The Hard Bop Homepage

Other Sites

These are the best jazz sites on the internet. From record labels and music
catalogs, to online magazines and jazz clubs, it's the best of Hard Bop.

Hard Bop : Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965

David H. Rosenthal Hard Bop : Jazz and Black Music 1955-1965 -- Oxford University Press This is the most important work in the study of hard bop as a specific genre and the basis for much of the research done on this site. It is a highly readable and informative work. The late Mr. Rosenthal brought not only his knowledge of the music but his love of jazz to this book and it shows. For anyone interested in knowing more about this subject, this is a must read.

Jazz Books:

• Jazz First Books: This has only recently come to my attention, a great site for buying and selling used, out of print, and rare books on jazz. Ted Hodgetts at jazzfirstbooks.com has a great store that deals with every kind of book on jazz, from discographies and biographies, to jazz photography and more. Well worth a look.

Jazz History:

Thus far, only two sites on the history of jazz have been found that merit close attention. The focus here is on specific styles/genres/eras of jazz, and both of these web sites are outstanding.

• Jazz.com: A brand new site, Jazz.com helmed by the great jazz writer Ted Gioia, is now up and running and has a lot of exciting potential as a resource for all styles of jazz, music reviews and history. Check it out.

• Traditional Jazz: For information about jazz before the swing era, The Red Hot Jazz Archive is outstanding. A tremendous resource for information, music, and essays about the early jazz pioneers.

• Big Bands: The exhaustive Big Band Database is an incredible source for information about swing bands of the 30s and 40s in Europe, Canada, and the U.S.

Jazz Radio (internet):

• Illisounds Podcasts: Our new favorite web site, Ross Lawson has produced over a hundred quality shows spanning nearly every type of jazz. Illisounds Podcasts is well worth checking out.

• Pandora.com: Pandora radio has lots of great jazz, all programed by the user to create a radio station that plays the music you want to hear. Blue Note, Prestige, all the greats in one place . . . and no commercials! Pandora Radio

• SkyJazz.com: Offering several styles and new programs every week, SkyJazz is a good place to start. Also, check out Fred W. Harris's very generous commentary about the Hard Bop Homepage.

• Dr. Horner's Classic Jazz Corner has lots of high-quality mp3 tunes to listen to from Dr. Peder Horner's personal collection of commercial-free jazz.

Purchasing CD's:

• Amazon
  One of the best sites on the web to order music.

  Half.com

  A great source for used discs and video.

  eBay.com

  The go-to site for out of print discs and vinyl.

  The All-Music Guide

  A comprehensive resource for biographies, links, and CDs.

  The Bebop Shop

  Online British site for bebop, hardbop & modern jazz.

• Mosaic Records
• The Blue Note Record Label
• The Conord, Prestige, Riverside, Contemporary Jazz Labels
• The Verve, Impulse! and Chess Jazz Labels
• Jazz Reissues on Rhino
• Candid Records

Other Interesting Sites:

• 52nd Street
  With the long-ago demise of the Blue Note boards, this is a nice alternative for jazz-relation discussions.

  Downbeat Magazine

  This is the premier site on the web for all jazz fans.

  Jazzmatazz

  Sadly, this formerly up-to-date new release site hasn't been updated for a few years. Still a great set of biography links.

  The Jazz Web

  A great resource for thumbnail sketches of jazz history and musicians.

  All About Jazz

  This is a terrific site with an excellent store of biographies.

  Swing Streets

  Jazz journalist Paul Blair has resumed his jazz-focused guiding walking tours in various Manhattan neighborhoods, with a special focus on Harlem's rich musical history. The site also contains dozens of links to New York jazz venues plus an abundance of other information useful to NYC visitors.

  A Passion For Jazz

  History of Jazz music origins, styles and musicians. Interesting features include piano chords, scales, online lessons and music teacher locator.