From Dixie to Ragtime: A Guide to Pre-WWII Jazz

Perhaps the most fascinating period in American music, the first half of the 20th century found the creative world in flux. Classical rules that had bound music for hundreds of years were thrown out in favor of the syncopated rhythms of ragtime and jazz. And once people got a taste for the sweet harmonies and momentous beats of African-American musical traditions, music would never be the same.