Organized chronologically in a convenient question and answer format, this terrific 184-page resource makes jazz accessible to a broad audience, and especially to readers who've found the music bewildering or best left to the experts. Yet Why Jazz? is much more than an informative Q & A; it concisely traces the century-old history of this American and global art form, from its beginnings in New Orleans up through the current post-modern period. The author provides brief profiles of the archetypal figures of jazz...from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Wynton Marsalis and John Zorn, and illuminates their contributions as musicians, performers, and composers. Whether read in self-contained sections or as a continuous narrative, this compact reference presents a trove of essential information that belongs on the shelf of anyone who's ever been interested in jazz.