Author Description

Jazz Makers gathers together short biographies of more than 50 of jazz's greatest stars, from its early beginnings to the present. The stories of these innovative instrumentalists, bandleaders, and composers reveal the fascinating history of jazz in six parts: * The Pioneers, including Scott Joplin, Louis Armstrong, and Bessie Smith * Swing Bands and Soloists, with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday * The Piano Giants, featuring Fats Waller, Art Tatum, and Mary Lou Williams * Birth of Bebop, including Dizzy Gillepsie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis * Cool Jazz, Hard Bop, and Fusion, with John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Stan Getz * A Century of Jazz, featuring Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, and other contemporary greats.