Book Description

The first biography about the man The New York Times recently called "jazz's all-around genius, matchless in his field as a composer, utterly original as an improviser."

Saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter is one of the great architects of jazz, and a man whose influence will be felt by musicians and music fans for generations to come. In this first biography of Shorter, Michelle Mercer traces the amazing trajectory of his fifty-year career. As fellow jazz great Herbie Hancock puts it: "Wayne Shorter has evolved as a human being to a point where he can synthesize all the history of jazz into a very special, very alive musical expression. Nobody else can do that now."

In many ways, Wayne Shorter's story is the story of modern American music. Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1933, he learned bebop as an adolescent in cutting contests with Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins. In the 1950s, he graduated to some "hard-drinking, hard bop years" with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. The saxophonist was the catalyst in the famous 1960s quintet of Miles Davis, then followed the trumpeter on his avant-garde electric excursions. In the 1970s, he and Joe Zawinul pioneered fusion in Weather Report. Into the 1980s and 1990s Wayne's solos graced pop recordings like Steely Dan's "Aja" and Joni Mitchell's "Hejira." And today, at age seventy, he is leading the Wayne Shorter Quartet, a group that critics have compared to Coltrane's classic quartet and to Davis's own groundbreaking quintet.

A rich portrait of a great American artist, Footprints. makes a vital contribution to the literature of jazz. ... Read more

Book Description

When it appeared in 1950, this biography of Ferdinand "Jelly Roll"Morton became an instant classic of jazz literature. Now back in print andupdated with a new afterword by Lawrence Gushee, Mister Jelly Roll will enchanta new generation of readers with the fascinating story of one of the world'smost influential composers of jazz. Jelly Roll's voice spins out his life insomething close to song, each sentence rich with the sound and atmosphere of theperiod in which Morton, and jazz, exploded on the American and internationalscene. This edition includes scores of Jelly Roll's own arrangements, adiscography and an updated bibliography, a chronology of his compositions, a newgenealogical tree of Jelly Roll's forebears, and Alan Lomax's preface from thehard-to-find 1993 edition of this classic work. Lawrence Gushee's afterwordprovides new factual information and reasserts the importance of this work ofAfrican American biography to the study of jazz and American culture. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lives Up To The Hype; Essential
This is a straight reprint of the original...they actually photographed the pages instead of having it re-typeset, thank god...and all the David Stone Martin illustrations are intact.

This is THE classic on jazz music and writing. Crazy stories, crazy times, with the unbelievable spinner of tales Jelly Roll holding the floor. Lomax could have just printed Jelly's comments verbatim and this would've been great, but he went to the trouble of tracking down a bunch of people who knew Jelly or were otherwise around New Orleans in the early daze, and this added detail spices the pot considerably. Alan Lomax's own commentary and observations are witty, charming, and spot on.

This edition is made definitive by a scholarly afterword bringing the reader fully up-to-date on modern Jelly Roll research. Quite a few pertinent details are now known that weren't when Lomax was writing this.

Up there with Mezz Mezzrow's "Really the Blues" as essential an text in the American music pantheon.

An incredible book!
This is one of the rare books for it can be enjoyed by just about anyone who picks it up. Its the amazing account of the life of Jelly Roll Morton, one of the best jazz pianists of all time. Though a braggart and troubled man, he created some of the very best pieces of jazz. The book goes into his life from his childhood and his time working at Storyville to the very troubled end in the early forties. You learn about his family, his troubled relationships with Anita and Mabel and how he went from being wildly successful to dying virtually forgotten. Voodoo, New Orleans, jazz and Creole culture, its all here.

Written with flair and never boring, Mr. Jelly Roll is a book that you will read more than once. Its a look at a legend and a glimpse into a world we can only know of through books and music. Get this if you want a good read and a look at Mr. Morton's life. A true classic.

You can almost smell the smoke in the back rooms
Alan Lomax interviewed Jelly Roll while doing an extensive set of recordings shortly before Morton's death. He followed up with a number of interviews with people who knew Jelly Roll. Lomax did a fabulous job of keeping himself out of the way while letting the often colorful information from the interviews tell the story of Jelly's part in the birth of jazz, a story with triumphs, massive ego and ultimate decline. I read a library copy and am buying a copy for a present.

awesome
I have always been a fan of Jelly Roll Morton, and I've always looked for books about him. This is by far the best. I loved it. I wish they would re-issue it ... Read more

Book Description

"Ms. Simone's vocal and piano style make her a culture unto herself." --New York Times

A gorgeous, inimitable singer and songwriter, Nina Simone (1933-2003) changed the face of both music and race relations in America. She struck a chord with bluesy jazz ballads like "Put a Little Sugar in My Bowl" and powerful protest songs such as "Mississippi Goddam" and "To Be Young, Gifted, and Black," the anthem of the American Civil Rights movement. Coinciding with the re-release of her famous Philips Recordings, here are the reflections of the "High Priestess of Soul" on her own life.

The mesmerizing autobiography of one of the most revered soul, jazz, and blues divas of our time-the late Nina Simone. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Nina Simone is great, but this book needed more work
Nina Simone is a great artist with a compelling story to tell. Unfortunately, little of that story comes across in this book. Ms. Simone shares all sorts of details about her lovers, but very little about her music. There is almost nothing in the book about her recording sessions or why she sings particular songs the way she does. While Ms. Simone is very frank about her personal life, I would have liked to have learned more about her music. The book is also confusing because Ms. Simone will spend many pages on just a few days, and then entire years will be dismissed by a sentence or two. Ms. Simone's collaborator should have edited the book better and drawn out more music-related stories from her.

informative
I have enjoyed much of Nina Simone's music that I've been exposed to. I was anxious do read the story behind the singer/pianist. This was a good, brief account of her life and times. Going from a promising start as a classical pianist in the U.S. South to international fame as a singer, Simone saw and experienced a lot of things. The people she knew as friends/lovers seemed to be the elites in their fields. Her work shows that she sought perfection, but also had some insecurities. Many stemmed from the desire of her religious mother's approval. I wish her continued success because her music has made an impression on me.

I LOVE this book
This is a most fabulous book! I could not put it down! It's a fascinating account of Nina's life.....which is never a dull moment. Lots of incredible insight into what it's like to be a performer. Beautifully written, as though she's in the room with you, telling you her own story. Nina was such an amazing person, and there is so much depth in this book. I highly recommend this book....I can't say enough. If you love Nina, if you love autobiographies.....this is THE book!

