LibGuides: Jazz: Research

On this page you'll find resources for researching jazz topics.

Jump to: Articles | Books | Online Resources | Recordings | Reference

Articles

Articles are great for research because they generally cover a very narrow topic in great detail. In addition, scholarly journal articles generally include a bibliography where you can find more resources on the same topic.

Journal Article Databases

Library databases provide citations for articles, book chapters, and more. Most articles/chapters focus on a narrow and specific topic, so they are great for deeper research. To get started:

Choose a database.
Search for keywords such as genres, topics, names of people, etc.
Limit your results by date, language, and more with the the left-hand menu on the results page.

Need more help?

See our Article help page for step-by-step instructions and videos to help you search databases and find full-text articles. And you can always ask a librarian for individual help.

Music Article Databases

Music Index Online This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 700 music journals.
Music Periodicals Database This link opens in a new window
Article citations from over 400 music journals.
RILM This link opens in a new window
Citations for scholarly music and dance books, articles, dissertations, and more.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Full-text articles from almost 100 scholarly music, dance, and theatre journals, plus other subjects. Excludes recent years.

Books

History Books in the Allen Library (selections)

The History of Jazz by Ted Gioia
Call Number: ML3506 G56 H5 2021 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2021
The most comprehensive history of jazz. Portrays jazz players, breakthrough styles, and the scenes in which they evolved.
Jazz by Gary Giddins; Scott Deveaux
Call Number: ML3508 G45 J39 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2009
Explains what jazz is, where it came from, who created it and why, within the context of American life and culture. Includes many photographs.
Jazz: Essential Listening by Scott DeVeaux; Gary Giddins
Call Number: ML3508 D48 2019 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2019
Provides everything students need for listening to, understanding, and loving jazz. Combines a dynamic listening experience with vivid narrative history and must-hear masterworks.
Where the Dark and the Light Folks Meet by Randall Sandke
Call Number: ML3508 S35 W4 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2010
Shows how jazz combines many American cultural influences, and how viewing it as a product of an insulated African-American environment has led to misunderstanding the true history and nature of jazz.

Find more history books

Browse by subject in the catalog, for example:
Big bands
Bop (Music)
Free jazz
Jazz
Jazz > History and criticism
Swing (Music)

Browse the shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML3506	Jazz history (general)
ML3508	American jazz
ML3518	Big bands
ML3521	Blues
ML3556	African-American music

Performer Interviews in the Allen Library (selections)

Freedom of Expression by Chris Becker
Call Number: ML394 B43 F7 2015 [Allen shelves]
Interviews with 37 female musicians of all ages, nationalities, and races, and representing nearly every style of jazz.
The Jazz Ear by Ben Ratliff
Call Number: ML394 R37 J39 2008 [Allen shelves]
Jazz greats discuss the recordings that most influenced them, the context of their own work, and how jazz is conceptualized.
Jazz Greats Speak by Roland Baggenaes
Call Number: ML385 J399 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2008
Seventeen jazz artists talk about their art, their influences, and about the musicians with whom they worked.

Find more interviews

Search subjects or performer names in the catalog, for example:
Jazz musicians > Interviews

See also the Recordings section below for recorded interviews and documentaries (which often include interviews).

Performer Biographies in the Allen Library (selections)

American Musicians II by Whitney Balliett
Call Number: ML395 B34 A44 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 1996
Seventy-two portraits of the giants of jazz from its earliest days to the late 20th century.
Jazz 'Bones by Kurt Dietrich
Call Number: ML3506 D54 J39 [Allen shelves]
Publication Date: 2005
Anecdotes and stories that trace the history of jazz trombone from its inception to the present. Includes many lesser-known players.
Jazz in the New Milennium by Rick Mitchell
Call Number: ML394 M57 2014 [Allen shelves]
Profiles of 21st-century jazz performers.

