Yvan Amar – Les premières aventures du jazz 1900-1950

Yvan Amar recounts here—in a lively, passionate, erudite, and clear style—the true adventures of jazz’s first half-century.

Following a structure that is partly chronological and partly thematic—with chapters named after a musician (Count Basie’s Early Years…), a place (Kansas City…), a style (The Swing Era…), or a phenomenon (Jazz, the Underworld, and Growth…) — Amar guides us through the evolution of this music within its historical, social, and cultural context in a remarkably vivid way, giving this “old” jazz a youthful glow under his gaze.

So, even those who think they know this story—already told countless times in various books—will be surprised by an unexpected detail that other authors may have overlooked. As for those who know nothing about the history of this music—born in New Orleans and which, in just a few decades, conquered the world—we cannot recommend strongly enough that they begin their exploration with this fine book, which succeeds in offering a fresh take on the events that have marked this history and which paints, in a manner that is both scholarly and accessible, a portrait of the main protagonists of this saga.

For Amar never adopts the elitist stance of a musicologist; on the contrary, he does a magnificent job of popularizing the subject, in the noble sense of the term. Drawing on his deep knowledge of this music, he shares with us his love for the musicians who played it and helped it evolve from its earliest days—even before the first recordings appeared—through the mid-20th century. And whether you’re a jazz fan or a newcomer, his story will irresistibly draw you to (re)discover the work of the artists whose journeys Amar recounts, peppering his narrative with delightful anecdotes and finely detailed musical analyses.

This is, therefore, a book for everyone to read—and one to give to friends and loved ones without waiting for the holidays… while we hope that Yvan Amar will possibly write a sequel to this excellent work: the adventures of jazz from 1950 to the present day.

Maurice Nadeau Edition. 2026.

(Only in French)