Nina Simone writes about lovers, not music or her life
It's a sad commentary that Nina Simone wrote such a meaningless book in 1991. I couldn't wait to purchase it after it was released, yet I kept asking myself why she wrote it and who this woman really was. Besides being an interesting interpretor of jazz classics and folk songs, and well known for her ascerbic manner onstage and off, it would have been more thrilling to read about Simone as an artist, not the fact that she basically slept with every man that ever asked her. I felt a bit short changed by her writing...although most of it was no doubt ghostwritten, Nina Simone shows no real interest in music, instead considering jazz an afterthought in her career. She never goes into any details about her life except to blame her husband Andy Stroud for mismanaging her career, America for not giving her a chance, Curtis Institute of music for not accepting her application to study there, and the list goes on...if it were interesting reading, it might be ok. Still, most of this book is not well written at all...it is quite amateurish, and often boring...even the discography included at the back is lack luster..Nina Simone was so well associated with the Civil Rights Movement, yet you get no real feeling or emotion from her words, After reading the book, I continued to buy and listen to her music, but my respect for her is lacking. It's a shame that Nina Simone didn't realize her potential, but there were many artists worse off than Nina Simone, and I for one think she owes a great debt to the US for giving her success and the opportunity to succeed.

In Memoriam
In Memoriam of Nina Simone, the great singer, pianist, composer, arranger, songwriter, feminist, activist, mother and woman.

Nina was born in North Carolina, USA, February 21, 1933.

Although Nina was called the "High Priestess of Soul" by her fans and was regarded by them as an almost religious figure, she was often misunderstood as well. The High Priestess would walk different paths to find the adequate songs to spread her message.

A protest singer; a jazz singer; a pianist; an arranger and a composer, Nina Simone is a great artist who defies easy classification. She is all of these: a jazz-rock-pop-folk-black musician. In fact, we can find her biography in jazz, rock, pop, black and soul literature. Her style and her hits provided many singers and groups with material for hits of their own.

Nina Simone passed away on April 21, 2003 in Carry-le-Rouet, France. She was Aged 70.

She is survived by her daughter and will be forever missed - yet forever treasured.

May our high priestess find her path to peace. ... Read more

Book Description

Chet Baker (1929-1988) was a star by the age of twenty-three, winner of all the jazz polls as singer as well as trumpeter. His early promise was frustrated by involvement with drugs, however, and by a popular shift in taste away from the Cool Jazz of the west coast. But, except for a brief period of inactivity, Chet continued to perform for over thirty years--increasingly overseas, and sometimes in poor condition--but always remaining faithful to his original, lyric style. Some of his finest recordings were made shortly before his death. Since then his reputation has recovered and continues to grow, thanks to his colorful life no less than his beautiful music.

Here, for the first time, is the complete story about Chet Baker, from his upbringing in Oklahoma, his introduction to jazz (and junk) in Los Angeles, his early success with the Mulligan Quartet--through the horrific years of addiction, muggings, endless wandering, and jail sentences on both sides of the Atlantic. In between we learn of Chet's marriages and his erratic behavior--but also about his fitful brilliance as a musician, and diffident charm as a man. The author, Jeroen de Valk, dispels persistent myths about Baker, making the case, for instance, that he continued to develop musically throughout his career, however chaotic the circumstances.

The book includes interviews with Chet himself as well as his wife Carol, his manager, and fellow musicians like Lee Konitz, Bud Shank, and Russ Freeman. It includes two up-to-date discographies: a select, narrative one devoted to Chet's best releases, and a complete catalog of his 200+ recordings, rated from one star (Chet's bad days) to five (Baker classics). The text is enhanced by over 40 photos of Baker and his associates. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

A good focus on the music aspect of Chet Baker
There are two types of biographies about Chet Baker: One type catagorizes Baker as a fantastic trumpet player who was partially responsible for the "cool jazz" sound, and the second type, a steadfast junkie who was completely over-rated as a trumpet player let alone a jazz musician.

This bio falls in the earlier catagory and rightfully so. Chet Baker played with such greats as Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Parker, Stan Getz, Paul Desmond and more. You don't get to sit in with geniuses if you can't play, and Chet Baker could play. What both biographies do agree upon is that Chet Baker was incredibly handsome, had innate talent for the horn, and had loads of opportunities to elevate himself both morally and historically but failed to do so out of selfishness towards his drug habit which ultimately played a part in his death.

As to the book addressing his herion habit: Though the book chronicles it very throughly, it focuses more on his music accomplishmnets and personality rather than his addiction. (Chet's happiest moment in life was buying a Jaguar and racing it around all day long. It's my belief that Chet had a textbook case of Attetion Deficit Disorder and was proably self medicating himself so he could focus.)

The book has wonderful time-lines in it for both his life and his albums. There are loads of interviews with those on the sidleines who witnessed both his greatness and not-so-greatness. The grammar could be criticized once in a while but it is a good read.

Thus, this book is not only a god bio, but a great reference as to Chet Baker's accomplishments and history he helped create

Read this, not Gavin
This is a well-meant and partly successful effort. De Valk likes or at least judges his subject with restraint. After reading James Gavin's depressing, bloated, and thoroughly jive claptrap (as detestable as the equally bogus "Let's Get Lost") this book was a welcome remedy. Not great, by any means, but it's terse and direct. His biography just 'gives us the facts, ma'am', and trusts our intellect to do the rest. De Valk's annoted bibliography also reveals a true jazz fan/scholar's desire to inform and share about Chet Baker the MUSICIAN.

He's nicer to the people in Baker's life, too.

Worthwhile.

another review from Boston Ma.
I found the book most helpful in learning about Chet Baker. Grateful for the reviews of the music, it steered me right to incredible finds. If it loses something in the translation to english, the information is there for those interested.

Weak.
This disappointing book was translated from Dutch. I don't know if that's what ruined it, but it is a poor offering. The text meanders and lacks any passion, insight, or wit, and the grammar and spelling are atrocious, with multiple errors on just about every page. Honestly, the book reads more like a high school paper than a professional work.

Aside from all of this, the book does have some good points. Mr. De Valk obviously admired Chet, and makes an honest effort to show us Chet's talent, as opposed to only his seedy escapades. Although we don't come away with any insight into Chet as a person, we do learn a great deal about his lifestyle and musical evolution. We also get the clearest look yet at Chet's odd passing, along with some interesting interviews with friends (he didn't have many) and acquaintances. Also enjoyable are the many photographs, and the best feature of all, a large discography with a five star rating system and accompanying reviews. So, if you are a hard-core Baker fan, or are searching for a good discographical guide, this book may be worth it to you...otherwise check out a different book, such as Chet's diary, As Though I Had Wings, the newest Biography, Deep In A Dream, or the classic film documentary, Let's Get Lost (on VHS), all of which are available from amazon.

A Great Horn Player
A decent effort by the author, although not the definitive biography. The author missed a great chance to get inside the artist's head--but then again, he probably did not have this kind of access to Baker, etc., did not truly know him that well and was not able to spend the kind of time with him that would have required it. Too many things are glossed over here: Baker's childhood, not to mention the times he was forced to work dead-end, low-paying jobs because he was in too sorry shape to play the horn (for one reason or another, etc.). Plenty was left out, but then you also get the feeling that was not the type of book this writer set out to do...who knows? I still recommend it, though. Because I knew nothing about Baker (other than the fact I liked his music and style of playing the horn) until I read this book . I'll probably look for other books on the jazz great with (hopefully) more depth to them. I suppose I'm like so many other fans out there who are interested in finding out what their favorite painters/musicians/writers' lives were like... It's worth the money and will probably make you want to go out and buy a Chet Baker CD or two. ... Read more

Book Description

The wild ride of the most romanticized icon in jazz is thrillingly recounted in this first major biography.

