It Don't Mean a Thing (If it Ain't Got That Swing)

Ted Gioia is a recording artist and author of eight books about jazz, including the classic, The History of Jazz.

His latest book, Jazz Standards, is a guide to 250 key jazz compositions. It’s packed with information about how each song was written, who recorded it, and the song’s place in jazz history. It’s interesting to see which songs Gioia chose for the list, but also which recording he deems to be the best.

Jazz Standards is very accessible for beginners, but it also contains lots of anecdotes and background history for the aficionado. It tells the story behind songs such as “Ain’t Misbehavin’”, “Come Rain or Come Shine”, “Nice Work if You Can Get It” and many more.