A collection of biographical essays focusing on major jazz instrumentalists and bandleaders.

Five girls played together in the Smith Sisters Orchestra: Irene on trombone, Erma on vibraphone, Edwina on trumpet, Mildred on violin, and Lila on saxophone. But what of the littlest sister? When Viola's time came, almost every instrument was taken...except one. When she first sat behind a drum kit, she lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun than she'd ever had before. Viola took to the road with her family, learned from the greats,...

A young rat hides in his father's bass case and tags along as he plays and scats around the big city.

"Jazz: The First Century marks the passage of the music's first hundred years by bringing together text and art in a chronicle that opens up the vibrant world of jazz to everyone." "Jazz: The First Century is edited by John Edward Hasse, Curator of American Music at the Smithsonian Institution, leading a writing team of today's finest and most widely respected jazz authorities. Their compelling essays are complemented by a design packed with more...