From his emergence in the 1950s—when an uncannily beautiful young man from Oklahoma appeared on the West Coast to become, seemingly overnight, the prince of “cool” jazz—until his violent, drug-related death in Amsterdam in 1988, Chet Baker lived a life that has become an American myth. Now, drawing on hundreds of interviews and previously untapped sources, James Gavin gives a hair-raising account of the trumpeter’s dark journey.

The story of Baker’s demise—a heretofore unsolved riddle—is revealed here at last. So is the truth behind his tormented childhood, the pain of which haunted his entire life. Gavin explores the birth of the melancholy trumpet playing, the fragile tenor voice, and the otherworldly personal aura that catapulted Baker to fame. Sexy, angelic, needy, and forbidding all at once, Baker became known as the James Dean of jazz. Like Dean, he struck a note of menace in the staid fifties: behind his ultracool, handsome façade lay something ominous, unspoken. The mystery drove both sexes crazy. But his only real romance, apart from music, was with drugs. And in mesmerizing detail, Gavin narrates the harrowing spiral of dependency down which Baker tumbled, dragging with him those who dared get close.

From his golden promise to his eventual destruction, Baker’s life mirrored America’s fall from postwar innocence. Deep in a Dream is the portrait of a musician whose singular artistry and mystique have never lost their power to enchant and seduce us. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

A Long Night, Indeed
James Gavin does execellent work in detailing Chet Baker's rise to fame and fortune and ultimate fall. The story itself is amazing -- Baker, born with good looks and a natural musical ability, squanders it all away because of drugs.
Interesting to read about Baker's various relationships, both in an out of the industry, including his working relationship with Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz. Gavin also does a good job detailing how Baker insecurities made him lean more and more on drugs, and how drugs ultimately ruined his career and life.
As the story unfolds we see how Baker became more and more reliant on drugs, doing anything to get a fix. A very scary story, and one that is told well by Gavin.
Baker's musical legacy has been debated by the experts for many years. Charlie Parker, after hearing him on the West Coast, raved about his talents. Certainly Baker deserves a place in the history of jazz, and, if you're a fan of jazz, Gavin's biography of him is well worth your time.

Deep in a Dream...Dream material for Hollywood.
Chet Baker had it all: an amazing musical talent, handsome looks, fans worldwide and a drug addiction that took it all away. In this extraordinary biography by James Gavin, we get an intimate glimpse at the artist. It's not pretty but it truly is riveting.

I, too, heard James Gavin on Terry Gross' "Fresh Air" and bought the book as a result. Gavin deserves much kudos. He presents a well-balanced portrait of Chet Baker, the the best one I've read on him. Gavin clearly demonstrates keen knowledge of the jazz world and his subject. This book could not have been an easy undertaking. Yes, the drug aspect is dealt with in great detail, but how could it not? Unfortunately, it appears music and drugs didn't exist without each other in Baker's life. In one of the more poignant moments of the book, Baker has finished playing one of the most celebrated gigs of his career, only to be found within a week playing on the street to scrounge up a hundred bucks for a fix.

Throughout all this, I don't for one minute believe that Gavin is out to slay his subject by painting a tabloid picture. Unlike many tell-all biographies, Gavin truly cares about Baker. And it shows thorough a deftly crafted chronicle of Baker's wild roller coaster life that shoots to the top then plunges only to go faster and faster. Taking us along through twists and turns, spiraling out of control until a final stretch, that although we know what's coming, we want to read more.

At times Baker's music merit is debated. There is one thing that isn't. That's his legacy to the world of jazz: Over 150 albums; a recording of "My Funny Valentine" that, to this day, all others are compared; and now we have Gavin's remarkable yet very disturbing portrait of the legend.

When I finished reading, I was left with one question. Has Hollywood noticed this book? It should.

A musical narcissist
This is an excellent book on Chet Baker--I found it very interesting and a very engaging read.

I feel Mr. Gavin does an incredible job balancing the musical career and personal life of Chet, extensively discussing both his meteoric rise--and his quick descent into the hell of heroin addiction.

The mystique of Chet Baker and public is well addressed, and ties in very well with how he used his talent, fame, looks and charm to personally exploit almost every person he ever came in contact with. This book is an excellent case study of the narcissist--and the numerous victims these people leave in their wake. It really makes you feel sorry for the women and children he left behind--individuals who will be forever scarred by their relationship with this man. Unfortunately their is a stark contrast between his musical and personal legacy. No one who came in contact with this Chet came away unscathed. The huge gap between the public image of the angelic-looking trumpetist--and the evil reality of this man--speaks to the power of his magnetism and muscial talent.

The Chet Baker Study...
A tortured soul, living a hell in a wasteland, howling and desolate, junked up, paranoid, insecure, with the one goal most if not every junky ascribes to...getting the next dose. Did you ever wonder what makes people like the Baker or the Charley Parker , Kurt Cobain or Bix Beiderbeck reach down to the bottom when they have so much to offer. Jaco Pastorius too and Jerry Garcia could have also been lumped into this terrible category. Yet, we as humans are fascinated by this lifestyle and glamorize the "stars" and talents. But do those same people find their life glamorous? Or, are a few of those stars and talents incomplete, seeking, never satisfied, bored, living on some sort of edge which leads them into a self destructive lifestyle. I've read a number of books about musicians who have self-destructed, perhaps I hold a perverse fascination with the phenomena and I can't explain why. As a musician for over 40 years I have always admired the musicianship of the greats like Beiderbeck or Getz or Baker or Pepper, Pastorius and many more, but could never understand the penchant for killing themselves through extreme substance abuse. What were they missing in life, which left them so unfulfilled?

Perhaps a more extended dream than we think.
This is a tough book to get through, but thanks to James Gavin's journalistic skills it becomes almost impossible to put down. Chet Baker's personal life was a mess from start to finish and the author manages to keep us riveted despite the relentless feeling of gloom from one chapter to the next. To sympathize or not with the hero's trials & tribulations is something that each of us has to come to terms with. However, before we assign anyone a God-like status as an artist it would be prudent to separate his musical and personal attributes. Separating these aspects of the life of a performer or composer becomes even more important when viewing it from a distance, in this case anywhere from 20 to 40 years, depending on what one considers his prime playing years.

