Books in the Studies in Jazz series

In The Contradictions of Jazz, Paul Rinzler takes a new approach to jazz aesthetics and theory by exploring four pairs of opposites present in jazz: individualism and interconnectedness, assertion and openness, freedom and responsibility, and creativity and tradition. By themselves, these eight values speak volumes about the meaning of jazz and its significance. Understanding how these opposites coexist in jazz leads to an exploration of the connections linking jazz with the experiential and existential, which contrast with the connections between composition and science. Rinzler explains the various concepts, including either/or and dialectic thinking, and then examines the pairs of opposites individually, describing their position and presence in jazz. He then demonstrates how the larger meaning of these contradictory opposites depends on ideas from the philosophies of phenomenology and existentialism. Rinzler considers the opposites inherent in the product and process of jazz, as well as mistakes and the challenge of perfection, presenting these values in light of the contradictions inherent in jazz. With a full bibliography and an index, The Contradictions of Jazz is a fascinating read for fans and scholars of jazz history and aesthetics.

The Dorsey brothers were prominent members of the Big Band fraternity in the late 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. This bio-discographical text spans Jimmy Dorsey's career as a musician, orchestra leader and composer.

This publication contains the papers read at the conference 'Early Twentieth-Century Brass Idioms: Art, Jazz, and Other Popular Traditions' held at the Institute of Jazz Studies of Rutgers University on 4-5 November 2005. The conference was organized by the Historic Brass Society in collaboration with the Institute of Jazz Studies.

Fake books-anthologies of songs notated in a musical shorthand-have been used by countless pop and jazz musicians in both professional and amateur settings for more than half a century. The Story of Fake Books: Bootlegging Songs to Musicians traces the entertaining and previously unknown account of the origins of pop song fake books, which evolved through the bootlegging of a now obscure musical subscription service, the Tune-Dex. The book follows the history of fake books through their increased popularity among musicians to their prosecution by the government and the music industry, resulting in America's first full-blown federal trial for criminal copyright infringement. Through accounts given by jazz musicians Steve Swallow and Pat Metheny, The Story of Fake Books also reveals the definitive history of the most popular fake book, one that has acquired a legendary status among jazz musicians: an anthology of jazz tunes called The Real Book. Drawing from information in FBI files, entertainment trade papers, and federal court records, author Barry Kernfeld presents pioneering research, which brings together aspects of pop music history and copyright law to disclose this predecessor of current-day battles over pop song piracy.

A documentation of radio and television appearances by the Jazz pianist and entertainer Thomas 'Fats' Waller, from his first broadcast in 1923 at age 19, until his final airing shortly before his premature death in 1943. Also including a comprehensive discography and previously unpublished photos.

Like most ground-breaking art forms, contemporary creative music is rarely understood or accepted in its own time, and for those reasons, can largely go unheard. Music and the Creative Spirit: Innovators in Jazz, Improvisation, and the Avant Garde aims to give today's brightest music innovators due recognition and respect, celebrating their work and creativity. Through personal interviews, artists such as Pat Metheny, Regina Carter, Joshua Redman, Fred Anderson, Dave Holland, Bill Frisell, David Murray, and John Zorn-to name just a few-offer clear, frank discussions about music, creativity, work, society, culture, current events, and more. Author Lloyd Peterson has hand picked these artists specifically for their ability to express themselves through their own creative voices and transcend their art form through the strength of their own ingenious spirit. Their music eschews categorization, genre, or style, and the book necessarily takes a broader view of jazz, tapping into the inventive aspect that is difficult to describe or teach, and is rarely discussed. By allowing the innovators an opportunity to speak for themselves, readers are afforded a clearer sense of their attitudes and approaches, their ways of working, and their views of contemporary music and society.

