The latest words on jazz, evaluated by critics who understand the power of jazz writing.
Matt Brennan’s well-researched, entertainingly written, and greatly enjoyable 371-page read takes us on a historical journey with greater implications than one might at first suspect. … Read More “Matt Brennan: Kick It: A Social History of the Drum Kit (Oxford University Press)”
There are times I have watched the artful dissolves in Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane and wished there was a way to hang them on museum … Read More “Francis Wolff: Jazz Images (Elemental)”
To hear Dave Brubeck explain it, Columbia Records wasn’t too keen on releasing Time Out, his 1959 album. After several albums for the label, the … Read More “Philip Clark: Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time (Da Capo)”
Few musicians in jazz history have been as revered—and reviled—as Buddy Rich (1917-1987). Two recent remembrances chronicle those extremes. Pelle Berglund’s biography, One of a … Read More “Pelle Berglund: Buddy Rich – One of a Kind: The Making of the World’s Greatest Drummer (Hudson Music)/ Buddy Rich: Just in Time: The Final Recording (Gearbox)”
For nearly 50 years, The Real Book has sat proudly on music stands across the world, from clubs and society gigs to practice rooms and … Read More “Jack Grassel Reharmonizes The Real Book“
Early in his memoir, Straight Life, the late jazz legend Art Pepper relates a story about being in the U.S. Army during World War II, … Read More “Why Art Pepper’s Straight Life Is Still the Most Harrowing Jazz Memoir Ever”
Ask anyone to name the greatest entertainer of the 20th century and responses will likely range from Sinatra and Garland to Elvis and Aretha. Chances … Read More “Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star—The War Years 1940-1946 by Gary Giddins (Little, Brown)”
Do you remember your first Dexter Gordon moment? Did his bold, brash, relentlessly swinging playing grab you by the ears and refuse to let go? … Read More “Sophisticated Giant: The Life and Legacy of Dexter Gordon by Maxine Gordon (University of California Press)”
Bright, breezy, intelligent, assured: hallmark adjectives of Judy Carmichael’s celebrated dual careers as one of the foremost stride pianists of the past half-century and host … Read More “Swinger! A Jazz Girl’s Adventures from Hollywood to Harlem by Judy Carmichael”
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