Baker was a decent trumpet player in his day. Every now & then he climbed a level or two and managed to raise some eyebrows. However to put him among the trumpet giants of his era - Dizzy, Miles, Clark Terry, Clifford Brown, etc. - is not only a huge stretch, but also a disservice to these great artists. Any well-traveled musician will tell you that there are (jazz) musicians all over the world, but especially in this country, who are generally unknown to the listening public, who can knock you out with their playing at any given time. The reasons why the public isn't aware of them can be anywhere from personal situations in their lives, simply not caring and just wanting to stay in their own towns eking out a living, not having been "blessed" by critics, or a myriad of other reasons - musical or non - that keep them out of the lime light. Baker was no better than scores of these players. If he had remained reasonably straight it's possible that his music making might have continued on an upward arc. The myth that we'll somehow play among the gods when we're stoned has been so over-romanticized by writers and critics for so long that many musicians - mostly in Rock these days - still believe it. The truth of THAT matter is that when one of the guys is heavily spaced-out, whether from alcohol or harder stuff it becomes a huge drag for the rest of the band. If more than one is flying it's usually leads to disaster.

The other problem I have with the book is that the author occasionally falls into that same predictable trap as many other jazz critics and writers. It seems that (the great) jazz players (improvisers) must somehow move us to the heights of ecstasy without actually knowing how to play their horns. Technique is of course regarded with the usual suspicion. In his description of (Stan) Getz's "icy-smooth perfection of his youth," we get that hackneyed attitude possessed by many that distrusts the players with chops. To this I can only say; Hey guys, this improvising "art" is about putting it ALL together. Yes, there are certainly many instances of some (technically) well-endowed player fitting thousands of notes, all perfectly in tune, onto the head of a pin, with result being a big, collective yawn. And there are also times when someone might come up with a solo that is riddled with clams and/or slightly (or grossly) out of tune, but will transport a whole lot of people to the twilight zone. But, in reality there are precious few of the latter that we have the luxury of going back (via a recording) to scrutinize. To his credit Gavin does not harp on these fixations unduly. In fact he does point out rather thoroughly Baker's constant intonation problems in his singing, which I might add, was a constant source of joking among musicians.

Despite these qualms I would recommend this book to anyone interested not only in Chet Baker's self-destruct mechanism, but also in having an intriguing look at the mind-set of much of the jazz world of the 50s & 60s. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The myth has always been that Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington shared an identical approach to music. In Lush Life: A Biography of Billy Strayhorn, David Hajdu dismisses that notion from the very beginning. Schooled in Debussy and Ravel, Strayhorn brought a sensitivity and complexity that was missing in the Ellington oeuvre. Although he had talent enough for a career without Ellington, Strayhorn lacked the confidence. Being both black and gay forced him to take a back seat to his partner's celebrity. Denied greater public recognition, he sought solace in a "lush life" of his own, smoking and drinking himself to an early death in 1967. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

very detailed book
i find myself always enjoying Books on People&this is no exception.very well detailed Book on a Important Composer&His Many Demons&Surroundings.I heard a few years back that Will Smith was considering doing the Bio Movie on Billy Strayhorn.it would be really interesting to see how things would come out on the Big screen.this book reflects on Music Talent&whole Life.very well done book.

A very enjoyable read
This book has a lot going for it. Do you like music, swing and jazz? Do you like intersting people? Did you live through the 30's, 40's and 50's? Do you enjoy reading about that era? Do you enjoy reading a well written biogratphy? If the answer to any of these is yes, you'll like this book, it the answer is yes to several of these questions then you'll LOVE this book. David Hajdu has done an exemplary job of documenting the life of Billy Strayhorn. I really felt like I knew the man after reading this. He has done his research and he also writes with a very smooth style that keeps you intersted. I love music and I've read bios of Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, BB King, Chuck Berry, Led Zepplin, Allman Bros. on and on. This is one of the best if not the best music bio I've read.

The World of Ellingtonia
Great Book... if you're an Ellington fan and like "Strays" music this is an absolute must. Very informative and interesting and also great reading. The author was here in Seattle for an Elllngton concert with Earshot Jazz and I met and chatted with him.... a very charming and informed man. cmm

Well Rounded Review
Hajdu really does a nice job of summarizing the life of a songwriter. He keeps his story moving with pacing, characters, travel, and yes, even drama! Racial prejudice, sexual prejudice, loneliness and alcoholism did nothing to stop this little man from Pittsburgh who knew he was destined to a "lush life" and wrote about it in his fantasies, such as the title song begun at age 19 in Pittsburgh.

He grew up poor, effeminate, and misunderstood; but he loved the theater, and he knew where he belonged. Off to New York where his awesome talent so impressed Duke Ellington that he was immediately hired into the organization, where he would thrive and struggle and live and write for the rest of his life. He died of cancer, after penning and arranging much of Ellington's later work.

The book tells his story with panache that would make him proud!

Understated Genius
Billy Strayhorn's contribution to the work of Duke Ellington is immeasurable--at last he is given his full due in David Hajdu's perceptive and insightful portrait of this largely unsung genius of 20th century music. Hajdu's sensitive biography, derived from countless interviews with friends, family and fellow musicians, reveals Strayhorn as a complex, creative individual who preferred to stay discreetly in Ellington's shadow throughout much of his life. It also provides a telling portrait of a man who lived his life as a gay African-American musician completely out in the open during a time in this country when it was both difficult and dangerous to do so. Hajdu has given us telling portraits as well of many of Strayhorn's contemporaries such as Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance and the Duke himself who loved "Swea-Pea" (Strayhorn's nickname) as a part of himself. Not only a portrait of a creative, intellectual genius, "Lush Life" also gives us an insightful look into the world of jazz and African-american popular music that grew out of an age of racism and discrimination. The concluding chapters that chronicle Strayhorn's involvement in the civil rights movement of the early '60's and his friendships with Martin Luther King and Medgar Evans and his own battle with the throat cancer that cut his life short (at age fifty-one) are especially powerful. Throughout the book, Hajdu provides lively anecdotal writing while remaining a respectful journalist and chronicler of his subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in jazz history, popular culture, or purely for a portrait of an understated genius. ... Read more

Book Description

For more than forty years Miles Davis has been in the front rank of American music. Universally acclaimed as a musical genius, Miles is one of the most important and influential musicians in the world. The subject of several biographies, now Miles speaks out himself about his extraordinary life.

Miles: The Autobiography, like Miles himself, holds nothing back. For the first time Miles talks about his five-year silence. He speaks frankly and openly about his drug problem and how he overcame it. He condemns the racism he has encountered in the music business and in American society generally. And he discusses the women in his life. But above all, Miles talks about music and musicians, including the legends he has played with over the years: Bird, Dizzy, Monk, Trane, Mingus, and many others.