Jazz Books in the 1990s: An Annotated Bibliography contains over 700 entries covering adult non-fiction books on jazz published from 1990 through 1999. International in scope, the books included range from such places as Finland, Slovakia, Australia, Japan, India, and South Africa, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Entries are organized by category, including biographies, history, individual instruments, essays and criticism, musicology, regional studies, discographies, and reference works.Greenberg has amassed an impressive collection of entries with each entry including the author, title, publisher, year, and number of pages, and also indicating when a book contains a bibliography, discography, footnotes, musical transcriptions, illustrations, photographs, or any other additional material. The discography entries also note whether books contain unissued material or reissues. Three indexesby title, author, and subjectmake this a valuable and comprehensive reference guide for researchers, students, and jazz aficionados alike.

Jazz Fiction traces the history of jazz stories and novels from the beginning to the present and provides discussions of several persistent topics and genres within this history. Most centrally, it offers nearly 700 annotations of individual works of jazz fiction.

More than a discography, this book compiles the complete recorded music of Duke Ellington and his sidemen, including studio recordings, movie soundtracks, concerts, dance dates, radio broadcasts, telecasts, and private recordings, creating an easy to use reference source for Jazz collectors and scholars.

An Unsung Cat explores the life and music of jazz saxophonist, Warne Marsh. Safford Chamberlain follows the artist from his start in youth bands like the Hollywood Canteen Kids and The Teen-Agers through his studies under Lennie Tristano, his brilliant playing of the 1950s, his disappearance from public view in the 1960s, his re-emergence in the 1970s, and his belated recognition in the 1980s as one of the finest tenor players of the post-World War II era. Through interviews with the Marsh family and friends, Chamberlain offers an inside view of Marsh's private life, including his struggles with drug abuse. Detailed analysis of outstanding performances complements the personal story, while an extensively researched discography and photographs reveal the public and private face of this unique performer. In addition to the book, Scarecrow is pleased to offer a companion compact disc, released by Storyville Records. The tracks on the CD provide a representative sampling of Marsh's best work, while providing a historical overview of his development, from the beginning track, "e;Apple Honey,"e; which is a private, low-fidelity tape from an NBC radio broadcast in 1945 of the Hoagy Carmichael Show, to the final track, "e;Sweet and Lovely,"e; captured months before his death in 1987.

Serge Chaloff (1923-1957) is most widely remembered as the flamboyant baritone saxophone star with Woody Herman's 2nd Herd whose problems with drugs extended to erratic personal behavior. Nevertheless, there were many brilliant sessions featuring his work before and after his stint with Herman. This work attempts to bring them the recognition they deserve. Simosko details the life and music of Serge Chaloff in an engaging style, from his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts, through his untimely death in 1957. He also provides a discography of Chaloff's recorded output, much of which has been made available by the 1993 Mosaic Records release of The Complete Serge Chaloff Sessions.

The world's fascination with New Orleans stems from the allure of the music of the city_music that owes its origins and development to many sources. Until now, popular and scholarly books, dissertations, and articles that attempt to explain these sources have failed to recognize the unsung heroes of the New Orleans jazz scene: the teachers in its public schools. Through more than 90 original interviews and extensive research in New Orleans' historical collections, Dr. Kennedy documents ways that public school teachers pushed an often unwilling urban institution to become an important structure that transmitted jazz and the other musical traditions of the city to future musicians. Music legends from Louis Armstrong to Ellis Marsalis Jr._who also provides the foreword_are just two of the many well-known former students of the New Orleans public schools. Chord Changes on the Chalkboard shows that, particularly after the 1920s, public school students benefited not only from the study of instrumental music and theory, but also from direct exposure to musicians, many of whom were invited to perform for the students. The impact the teachers had on generations of musicians and music fans is undeniable, yet their teaching techniques are only part of the story. In addition to the successes enjoyed with their students, the teachers' own musical experiences, recordings, and performances are also examined. The interaction between teachers and students in New Orleans public school classrooms opens a new field of research for music historians, and this book is the first to document ways in which public school teachers acted as mentors to shape the future of jazz and the music of New Orleans. An important addition to its field, Chord Changes on a Chalkboard will provide invaluable information for jazz fans and historians, music scholars and students, and it is also useful reading for any public school teacher. A must for any music library, it should also be a welcome addition to any collection supporting African-American history or popular culture.

