Ken Burns Jazz - The Story of America's Music

by

Various Artists

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Along with a number of other jazz fans and critics, I've been looking forward to the Ken Burns Jazz video history with mixed emotions, given that what has already been issued--the book in particular--seemed to lack a basic understanding of the art form's most-recent half-century. Although there is some evidence of that stance here, the sheer abundance of classic tracks on this five-CD set makes it an excellent introduction to the art form, particularly for newcomers. Absorb this box, and you are well on your way to experiencing the width and depth of this ever-evolving art form, one that at its best values both teamwork and individuality.

What I like about this set is that with five-CDs, there is room to give a number of important events in jazz history a bit more play than just a cameo appearance. For instance, Louis Armstrong's 1920s classic hot 5/hot 7 recordings are represented by three key tracks. With 2-3 examples of such creative peaks, one can better discern the unique qualities of each artist. With multiple chances to listen, one can become more familiar with a player's sound...the consistencies and variances in a player's solo approach become increasingly apparent when comparisons can be made.

Other early greats are similiarly documented, from Ellington, Basie, Goodman, and Billie Holiday up through the late-1940s bebop revolution (Monk, Parker, Gillespie, Powell, Davis, etc.). The one negative about this set is that, after bebop, there isn't enough room left in the box to continue this comparison process. Thus, only two artists (Ellington and Davis) out of jazz's most recent half-century get more than one track per creative peak each..and at least in Miles' case, the two successive tracks are nearly bookends to a extended, rapidly evolving period of creativity.

Even so, there is at least a taste of the avant-garde, fusion, pop jazz, bossa nova, neo-classicism, etc., so recent events are not entirely ignored, just given relatively brief exposure. Add that to the excellent overview of jazz's up-and-coming decades, and this set overall serves a valuable purpose, particularly for those who wonder what jazz is ALL about.