The man who has given us some of the most exciting music of the past few decades has now given us a compelling and fascinating autobiography, featuring a concise discography and thirty-two pages of photographs. ... Read more

Reviews (51)

An important work of history and honest soul searching
Miles Davis, with all his faults, flaws and laughable quirks, was still one of the most important musicians of the twentieth century. It takes a book like this where he leaves no stone unturned to make clear the debt we all owe him and his contemporaries, as well as the restless spirit that lead him beyond what he helped to establish as modern jazz. In many ways he shows himself to be, ironically, the archetypal and sterotypical artist simultaneously. Yet his telling of the profound friendships he had with Max Roach and Coltrane, his deep awe and respect but dispassionate eye for the genius and addictions of Charlie Parker, the loves of his life- and what he put them through, and his brutal, courageous hoonesty in general, gives us a gift of his haunting humanity.

But above all, this about the music. His own telling of his style, the true creators of the form in total and the actual environment where it was produced, and how he created so many styles of his own is enough to make this book worth having.

You will never find another human being who can make curse words sound so beautiful!

If you love jazz, or are a jazz musician, this book will remind you why. And why you love Miles. Everybody does.

Collaborator occassionally but never politically
Miles' words match his music. That revolutionary sound burns, subverts and takes you to a whole new space. If you read his life story you'll never question whether he put himself into his sound. The book doesn't pander to anyone. ( A mild way of stating he writes raw and real.) He was a sinner but did not succomb to the pressures of the establishment press. Who else would turn his his back on the audiences, and terrorize influential interviewers?
This volume, like all his work, totally his own; proves him an intolerant bully, certain drug addict, chronic
irreverent often seething with universal contempt. The section of Cicely Tyson's extravagant 'Tribute to Miles' is too good for me to spoil it here. Miles surely demythologizes Tyson, whom he claimed he never loved. But he also gets a few jabs in at Trane, and we all know the pantheon wherein he presides.
His childhood is interesting and not the typical po' boy refrain. His father a dentist, comfortable but surely not wealthy. Still, on the whole, Davis had it better in St. Louis than most black folks.
This book is a "must read" for jazz lovers and people who seek liberation from the ordinary. Hear Miles talk about how good he looked and sounded. Nobody else could have written this book. Nobody would dare.

A didactic "Must-read" for Jazz lovers and music historians!
As a Jazz lover, I can't help but consider this book a time machine into the past of jazz. I just finished reading it entirely for the second time (April & May of 2004). The first time I read it was 12 years ago (Spring of 1992). I have collected 3 Miles Davis box sets and a lot of his compact discs
in those 12 years, so reading the autogbiograpy this time around was much more like watching a movie.
I, myself, have also become much more of a musician in the
past 12 years, so I found the book to be very didactic when Mile's shared his thoughts on musical subjects such as the Egyptian mode, the modal conceptualization of songs (all the songs on "Kind of Blue"), using the Fender Rhodes electric piano to cushion his sound, and more.
For those who love John Coltrane, this book makes you feel even the slightest sense of knowing him a little; his extreme dedication to practicing and his repenting reassessment of his own life. Miles became good friends with Coltrane after he hired him into his band, yet they didn't spend much time together where
music was not concerned. Miles describes Trane's death as if it happened yesterday and it's extremely interesting to "hear" Miles
tell where Trane was musically right before he died in relation to the racial & social strife that the United States was experiencing in the 60's (this is even more poigniant when you have heard Trane's music from that period [read my review on "John Coltrane The Classic Quartet-The Complete Impulse Studio Recordings). I find it ironic that later in the book Miles mentions that he couldn't stand Trane's quartet at this period.
This is another major exciting thing about the book; it gives insight on other music greats that Miles knew personally,
like Charlie Parker (especially), Gil Evans, drummer, Philly Joe Jones, Billie Holliday and many others.
The part where Miles tells what he went through as a heroine
junkie is really heart-wrenching, and when he overcame that addiction, you really see and feel his cold-turkey withdrawl; he
overcame it out of self-determination.

The last chapter of the book is a look into Miles' thoughts on life, women, racism, etc. He is quite the activist;
he never hated white people out of racism. He had an aversion to
white people because of all the racism that was enacted upon him.

This book is musically and historically tremendous!!!

Caveats
Not great literature, and not exceptionally insightful. Miles' public persona was a construct, affecting intentionally coarse language and simplistic, conflicting views. Lest you haven't gotten your share of that in the numerous interviews he gave, you can get your fill here. One might say that Miles in his own words is just being "direct"; one might also say that, in terms of this gutteriffic book versus the man's incredible music, his crudeness is hugely disappointing. The best things Miles ever said were thru his music. For measured commentary on his life and work, you'll have to turn elsewhere.

Speaking of which, the highly recommended Milestones by Jack Chambers, in its 1998 edition, detailed several passages of Miles autobio that were direct rips from Chambers' own texts. Anyone who thinks Miles' book is the bomb should at least glance at Chambers' recent forward to Milestones, which should raise an eyebrow or two. (Milestones itself is probably the best Miles bio available, in any case.) It's kind of fitting, though; Miles wasn't exactly a stranger to assigning his own name to someone else's music, so why would he be above plagiarizing words? Especially when there's a book advance already doled out and a deadline approaching?

I don't mean to demean the musician, though; Miles was obviously a giant and one of the most important visionaries of the 20th century. But again, it's the music itself that tells that particular story. What you get here, in Chambers' words, is "self-inflicted tabloid journalism." The sleazy parts are not worth detailing, and the questions regarding authorship and originality can be distracting to the discerning reader.

Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak.
Wow! I recently inhaled this book and felt obliged to review it. It is captivating and unapologetic, even brutal at times... and REAL... I loved it for this.

Great works of art can easily appear larger than life when they are displayed in museums or remastered in handsome packaging for the world to enjoy... It's easy to be rightfully consumed by their beauty and forget the harshness of life that beats down on us all (artists included).

Miles Davis's music for me is the ultimate escape... the ultimate adventure into a relaxing, interesting aural universe. So I must admit it was a quick jolt to the system to read autobiographical tales of neglect, addiction, jealousy, financial stuggle, broken relationships, boastful egos, clashes with authority, poor health, disposable relationships and racial unrest in the United States... the writing here is REAL. The 400+ pages here have potential to "push buttons" and have you shaking your head in disbelief. In today's homogenized Brittany Spears world of image obsession and greed, it's a pleasure to read a book by someone who just "doesn't care".

Miles lets his beautiful but imperfect soul speak. I wouldn't want to read otherwise. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Powerful!
This book is an honest account of a life which was anything but straight. Art Pepper succeeded in becoming one of the finest alto saxophonists of all time despite his hopeless drug addiction. His autobiography holds nothing back, and gave me a real sense of what a powerful grip his singular weakness had over him throughout his life. This is a book I will never forget, and I recommend it even to those who have never heard about Art Pepper. It goes beyond jazz biography, as a book about life as a heroin junkie, criminal, prisoner, and about a man who could not help but destroy all his successes. Read it.

