Although Jazz is part of a larger narrative that began with Beloved and moves on to Paradise, it is much more daring and sophisticated than either of the other novels in its literary technique. With this book, Morrison achieves a singular identification of form and function by naming the novel after an indigenous musical convention, then presenting manifestations of that musical form as part of the context in which the characters and events take shape; almost every section of the novel mentions the omnipresence of jazz music as a counterpoint to the events of the text. Finally, the novel emulates structurally the properties of a jazz improvisation, developing a melodic (plot) line then improvising variations on that line. Much as solos in a jazz group are passed among various instruments and players, in a seeming competition for the listeners' attention and approval (but this...