Martin provides a new overall assessment of the importance of Charlie Parker through an analysis of his improvisations in a variety of genres. Earlier studies of Parker argue that his style is based on an extensive network of melodic formulas that are combined to create solos. Because the same formulas appear throughout his improvisations regardless of the theme, these studies concluded that the solos do not usually relate to the original melodies. Charlie Parker and Thematic Improvisation provides a much-needed reassessment by showing that Parker's solos are often related to the original themes in unexpected and sometimes ingenious ways. The conclusion sums up features of Parker's style and discusses his contribution in the context of Western music history. Numerous transcriptions are provided. This groundbreaking technical study will be of interest to musicologists and serious students of jazz.

Jazz Child: A Portrait of Sheila Jordan is the complete biography of the first female jazz vocalist to record on the prestigious Blue Note record label. In this book, biographer Ellen Johnson reveals the challenges Jordan confronted to become an influential recording artist and performer, working with many famous jazz luminaries of the era.

This is a critical survey and discography of Louis Armstrong's most formative phase - the period during which he worked alongside such luminaries as King Oliver, Bessie Smith, Sidney Bechet, Fletcher Henderson and Earl Hines.

Jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden once referred to Ruby Braff as the ';Ivy Leagues Louis Armstrong.' That legacy of great trumpet performance and recording is brought to readers in Thomas Hustad's Born to Play: The Ruby Braff Discography and Directory of Performances. Braff's uncompromising standards, musical taste, and creative imagination informed his consummate artistry in creating music beautifully played. He achieved swiftly what few musicians accomplish in a lifetime by developing a unique and immediately recognizable style. For a reminder of that we need but play any of the more than 150 released recordings on which he appears. These records span a total of 54 years, from 1949 to 2002, a feat almost unmatched in jazz recording. This was five years longer than even Louis Armstrong.Although prepared in discographical style, capturing information about both commercial recordings and previously undocumented performances, Born to Play serves as a biography of the artist, detailing the path he paved as a performer and featuring personal recollections of his musical career with commentary from other figures. Images over the course of his half century of playing fill out this comprehensive survey of Braffs performing and recording career. This bio-discography of the man who jazz drumming legend Buddy Rich declared ';one of my favorite trumpeters' and singing giant Tony Bennett described as ';my great friend who now holds the reigning position of the best cornet player in the world' is sure to be of interest to jazz fans and scholars alike.

Timme Rosenkrantz (19111969) was a Danish journalist, author, concert and record producer, radio show host, and entrepreneur with a consuming passion for jazz and little head for business. Known in Denmark and New York as the ';Jazz Baron' because of his noble lineage, he was the first European journalist to cover the jazz scene in Harlem. Harlem Jazz Adventures: A European Baron's Memoir, 19341969 recounts Rosenkrantz's happy years in New York City, where he would produce jazz concerts, record top musicians and bands in his midtown apartment, organize a ';dream band' for Timme Rosenkrantz and His Barrelhouse Barons, a 1938 RCA Victor recording, (DL) live in Harlem and run a record shop with his life companion, journalist and singer Inez Cavanaugh. A good friend of jazz impresario John Hammond, Rosenkrantz would become the James Boswell of the Harlem jazz scene. Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holidaythere wasn't a New York jazz musician unknown to ';Honeysuckle Rosenkrantz,' as christened by Fats Waller. Drawing on the published Danish-language original Dus med Jazzen, and an unpublished English free translation (DL) by Rosenkrantz and Cavanaugh, translator-adapter Fradley Hamilton Garner gives polish and context to Rosenkrantz's stories of meetings with Cecile and Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Willie ';The Lion' Smith, Eddie Condon, Erroll Garnerwhom Rosenkrantz discovered and was first to recordand many others. This book is a must-have for jazz lovers. Social historians interested in the intersection of race and the music business will find in Rosenkrantz's memoir an invaluable primary source on Harlem's social scene and its musical legacy.

