Book Tells True Stories of Jazz and Death

Tired of all those jazz history books that tell the same old story? Looking for something morbid to do on a Sunday afternoon? How about researching the deaths of your favorite jazz musicians?

In his forthcoming book, Jazz and Death: Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats, Dr. Frederick J. Spencer clears up the mysteries surrounding the deaths of several jazz legends. “The careers of many jazz musicians may have been accurately documented, but accounts of their illnesses and deaths often vary and lack conviction,” Spencer says. By examining the medical records of jazz luminaries such as Scott Joplin, Tommy Dorsey, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ronnie Scott and others, Spencer reveals the true causes behind their passings.