Straight Life - The Story of Art Pepper
An apt title, as Art Pepper tells in his own words what he did, and how he felt about it. Pepper was one of the finest alto saxophonists of all time but also a tortured individual who found escape from the reality of living through heroin. This book is not a fluffy piece of a read and not for anyone looking for such.
Pepper tells the raw truth about his drug use, prison time and even sexual activities ( some of the latter criminal). One is struck by how much time he wasted in prison and being so stoned he was unable to function. If that time could only have been spent recording and playing how much more of a legacy he would have left us!
If you wish to read a searing portrait of the life of a jazz musician and drug addict then read this book for there is probably no finer written example. I found it difficult to put down. Mesmerizing! Highly recommended.

King of Jazz/Crime/Junkys
This brutal portrait of jazz virtuoso Art Pepper reads like a Bosch painting of the infernal pits of Hell...from drug addiction to peeping tom to armed robbery ... and doin time in San Quentin Art Pepper's fall from grace and eventual comeback late in life is related in hard as nails prose...throw in some of the best accounts of Jazz biography with opinions and rants on Miles Davis, Coletrane, Louis Armstrong and others and you have a redemptive, brutal look into the tortured heart of a true criminal/addict/musician...for Pepper was all three and considered each elemental in the struggle of his existence...

Intense and gripping as one of his late period sax solos
There's no insight into Art's music here on a technical level, but it's very revealing on an emotional level. Once he started using heroin, his life became a self-destructive cycle of endless quests for the next fix. This is more of a junkie-prison memoir than a story of jazz music, although heroin was tragically a common thread in the lives of many jazz musicians of his era. Unfortunately for Art, he spent more time in jail than most of his peers did for those illegal pleasures.

His experience appears to belie the gateway theory on marijuana, since he was only a casual user of pot before he started on heroin, and it was no more significant to him than alcohol. He relates little interest in marijuana or alcohol once he started on heroin, though he popped plenty of pills and even sniffed glue in his efforts to calm the monkey on his back and relieve his need for smack. If anything, tobacco might have been the real gateway drug for Art, since his inability to kick that habit was the thing that eventually forced him to leave the Syanon rehab center.

I strongly recommend this book to any fan of Art's who'd like to have some idea of what might have been going on in his head during his different recording periods, or anyone else who might appreciate a brutal, unflinching account of an addict's life.

GRIPPING
Just an incredible book/life/story of a jazz genius who was hooked on heroin (and then later toward the end of his life on cocaine, etc.) Pepper pulls no punches in the telling. It's all here. While you appreciate the guy's honesty (and love him for it) you can't help but shake your head and feel so damn sad and awful at the hell he put himself through with all the drugs he shot up/used/consumed... Why? Why did he have to go that route? I'm not judging here; we all have our weaknesses, but you can't help but feel shocked at the toll all the smack he shot up took on this guy (you have never met, but feel that you know and give a damn about the same way you would any friend.) I also recommend the video. There is a scene there in the third act, where Art is playing a tune called Our Song on his record player (with his wife Laurie sitting also nearby listening to this beautiful piece of music that he had written for her, for the love that he felt for his lady) and Art is saying: "That's it; that's the best that I can do. It took 51 years to be able to do that..." And I have to tell you it hit me pretty hard as I sat in front of my set watching/listening to this music that Art had created... Art Pepper, an original. I wish he were around. Yeah, I know, there's the music he left behind...it isn't enough. I miss the guy, even though I never met him. I have a feeling you'll feel the same way after reading Straight Life. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Straight from the master's mouth
I'm a great fan of autobiography. Granted, often it is sanitized and self-serving, but there's nothing like hearing a person tell their own life, especially if the life is as important as this one. Without a doubt, Duke Ellington was the century's greatest American composer and bandleader; the only ones who even come close to him (Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Cole Porter) had neither his longevity nor his variety. And none of them also maintained a working band through six decades! I own almost every recording ever released by Duke Ellington; his music has become indelibly printed on my brain. This book may not be the most accurate account of his life (if you can handle a little armchair psychology, the Collier biography is the best choice for that), but this is like sitting in a room hearing Duke talk -- and play!

Utterly Fascinating Life
Wow what a book. The best part about this book is that Duke wrote it. You get it straight from him. I recommend this book to anyone into the music.

His accounts of his younger days were what most appealed to me. He pays so much respect to the people he was surrounded by, both his family and the community of musicians. Sometimes the many names dropped can be a bit much, but that was just his style--always letting people know who helped him, who mentored him, who taught him, who he admired. There's scarcely a mean-spirited word in the whole book!

There is a lot of variety to the way he tells his stories. Sometimes its through the name dropping profiles; sometimes its through interviews reprinted for this book; sometimes its through out-and-out philosophical dissertations about music and life; sometimes it's in the midst of his endless travelling of the globe with his band.

For the musician looking for tips and advice, there's plenty of Duke wisdom provided throughout. His overall love for music and musicians is just SOOO apparent. My favorite piece of advice is that he said he learned music exclusively through oral instruction, from people in the scene who would share techniques and secrets seemingly as freely as idle conversation (how different the musical climate is these days!)

The last third or so of the book get a bit tedious for this reader. There just wasn't a lot of variety to his accounts of globetrotting and meeting all the important people in all the countries. What kept me going through these sections were the occasional gems of advice or insight, but there's more of that in the first half of the book. Thank god for the end of the book, a funny interview where the interviewer is REALLY condescending to Duke, but Duke gets through is with all the grace, wit, intelligence, and humor that makes him such a compelling person, composer, and most of all, a genius and musical mystic.

Thank the Duke for this book, and allowing us to get a glimpse of his life and all his amazing stories!

Great book showing the life and times of the great Duke
If you want to know anything at all about Duke Ellington, you can learn it in this book. Not only is it the best source in the world for info on Duke, it is masterfully written. It is one of the greatest books I've ever read, and I've read quite a bit.

The Greatest jazzman in history speaks
Written by The Duke himself, this book provides insight into the life and music of the greatest composer jazz has ever produced. If you ever wondered what Duke thought of those he played with and those he didn't; here it is in black and white. Required reading for anyone interested in the history of American music. ... Read more

Book Description

This tragic tale of the man who revolutionized the electric bass will appeal to players, fans, and anyone curious about the fine line between creative genius and madness. Bass players and music fans today - whether of jazz, rock, reggae, pop, or punk - owe much to Jaco Pastorius who literally reinvented the role of the electric bass. Jaco takes an in-depth look at his life through biographical narrative, personal tributes, and photographs. It chronicles his development beginning in the nightclub circuit, then on the road with Wayne Cochran & The C.C. Riders, then catapulting to stardom in Weather Report. It explores his diagnosis as a manic depressive, his eventual downfall accelerated by alcohol and cocaine, and his senseless and violent death. Includes photos. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

Manipulate the groove not the facts.
I was first turned on to Jaco while listening to some live Weather Report tracks. It wasn't his note choice, or speed that initially impressed me, but his ability to lock into Peter Erskine's groove and move the song by dropping a couple beats here and speeding up a little there. Jaco always played for the song, which led to me to look into his life.

