A word on sources.

The main sources I will be using will be:

Books:

*Ted Gioia, (1997), The History of Jazz, New York: Oxford University Press.

*Alyn Shipton, (2007), A New History of Jazz, Revised and Updated Edition: New York and London: Continuum.

*Brian Morton & Richard Cook, (2010), The Penguin Jazz Guide: the History of the Music in the 1001 Best Albums. London and New York: Penguin.

James Lincoln Collier, (1978), The Making of Jazz, a Comprehensive History. London: Papermac.

Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff (eds), (1955), Hear Me Talkin' To Ya.  (My edition, 1992, London: Souvenir Press).

Mervyn Cooke, (1998), Jazz: world of art, London: Thames & Hudson.

Carr, Fairweather, & Priestley, (1987), Jazz: the Essential Companion, London: Paladin.

Nat Shapiro & Nat Hentoff, eds, (1957), The Jazz Makers, New York: Da Capo.

Frederic Ramsey Jr. and Charles Edward Smith (eds), (1958), Jazzmen, London: Sidgwick & Jackson, The Jazz Book Club.  (I will try to use this volume critically.  By all means read it, but read it with caution).

I will try to remember to give page numbers where I provide direct quotes. These books all have much to commend them, and you may wish to buy your own copies.

I will refer to other books along the way, which I will provide details of as I go.

DVDs:
Ken Burns' Jazz.  TV mini-series, 2001.

There is a lot of good stuff in this DVD box, although the series was unsatisfactory in some respects, not least at the beginning and at the end.  But I don't want to be churlish, and I do own a copy.  As with Jazzmen, watch it, but watch it critically.  (Here's a critique from CounterPunch by Jeffrey St. Clair: Now, That's Not Jazz).

Websites:

Wikipedia is, of course,  a good source for many things you might not have on your own shelves.  I will sometimes link to particular articles or pictures there.

I have also made a separate post for useful web links.  Especially useful for early jazz profiles is The Red Hot Jazz Archive.