Reading Jazz: A Gathering of Autobiography, Reportage, and Criticism from 1919 to Now
by Robert Gottlieb (Editor)
On This Page
Description
"Here is the largest, most comprehensive, and most stimulating collection of writings on jazz ever published." "The first of Reading Jazz's three parts is autobiographical, and in it such central jazz figures as Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Art Pepper, Count Basie, Anita O'Day, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw, and Cab Calloway reveal their lives and ideas in their highly charged and very persuasive first persons." "Part two is show more reportorial, encompassing formal profiles - Whitney Balliett's of Earl Hines and Peewee Russell, and Gene Lees's of Bill Evans and Dizzy Gillespie; Lillian Ross's hilarious account of the first Newport Jazz Festival; Ralph Ellison remembering Minton's Playhouse; and both Hampton Hawes and Miles Davis reminiscing about Charlie Parker." "Part three is critical, presenting a wide spectrum of opinion and approach, beginning with the famous 1919 essay by Ernst-Alexandre Ansermet (he conducted the premiere of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring) about jazz in general and Bechet in particular, and proceeding to such eminent writers as Nat Hentoff (on John Coltrane), Gunther Schuller (on Sarah Vaughan), Dan Morgenstern (on Louis Armstrong), Gary Giddins (on "Body and Soul"), Philip Larkin, Albert Murray, Stanley Crouch, LeRoi Jones, and many others."--Jacket. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Richard Gottlieb, formerly of the New Yorker has put together a quirky collection of memoirs, autobiography, essays and reviews, which cover, slightly selectively, jazz from its beginnings to now.
Gottlieb tends to regard jazz as most authentic when played by African-Americans--the only white musicians discussed here tend to be women singers, and European jazz might as well not exist. His selection includes pieces which acknowledge the limitations of other musics -- Miles Davis's admiration of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince is therefore taken as evidence of the great trumpeter's decline.
This is a generous book both in its sheer size and in the spirit in which people write joyfully about the music; it is a book about the heroic, show more and anyone with jazz heroes-- from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker--will find them attractively celebrated here.
This is a collection of more than 150 excerpts from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, creating an anthology of essays about jazz - the life and the music. Dividing the book into three sections - "Autobiography", "Reportage" and "Criticism", Robert Gottlieb also provides an overall introduction and a brief preface to each piece. There are first-person narratives by Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Billie Holliday, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller. There is journalism about musicians and recordings by Whitney Balliet, Leonard Feather, Nat Hentoff, Ralph Ellison, Rudi Blesh, Lillian Ross, A.B. Spellman and Dan Morgenstern. The critiques of major musicians are by Marshall Stearns, Henry Pleasants, Will Friedwald, Gary Giddins, Andre Hodeir, Eric Hobsbawn, Philip Larkin, Albert Murray, Stanley Crouch, LeRoi Jones, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gunther Schuller and Virgil Thompson. show less
Gottlieb tends to regard jazz as most authentic when played by African-Americans--the only white musicians discussed here tend to be women singers, and European jazz might as well not exist. His selection includes pieces which acknowledge the limitations of other musics -- Miles Davis's admiration of the Artist Formerly Known as Prince is therefore taken as evidence of the great trumpeter's decline.
This is a generous book both in its sheer size and in the spirit in which people write joyfully about the music; it is a book about the heroic, show more and anyone with jazz heroes-- from Louis Armstrong to Charlie Parker--will find them attractively celebrated here.
This is a collection of more than 150 excerpts from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, creating an anthology of essays about jazz - the life and the music. Dividing the book into three sections - "Autobiography", "Reportage" and "Criticism", Robert Gottlieb also provides an overall introduction and a brief preface to each piece. There are first-person narratives by Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Billie Holliday, Charles Mingus, Charlie Parker, Jelly Roll Morton and Fats Waller. There is journalism about musicians and recordings by Whitney Balliet, Leonard Feather, Nat Hentoff, Ralph Ellison, Rudi Blesh, Lillian Ross, A.B. Spellman and Dan Morgenstern. The critiques of major musicians are by Marshall Stearns, Henry Pleasants, Will Friedwald, Gary Giddins, Andre Hodeir, Eric Hobsbawn, Philip Larkin, Albert Murray, Stanley Crouch, LeRoi Jones, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gunther Schuller and Virgil Thompson. show less
Mein Gott. I must have read this mutha cover to cover at least five times. It is an endlessly rewarding collection of knowledge and opinion and any music lover should give it a go.
Wont ever be 'done' reading this, just keep it by my bedside and jump into an essay every now and then.
bought for a jazz appreciation class 2002
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
JAZZZZ
87 works; 1 member
Author Information
All Editions
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1996
- People/Characters
- Billie Holiday; Charles Mingus; Charlie Parker; Louis Armstrong
Classifications
- Genres
- Music, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, History, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 781.6509 — Arts & recreation Music General principles and musical forms Traditions of music Jazz {equally instrumental and vocal}
- LCC
- ML3507 .R44 — Music Literature on music Literature on music History and criticism Popular music
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 228
- Popularity
- 143,160
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.00)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
