Why Jazz Happened

Here, jazz critic Myers tells the story of the development of jazz from 1942 to 1972. The author's focus, in contrast to most jazz history books currently available, is on how sociological phenomena and a variety of complex and intertwined developments in the music industry (e.g., radio, recording companies, the American Federation of Musicians, and performing rights licensing agencies) as well as society as a whole affected and in some cases drove the development of bebop, cool jazz, West Coast jazz, avant-garde jazz, the Afro-centric jazz of the 1960s, and jazz rock. The research is solid, the documentation is strong, the writing style is engaging and readable, and the complex relationships are well developed and explained. Just don't be fooled by the title: this is not a book about the origins of jazz.