FREE: Jazz, Its Evolution and Essence - Andre Hodeir

The listing, Jazz, Its Evolution and Essence - Andre Hodeir has ended.

(copyright 1956)
This book is an overlooked masterpiece of jazz writing. While
most authors dealing with jazz reduce it to cliches about
personalities and vague notions about improvisation, Hodeir
provides a lucid, detailed musical analysis of the major
jazz innovators. Especially impressive is his work on Charlie
Parker. In a single chapter, Hodeir provides more insight
on Parker than all of the existing jazz literature combined.

Of course, the book is not without its problems. Hodeir
occasionally adopts the language and tone of French academic
philosophers (he is quite reminicent of the phenomenologists).
This may be off putting to some readers. However, fortunately
this intellectual superstructure does not stand in the way
of this very lucid, illuminating book. It is extremely
unfortunate that this book is out of print.