His childhood is interesting to see how gifted he was. It is apparent by the interviews of his brother and friends that he certainly had a god given knack for music. He would learn songs by ear very quickly and practiced the bass hours a day when he began. Arguably, the most forgotten portion of his life was his early days on tour where he honed his skills on the road. Jaco would later get gigs with the greatest fusion players in the world, but his personal life is highlited throughout the book showing how he could not cope with reality while in severe bouts of depression and it ultimately led to his tragic demise at the hands of a bouncer.

This book is strongly recommended for any fan of music, but this book is absolutely essential for any bassist the life of Jaco is like the life of Jesus to Christians. His life will enlighten and sadden you while gaining knowledge of some of the most amazing music Americans have produced.

A compulsive read.....................
.......Milkowski's book is an effort that should be applauded by all who pick up its pages. When I first looked at the intro to the book, I found it a fascinating look into the genius and tragedy of this landmark musician. Unlike others, who have stated that the book falls short in examining Jaco's psychological short comings and mental closet skeletons, I found the read not to be wanting in any area describing his life. Not only is it a book that is I feel is mandatory reading for any music lover.........it is a book that even the non musician can appreciate as well. The shock and saddness in which the stories unfold make the subject of Jaco as a performer simply a compelling story which the reader begins to empathize with Jaco but feels the same helplessness as those within the book while reading along to the inevitable conclusion. An easy read, and I've read that book at least 3 or 4 times and still pick it up to refer to some of the of profound statements and observation about not only Jaco's life........but the with human experience in all of us as well...Finally, this book (as a screenplay) would make an unbelievable movie ....Kudos to Bill...........RIP Jaco

fascinating
Anyone familiar with Jacos music can appreciate what a great bassist he is. After reading this book I really began to understand just what a musical genius he really was. I enjoyed the story about how his brother took up playing guitar because he wanted to be better than jaco at somthing (Jaco was better at most everything than his brother). To his brothers surprise, Jaco took the guitar having never played an instrument before and was playing it in no time.

There are many stories like this, each one giving insight to how special he really was. This book is an easy read and very enjoyable to anyone but musicians particularly will enjoy it.

Could not put the book down!
Thats right ,as soon as I got this book I read it,cover to cover!
This book is very informative on this "bass god". And the
end of his life was very sad. It explains, who he got,
started ,down to where he was touring with Weather Report
in Japan,and he was not talking his medication (he was
Manic-Depressive),his behavior was very strange. A must buy
for any body that has heard of this great bass player! RIP...

Bass is over
Jaco Pastorious did all that was possible on the bass. The instrument is done. I have played the bass for 23 years and can honestly say that there will never be another bassist of his kind. Just like Charlie and the sax. ... Read more

Book Description

Louis Armstrong has been the subject of countless biographies and music histories. Yet scant attention has been paid to the remarkable array of writings he left behind. Louis Armstrong: In His Own Words introduces readers to a little-known facet of this master trumpeter, band leader, and entertainer.Based on extensive research through the Armstrong archives, this important volume includes some of his earliest letters, personal correspondence with one of his first biographers in 1943-44, autobiographical writings, magazine articles, and essays.Here are Armstrong's own thoughts on his life and career--from poverty in New Orleans to playing inthe famous cafes, cabarets, and saloons of Storyville,from his big break in 1922 with the King Oliver band to his storming of New York, from his breaking of color barriers in Hollywood to the infamous King of the Zulus incident in 1949, and finally, to his last days in Queens, New York. Along the way Armstrong recorded touching portraits of his times and offered candid, often controversial, opinions about racism, marijuana, bebop, and other jazz artists such as Jelly Roll Morton and Coleman Hawkins.Indeed, these writings provide a balanced portrait of his life as a musician, entertainer, civil rights activist, and cultural icon. Armstrong's idiosyncratic use of language and punctuation have been preserved to give the reader an unvarnished portrayal of this compelling artist. This volume also includes introductions to the writings, as well as an annotated index of names and places significant to Armstrong's life. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Quite revealing
Satch fans will find a whole lot more to our hero than we knew before. For one thing,his 1954 bio was severely edited and we get some of the raw stuff here. Satch wrote as eloquently (and uniquely) as he sang. He does not hold back on his views of race (see "Louis Armstrong and the Jewish Family" (1970) which may shock some people and outrage others, as is true with almost everything else here. He holds forth on his love of "Swiss Kriss" and its after effects and delivers a heartfelt letter to a fan in Vietnam closing with the lyrics of "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Would be nice if the complete unedited documents were here in a multivolume series,but this will suffice. Swiss Krissly yours.

Armstrong hits a high C on his typewriter.
If you like jazz, Armstrong, "Potato Head Blues," or life itself, read this book. ... Read more

Book Description

Now in softcover!

This heartfelt biography celebrates the life and music of unsung hero Grant Green, the late jazz guitar genius who played on nearly 100 albums from the early Õ60s to the late Õ70s, but narrowly missed celebrity. Today his music has inspired numerous acid-jazz and hip-hop recordings and his legend continues to grow. A straight-ahead jazzman turned funk wizard, Grant is best known for his rhythmic and driving tone as a session leader and sideman for Blue Note Records. The book paints a personal portrait of GrantÕs internal struggles through the eyes of his family, friends, and fellow musicians. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A definitive look at the life of guitarist Grant Green
Grant Green was one of the finest jazz guitarists of the 1960's, a versatile player schooled in bebop who became greatly in demand for hard bop, soul jazz and funk dates; he recorded dozens of dates for the Blue Note label in the 60's, both as a leader and as a prolific sideman. After largely switching to r&b/funk by the end of the decade, his star faded. Heroin weakened his health and Green ended up dying of a heart attack in 1978 when he was 43. Sharony Andrews Green, the guitarist's daughter-in-law for a time in the 1990's, has put together the first book ever on Grant Green, a colorful biography that is quite definitive. She interviewed many of Green's relatives, friends, associates and fellow musicians. Her often conversational style is quite appealing and she tells stories from several different angles. One learns not only about Grant Green's music but the many contradictions in his religious beliefs, habits and personal life. Green comes across as a bit inconsistent in spots partly because he is seen in this biography as being many different people, depending on who is doing the reminiscing. There are some minor faults with some misunderstood names and too many pages of "Selected Reviews" at the end of the book by Tobias Jundt of Switzerland (these should not have been included at all). But there is also a complete discography, lots of new information about the guitarist's life and Sharony Green expertly separates facts from fiction, telling us more than we ever knew before about the great guitarist. A great book! One looks forward to Sharony Andrews Green's future projects.