Find more biographies

Search subjects or performer names in the catalog, for example:
Jazz musicians

Armstrong, Louis
Ellington, Duke
McLean, Jackie
O'Day, Anita

Browse the shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML394 - ML400	Collected performer biographies
ML410	Composer biographies (including composer-performers)
ML417	Pianists
ML418	String instrument performers
ML419	Other instrument performers
ML420	Vocalists

Online Resources

Historical Collections

Hoagy Carmichael Collection
Scores, manuscripts, correspondence, and recordings. Includes a complete catalog, digitized images, and supplemental research information.
Louis Armstrong Archives
From the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Collections include photographs, papers, scrapbooks, commercial and private recordings, memorabilia, and musical instruments.
Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program
Transcriptions and recordings of oral histories from over 100 great jazz musicians. Interviews average six hours.
William P. Gottlieb Collection
Over 1600 photographs of celebrated jazz artists from 1938 to 1948, primarily in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Recordings

Jazz history documentaries and recorded interviews.

Documentaries in the Allen Library (selections)

Blue Note Records by Sophie Huber
Call Number: MO ML3792 B58 [Allen DVDs]
Publication Date: 2019
Behind the scenes of Blue Note Records, one of the most important jazz labels. Includes archival footage, current recording sessions, and conversations with performers.
Bluesland by Toby Byron et al.
Call Number: MO ML3521 B584 [Allen DVDs]
Publication Date: 2010
Follows blues as it flows into jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n' roll. Features rare film performances of many great blues performers.
Jazz by Ken Burns
Call Number: MO ML3506 J399 v.1-10 [Allen DVDs]
Publication Date: 2004
Also available online from PBS.
Ten-part series that traces jazz throughout the 20th century.
The Jazz Loft, According to W. Eugene Smith by Sara Fishko
Call Number: MO ML3508.8 N49 [Allen DVDs]
Publication Date: 2018
The story of Smith's Manhattan loft that turned into a gathering spot for jazz musicians and jam sessions from 1957 to 1965.

Find more videos in the library

Search the catalog, for example:
Jazz documentaries

Interviews

Talking Jazz by Ben Sidran
Call Number: MD ML394 S537 T35 [Allen CDs]
Publication Date: 2006
A 24-disc set of interviews with over 40 jazz musicians. See also the corresponding book of the same name.
The Universal Mind of Bill Evans
Call Number: MVML417 E92 B [Allen VHS]
Publication Date: 1986
Bill Evans performs and converses with his brother, music educator Harry Evans.

Find more recorded interviews

Search the catalog, for example:
Jazz interviews

Reference

Reference resources include dictionaries, encyclopedias, and more.
They often provide a short overview of a topic, then point to more resources you can use for further research.

Music Reference Databases

Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online This link opens in a new window
Essays about music from all parts of the world.
Grove/Oxford Music Online This link opens in a new window
Extensive music encyclopedia with articles, works lists, and citations.
Oxford Bibliographies - Music This link opens in a new window
Lists of resources for advanced research on many music subjects.

Books in the Allen Library (selections)

The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz by Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler (Editors)
Call Number: ML102 J3 F43 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 1999
Accurate, detailed information on the careers of 3,300 jazz musicians from around the world.
Creative Improvised Music by John Gray
Call Number: ML128 J4 G73 2019 [Allen reference]
Focuses on the literature on American free jazz and European free improvisation.
Free Jazz by Jeff Schwartz
Call Number: ML128 J4 S32 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2018
A guide to sources on free jazz, covering books, articles, dissertations, documentaries, scores, and websites.
Global Jazz by Clarence Bernard Henry
Call Number: ML128 J4 H45 2022 [Allen reference]
Describes more than 1850 resources about jazz and jazz research from 144 countries, geographic regions and localities.
Jazz Scholarship and Pedagogy by Eddie S. Meadows
Call Number: ML128 J4 M43 [Allen reference]
Publication Date: 2006
Annotated bibliography to jazz books, recordings, videos, and websites.

Find more reference books

Search subjects or performer names in the catalog, for example:
Jazz > Bibliography
Jazz > Dictionaries
Jazz > Encyclopedias

Browse the reference shelves by call number:

Call Number	Topic
ML102 J3	Jazz dictionaries and encyclopedias
ML128 J4	Jazz bibliographies
ML156.4 J3	Jazz discographies

Suggest a Resource

Know of a resource you think should be added to this guide? Let us know!

Want to suggest we purchase something new? Contact Tracey Rudnick (rudnick@hartford.edu).

Find Full Text Articles

Search eJournal Locator for the journal title:

Need help? See our article help page or ask a librarian.