UMass Jazz Associate Professor Fumi Tomita Authors New Book on Origins of Jazz Through Swing Era

Fumi Tomita, associate professor of jazz performance and pedagogy, has published a new book tracing the origins of jazz music from its 19th-century roots through the end of the Jazz Age and the early beginnings of the Swing Era. Released on Feb. 1, "Early Jazz: A Concise Introduction from its Roots Through 1929" (State University of New York Press, Feb. 2024) is the first book to focus exclusively on this topic in more than 50 years.

Tomita examines not only the influence of well-known pioneers like Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke and Lovie Austin, but also the contributions of lesser-known sidemen and entertainers to the development of the genre. Designed to be accessible to all levels of musicians, scholars, and fans, the book also includes analyses of 20 songs that were critical to the emergence of jazz as a fully realized art form in the 20th century.

Tomita is also the author of "The Jazz Rhythm Section: A Manual for Band Directors" (Rowman & Littlefield in conjunction with NAfME, 2019) and of articles in Bass World, Jazz Perspectives and the Massachusetts Music Educators' Journal. He has presented his research at the International Society of Bassists Conference, Issues in Contemporary Jazz, Jazz Education Network, International Society for Improvised Music and the National Association for Music Education. His 2019 recording, "The Elephant Vanishes: Jazz Interpretations of the Short Stories of Haruki Murakami" (Origin Arts Records) was listed in the top 10 records of 2019 by Jazziz.

"Early Jazz: A Concise Introduction from its Roots Through 1929" is available now from SUNY Press and other online booksellers.