ch. 1. Gumbo : beginnings to 1907
ch. 2. The gift : 1907-1917
ch. 3. The jazz age : 1917-1924
Freedom of expression with a groove : an interview with Wynton Marsalis
ch. 4. Our language : 1925-1929
ch. 5. Hard, hard times : 1929-1935
Reminiscing in tempo / by Dan Morgenstern
ch. 6. The velocity of celebration : 1936-1939
ch. 7. Dedicated to chaos : 1940-1945
White noise and white knights : some thoughts on race, jazz, and the white jazz musician / by Gerald Early
Extreme jazz : the avant-garde / by Gary Giddins
ch. 9. The adventure : 1950-1960
The presence is always the point / by Stanley Crouch
ch. 10. A masterpiece by midnight : 1960 to the present.