Includes index

Joe Oliver, the king -- Louis Armstrong, Ambassador of jazz -- Bessie Smith, empress of the blues -- Bix [Beiderbecke], young man with a horn -- Fats Waller, the laughing genius -- Duke Ellington, sounds of life -- Benny Goodman, king of swing -- Count Basie: "Jump for joy" -- Billie Holiday: "God bless the child" -- Woody Herman, leader of the herd -- Dizzy Gillespie, explorer of new sounds -- Charlie Parker, Yardbird -- John Coltrane: the search continues -- Jazz is the music of many

Brief biographies of thirteen jazz musicians who have made major contributions to the development of this form of music