LibGuides: Jazz: Finding Background Information

Introduction

Reference sources are a great place to start your research when you need to gather initial information about a topic or get a rough overview of a subject so you can decide what areas to research further. Reference books and online tools are also excellent for looking up a quick fact, definition, or date, and they will often direct you to more sources.

If none of the recommended resources are quite what you're looking for, try a search in the library catalog for the subject you're researching and "reference", "handbook", "guide", or "companion" to see what reference materials we might have on the subject. Remember that you can always reach out to a librarian for help if your search doesn't turn up promising results!

Encyclopedias & Overviews

We've collected several encyclopedias and general reference sources that are a great place to start your research, develop your background knowledge, and begin to refine your research focus.

The Grove Dictionary of American Music by Charles Hiroshi Garrett (editor)
Call Number: Online Resource
The articles range from small definitions of dance styles and musical terms to mid-length biographies of important performers and composers, to longer examinations of larger subjects such as the history of jazz.
The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz by Barry D. Kernfeld and Barry Kernfeld (Editors)
Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML102.J3 N482002
With articles on every aspect of the field, from jazz groups, composers and arrangers to instruments, terms, record labels and venues, the new edition is the ideal companion for scholars and enthusiasts in this rapidly growing field.
The Oxford Companion to Jazz by Bill Kirchner (Editor)
Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML3507 O94
Jazz and its colorful, expansive history resonate in this unique collection of 60 essays specially-commissioned from today's top jazz performers, writers, and scholars. The Companion surveys the evolution of jazz from its roots in Africa and Europe until the present.
Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World by John Shepherd, Peter Wicke, David Horn, Dave Laing, and Paul Oliver (Editors)
Call Number: Online and MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML102.P66 C66
Includes extensive bibliographies, discographies, sheet music listings and filmographies.

Biographical Resources

Check out these biographical resources to familiarize yourself with major names and look up performers of interest.

Biography In Context This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the biographies of over 300,000 people. All time periods and nationalities are covered. Includes narrative biographies (2,000-3,000-word essays).

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler (editors)
Call Number: ML102.J3 F32B46 [Reference]
Arranged alphabetically according to last name, each entry of this book chronologically lists the highlights of every jazz musician's career.
Historical Dictionary of Jazz by John S. Davis
Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML102.J3 D38 2020
This second edition of Historical Dictionary of Jazz contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1,500 cross-referenced entries on musicians, styles of jazz, instruments, recording labels, bands and bandleaders, and more.

Handbooks, Guides & Bibliographies

Check out these bibliographies and handbooks for suggestions for further reading and to get a sense of what has been written on your topic.

Jazz Scholarship and Pedagogy by Eddie S. Meadows
Call Number: ML128.J3 M342006 [Reference]
An annotated bibliography to books, recordings, videos and websites in the field of jazz.
Jazz Research and Performance Materials: A Select Annotated Bibliography by Eddie S. Meadows (Editor)
Call Number: MPAL ML128.J3 M341995
Fire Music: a bibliography of the new jazz, 1959-1990 by John Gray
Call Number: MPAL Reference Non-circulating ; ML128.J3 G72
Publication Date: 1991-09-25
The first bibliography devoted to a single jazz genre or era, Fire Music is concerned with the music of the jazz avant-gardists such as John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, and Sun Ra. It makes accessible the most extensive and up-to-date scholarship of the New Jazz beginning in the 1950s.