Jazz fans may not like it.
When I bought the book I looked forward to some insite to the genius of the great guitarist. It is there,but the book suffers from many editing and content errors,the reviews are just the worst,for example Tobias Jundt states that the Green tune "Blues for Charlie" was written as a tribute to Charlie Parker,when the liner notes to the record state it was written for Charlie Christian. A disturbing error is on pages 170-171 when Idris Muhammad speaks about a recording he did with John Scofield,the book has his name mispelled "John Schofield",this is bad due to the fact Muhammad insists that the author check out the recording. There are too many herion stories that seem to be always included in any music related biography,and the author's personal life is elaborated too much in the book,but there is some interesting reading in some parts such as the blue note content,I would recommend this for a casual read but not for one who seeks technical jazz information.

needs some more critical perspective
Sharony Green is trying something interesting here, a biography which is also something of an autobiography. She does a nice job of letting the various people who knew Green speak, and you do get an interesting sense of the man from the book. I have two criticisms. The first is that it goes on and on about how forgotten and unappreciated Green is, which gets tiring after a while. After all, most people who read this book will already think green was a great guitarist. And the guy is one more records than anybody but Milt Hinton--he was hardly unappreciated. He was never as famous as Wes or Benson, but they were more marketable than Green was

The other annoying thing about the book is that it goes on and on about how Green was ripped off. It's true that the white controlled industry is doubly tough on African Americans, and musicians get exploited frequently. But Green never lacked a gig--he worked ALL the time. He had more work in a year, more high quality work, with first rate musicians, than some people get in a decade. So he had money--he was well paid by the standards of his profession. He blew it all in addiction--his sad end came through his own doing. He was a lousy father and husband, and pissed his success away. I don't know why, and the book can't say--maybe nobody can. It'd be easy and wrong to understate the power of racism to twist and warp lives, but it's hard to pity Green in some ways. He never lacked for work or recognition in his lifetime, he had prodigious gifts, stunning intelligence and fire (i've spent all afternoon working on his solo on "Speak Low," and I'm more amazed as I go along), but he did himself in, which was maybe nore of a tragedy than if he was done in by racism

It's an interesting and evocative book, that conveys a good sense of the world Green came up in and the world of jazz in the 50s and 60s Worth a read for any jazz fan or lover of Green's great playing

Fair amount of info, not much insight.
While a good book, and admittedly the only source out there from which one can gain much info about Grant Green, the style is a bit cramped and extremely subjective making it a tough read. Sharony Green conveys a good deal of information about Grant, but at the same time presents it in a stale and not very insightful style. There is a wealth of unwarranted speculation that does little to forward a view of Grant Green, and instead of "Rediscovering the Lost Genius" of Grant Green, the reader feels more as if the author feels a need to validate Grant Green. For that, just pick up "Idle Moments" or "Matador" or any of the other great Green recordings. This validation seems a bit irreverent and at times, didactic.

That being said, the subjectivity of the book lends a viewpoint that is worth noting and there is a vast amount of information regarding Grant collected in the book, though at times it is less than completely accurate (eg. At one point, the author refers to Grant's "I Want to Hold Your Hand" recording as a collection of Beatle and other pop tunes. In fact, the title track is the only pop tune on the LP). The book's discography approaches a comprehensive survey of the recordings available, and the reviews offered at the end of the text are particularly helpful. If this book were part of a larger literature devoted to Grant Green it would be a valuable addition, but as the only extant source for info on Grant Green it misses its mark.

Read and Listen
Pick up this book, put on the Idle Moments CD and enjoy. Good music biographies are rare, good writng in them even moreso. Ms Green tells a story about a jazz musician and a man in the African American world in the heyday of the Blue Note label. If you like music or cultural history, history of society and change, or just a good story, this is a book to relax with and to think about as you put it up and down while getting anther cup of coffee. I given copies to friends as a Holiday gift...no better endorsement than that! The book is also an urban travelogue in American jazz circle about an artist that was discovered by pickling up a album on a living room floor while visiting a boyfriend's home. And there is more to that story too. Thanks to Blue Note, Mosiac, and Sharony Andrews Green, Grant's music stays alive ... Read more

Amazon.com

One of the 20th century's greatest composers, Duke Ellington (1899-1974) led a fascinating life. The first biography to draw on the vast Duke Ellington archives at the Smithsonian Institution, this book recounts the entirety of his remarkable career: his childhood in Washington, D.C. and musical apprenticeship in Harlem; his long engagement at the glamorous, gangster-owned Cotton Club; the challenging years during the Depression; his tours to Europe and into America's deep South, where he helped lower racial barriers; the postwar years when television and bebop threatened to eclipse the big bands; Ellington's own triumphant comeback at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival; his collaborations with Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges, Ella Fitzgerald, and John Coltrane, among others; and of course, the music itself, five decades of hits and masterpieces that constantly broke new ground.

John Edward Hasse serves as Curator of American Music at the Smithsonian Institution, curator of its traveling exhibition Beyond Category, and producer and annotator of the boxed set of recordings by the same name. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Top Ellington biography of the 3 I've read so far
Beyond Category is the best introduction to Duke Ellington's life and music. It was created to coincide with a Smithsonian exhibit and it offers a quality professional biography of Ellington's life and times. The author considers Ellington's life a series of problems to solve for his mind. Some of these problems are how to learn piano, how to start a band, how to compose with a partner, how to react to the recording band, how to deal with the loss of key soloists, how to compose larger works and ends up hitting many of the high points of Ellington's life and works.

Most of the new research at the time came from Mercer Ellington's enormous donation of his warehouse of materials for the Duke Ellington collectionl. Yet as a book intended for a popular audience, the musical content of this trove was not really fully dealt with. Mercer's collection comes through in the fabulous photographs that are interspersed throughout the book. It may have been better to have all the photographs grouped in several sections as not everyone will have time to read the entire book I suppose.

One very helpful aspect to the book was that at the end of each chapter there was a guide to key recordings of Ellington's life. This type of material is very helpful to those new to Ellington's life.

I found the prose to be clear and adequate although not as lively as some of the other excellent jazz biographies I've read such as Chambers' Milestones.

This book gets a 4.5 star rating for anyone new to Ellington. It's accessible, readable, and gives you several ideas to approach the true gold mine of Ellington's music.

For jazz researchers and scholars, there's still room for a knockout biography of Ellington that adds the information from the Smithsonian collection to wide ranging interviews and even better prose. Researchers will want to read this, but I'm not sure how much of this material is groundbreaking.

4.5 stars for neophytes
3.5 stars for Ellington scholars

4 stars overall

Better late than never
No sentimentality here. Just warm, rich story telling of a great man. I'm actually embarrassed to say that after lifetime of jazz I just dicovered The Duke. This is a very well written and balanced portrayal of a man,his music and his times. If there's more to say I don't want to read it; it's time to listen.

excellently researched book
As an old time lover of Jazz, but rather new to really examining the lives behind its great musicians, and particularly Duke Ellington, I started out with "Duke Ellington: A Spiritual Biography" by Janna Tull Steed (great book (and just 192 pages) for anyone new to the Duke & jazz). It was Steed's book that really built the interest to explore Ellington in more depth and, Hasse's book is just what I was looking for. It is a hefty book but it is absolutely and completely accessible, just what is required to approach this great man of Jazz.