Fumi Tomita’s Early Jazz: A Concise Introduction from Its Beginnings to Through 1929 extends some welcome historical olive branches to a lot of music that gets left out of music history. Alongside the familiar canonical names and events, the recently published book covers sidemen, gas-pipe clarinetists, pop singers, and more music that’s often passed over in attempts to distill “art” mere “entertainment” (whatever either word means this week).
The latest edition of VJM includes an article I wrote about Early Jazz, and you can also read Steve Provizer’s thoughtful interview with the author in The Syncopated Times.
The Pop of Yestercentury 