Jazz: A History of America's Music

Director, producer, and writer Ken Burns talked about his book (co-written with Geoffrey Ward) Jazz: A History of America’s Music, published by Knopf. He talked about the path he took in undertaking this project of telling history through jazz music. He also explored how the music lifted the spirits of Americans through two World Wars and the Great Depression, and how it fueled the epic growth of cities, such as New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City and New York. He traced the roots of jazz, the only art form invented by Americans, to the black community in New Orleans at the turn-of-the-century and explored how it encompassed the struggle for civil rights. This book is a companion to the ten-part PBS TV series of the same name. Mr. Burns also answered questions submitted by the audience. close