Clarinetist Kenny Davern ranked among the best jazz musicians for over 50 years. The unique and instantly recognizable sound of his clarinet, coupled with a wide ranging intellect and quick sense of humor drew praise and applause and endeared him to his fans and friends. The Life and Music of Kenny Davern tells the story of this fascinating musician who had a vision of how he wanted his music to sound and who persisted in the face of adversity until he achieved that vision.Edward N. Meyer conducted interviews with friends, family, colleagues, and critics of Kenny Davern, as well as the man himself, to gain a comprehensive and personal narrative of the artists life. Beginning with the tragic events that shaped his early life, Meyer traces Daverns growth from a young boy raised in an atmosphere of conflict into an acclaimed, self-assured musician and a warm and loving husband and father. Meyer describes the state of the jazz music business in the last half of the 20th century and fully establishes Daverns status within that scene. Meyer also explores a side of Davern that the public never saw: Daverns hunger for reading made him a knowledgeable and well-respected person with experts outside the world of jazz. With more than 30 photos, a comprehensive discography, bibliography, and index, this volume will fascinate jazz students, fans, and scholars.

This work brings to light nearly 100 'new' recordings, broadcasts, and films discovered since the last Benny Goodman bio-discography published in 1996. It also examines in detail all 182 shows of Goodman's 'Camel Caravan' radio series and nearly 400 collector-oriented LP, tape, and CD releases.

Tommy Dorsey was not only a bandleader, but one of the most prolific musicians of the century. Stockdale has compiled detailed discographical listings of nearly 3,000 recordings together with brief biographical information. Each recording is listed in chronological order and includes the studio, city, date of the session, the name of the recording group, its personnel and their instruments, plus the matrix number, song title, vocalist (if any), and all known worldwide releases. The listing even includes any known pseudonyms under which the recording may have been released. Complete indexes of the recording groups, individual musicians and singers, an index of all titles, composers, and lyricists.

This is the first comprehensive study of the music and life of Theodore 'Fats' Navarro. It provides biographical, discographical, and analytical information on the trumpeter and his recorded legacy, offering new perspectives on Navarro's role in the history and emergence of Bebop.

An entertaining and unpretentious chronicle of a life in American popular music, recounted with wit and honesty. Bennett evokes a bygone era when 'territory' and 'name' bands-each with its own 'girl singer'-crisscrossed the country.

Jazz in New Orleans provides accurate information about, and an insightful interpretation of, jazz in New Orleans from the end of World War II through 1970. Suhor, relying on his experiences as a listener, a working jazz drummer, and writer in New Orleans during this period, has done a great service to lovers of New Orleans music by filling in some gaping holes in postwar jazz history and cutting through many of the myths and misconceptions that have taken hold over the years. Skillfully combining his personal experiences and historical research, the author writes with both authority and immediacy. The text, rich in previously unpublished anecdotes and New Orleans lore, is divided into three sections, each with an overview essay followed by pertinent articles Suhor wrote for national and local journals-including Down Beat and New Orleans Magazine. Section One, "e;Jazz and the Establishment,"e; focuses on cultural and institutional settings in which jazz was first battered, then nurtured. It deals with the reluctance of power brokers and the custodians of culture in New Orleans to accept jazz as art until the music proved itself elsewhere and was easily recognizable as a marketable commodity. Section Two, "e;Traditional and Dixieland Jazz,"e; highlights the music and the musicians who were central to early jazz styles in New Orleans between 1947 and 1953. Section Three, "e;An Invisible Generation,"e; will help dispel the stubborn myth that almost no one was playing be-bop or other modern jazz styles in New Orleans before the current generation of young artists appeared in the 1980s.

Fifties Jazz Talkis a collection of interviews with musicians who first came to prominence during the 1950's.

This text traces the stride piano style from its roots in minstrel shows and ragtime, through the contributions of itinerant entertainers, to its joyful birth in Harlem, where it became known as Harlem piano.

Contrary to the widely held opinion that most of our hit and standard songs were composed by a handful of top writers-Berlin, Gershwin, Kern, Porter, and Rodgers-the fact is that the vast majority of them were written by relatively unknown composers.