With vivid illustrations, wide-ranging coverage and detailed listening guides, this fascinating book explores the origin and development of jazz music from its seventeenth-century roots to the present day. Profiles of significant jazz musicians and concise explanations of important musical concepts make it an indispensable guide to what is often said to be the defining music of the modern age. Over 150 photographs and illustrations, chronology of major figures in the development of jazz, helpful CD guides.