Get into the swing of things with this friendly, boppin' guide to bebop and beyond. Written in a style that's as hip as the music itself, Jazz For Dummies lays down the rich history and soulful sounds of jazz, from Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Wynton Marsalis.

You'll discover the straight-up lowdown on jazz in all its different styles and eras, from the earliest days in New Orleans to the cutting-edge sounds of today's progressive and avant-garde musicians, along with biographies of all the significant jazz men and women over the last 80 years. Check out author (and former Los Angeles Times jazz critic) Dirk Sutro's list of the most trustworthy jazz labels, the best spots to catch some live jazz from coast to coast, and resources for further jazz enlightenment...plus some sound advice for 100 recommended jazz titles to start your collection and an audio CD with more than an hour's worth of great jazz, from Jelly Roll Morton's pioneering "Thirty-Fifth St. Blues" to saxophone colossus Sonny Rollins' "Way Out West."