描述
This study attempts to place jazz and the blues within the context of American social history. The author, Leroi Jones - also known as the poet Amiri Baraka - combines a knowledge of black American culture with his direct contact with many of the musicians who have provided the backbone to this vital strand of American 20th-century culture. This edition includes an introduction by the author in which he updates the book in order to take account of developments made in the past 30 years.