"Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns vividly bring to life the story of the quintessential American music - jazz. Born in the black community of turn-of-the-century New Orleans but played from the beginning by musicians of every color, jazz celebrates all Americans at their best.". "Here are the stories of the extraordinary men and women who made the music. Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Tatum, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Artie Shaw, and Ella Fitzgerald are all here; so are Sidney Bechet, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, and a host of others.". "But Jazz is more than mere biography. The history of the music echoes the history of twentieth-century America. The story of jazz encompasses the story of American courtship and show business; the epic growth of great cities - New Orleans and Chicago, Kansas City and New York - and the struggle for civil rights and simple justice that continues into the new millennium."--BOOK JACKET.