pictures within the book make it worth the price alone. The book is well written and well illustrated and sure to please even those who are not familiar with Jazz. I highly recommend this book to any music fan, especially Jazz, but it is sure to please anyone and it makes a great conversation starter. Finally glad to see Jazz get some good mainstream publicity with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: The gospel according To Wynton
Review: Ken Burns is an engaging personality and easy on the ear as a public speaker. He is also a consumate salesman. I attended one of his "personal appearances" prior to the beginning of the TV series. He is a perky and positive elf when selling his point of view. In this book as in the series his view is that of Wynton Marsalis. Burns has admitted to not knowing much about Jazz before embarking on this project at Marsalis' suggestion. He takes Marsalis at his word on some highly debatable areas of Jazz. Overall the book is too long,unbalanced,wandering,inconsistent, opionated and surprisingly inaccurate. A perfect copy of the TV series. Most distressing are Gerald Early's racist comments regarding Big Band leader, Stan Kenton. Kenton is lambasted and singled out for not having enough Black musicians in his band, that his music didn't "swing" and basically attacked with the same tired litany of wrongdoings that chracterize these personal smears on a more global level. Kenton is totally ignored in the TV Series despite keeping Jazz on life support within college music departmentsts for many years. His innovative Jazz education programs and clinics deserve respect whether you care for his music or not. This type of digression is what hampers the book from its true goal of presenting all the history of Jazz.
Rating: 
Summary: Can you spell "HYPE"?
Review: Recommended for those who know nothing about jazz.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book Abrupt Ending
Review: This is a lavish book. Great pictures and stories about the founding fathers of jazz, particularly Louis Armstorng and Duke Ellington and how they affected and were affected by historical events. This also gives a lot of insight about earlier jazz artists who are not as popular today but still important. What bothers me the most about this book is that it seems to abruptly end at about 1955-1960. Admittedly jazz becomes harder to cover as styles branch out and diversify. However, I am a big Miles Davis fan and I was greatly disappointed by the coverage of Miles and artists of the last 50 years. A lot of sniping in the book from artists about other artists. I'm more interested in the stories behind the music. That said, this is a great book about jazz up to 1955, but it runs into a brick wall and stops. This series is good in that it will get people interested in all type of jazz again but there is a lot more than what this book covers.
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