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Which jazz book are you reading right now?


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8 minutes ago, Ken Dryden said:

Jon-Gordon-Jazz-Dialogues-feature-1200x8 I am currently reading this book, which follows his excellent biography (For Sue) of his mother and his own unusual life growing up with a single, unstable parent. This collection of interviews and remembrances is fairly freewheeling, where the interviews seem transcribed with little editing, though he does ask insightful questions that a non-musician might overlook. Part of the value of the book is that in addition to talking to many greats, sometimes in a brief recollection of a long ago conversation versus a recorded interview, Gordon also chats with a number of deserving artists who are under the radar. 

That looks very interesting, Ken.  Thanks for the heads-up!  :tup 

 

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On 1/17/2021 at 0:00 PM, BillF said:

Yes, Buddy's later story became more a list of gigs, etc. (What, Ronnie's again!) I guess as with most people routine set in, leaving, sadly, the only drama his health crises. :(

Interesting to read the author's take on stories I'd heard as word of mouth when they happened, e.g. Buddy's accelerating anger as they travelled further and further from London into the depths of the countryside to reach the Maltings gig. Also, his deathbed humour about being allergic to country music was good to hear again. :lol:

All in all, what a f-----g character!

Check out Mel Torme’s bio of Buddy Rich.

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On 1/21/2021 at 8:49 PM, HutchFan said:

Today, I ordered Eric Nisenson's book, Open Sky: Sonny Rollins and His World Improvisation (Da Capo, 2000).  

41C7Hf+u8XL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg

Looking forward to reading it. 

Has anyone read it?  If so, I'd love to hear your impressions.

Read it back in the day, found it disappointing overall, although he gave a better hearing to the Milestone records than did most critics of the time.

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7 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Read it back in the day, found it disappointing overall, although he gave a better hearing to the Milestone records than did most critics of the time.

Bummer.  Oh well.  Maybe I'll have a different take.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I'm glad he doesn't dismiss the Milestone stuff out of hand.  

I liked Nisenson's Trane bio, Ascension: John Coltrane And His Quest.  It's not mind-blowingly good.  But it's good.

 

While we're talking about Sonny Rollins books... 

Has anyone read this one?

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Richard Palmer - Sonny Rollins: The Cutting Edge (Continuum, 2004)

Just curious.

 

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Is there a thread anywhere on this forum discussing what a good jazz library might include? I.e., the canonical jazz texts and/or personal favourite jazz books? For listeners and students, rather than musicians.

It seems like there should have been one already. I've tried various searches and can't find. 

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12 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Is there a thread anywhere on this forum discussing what a good jazz library might include? I.e., the canonical jazz texts and/or personal favourite jazz books? For listeners and students, rather than musicians.

It seems like there should have been one already. I've tried various searches and can't find. 

I cannot recall such a "general" thread either (though as you say there must be one)
That would certainly make an interesting topic, but I'll guarantee that it will fast evolve into a sort of "name dopping" of almost any jazz book imaginable. Because not only tastes and stylistic preferences and focuses on artists but also approaches to "reading up on jazz" differ widely. Not least of all because jazz has become a very wide field.
I know that there are jazz books that I consider mandatory that others would shrug off with a "YMMV". And I'd probably react the same way with some of the firm favorites of others. Like most everyone, I guess.
But it would be interesting anyway because it wil enable everyone to comment on the books and/or even give a personal "review".
If you should start such a thread ;) remember to provide for different categories (introductory or "advanced" books, biographies, history books, pictorial books, books on specific styles or periods of jazz, regional topics, books linking jazz and society/sociology questions, and certainly many other criteria too). ^_^

 

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12 hours ago, Rabshakeh said:

Is there a thread anywhere on this forum discussing what a good jazz library might include? I.e., the canonical jazz texts and/or personal favourite jazz books? For listeners and students, rather than musicians.

It seems like there should have been one already. I've tried various searches and can't find. 

There are now so many books on jazz that compiling such a list would be a virtually impossible task. Almost unbelievably, there was a time when I used to say, more or less accurately, that I'd read every book that had ever been written about jazz, but that is now 60 years ago. Today's picture, where there are multiple biographies of major artists was then unimaginable.

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On 08/03/2021 at 8:52 AM, Big Beat Steve said:

If you should start such a thread ;) remember to provide for different categories (introductory or "advanced" books, biographies, history books, pictorial books, books on specific styles or periods of jazz, regional topics, books linking jazz and society/sociology questions, and certainly many other criteria too). ^_^

I've been trying to think of a taxonomy for such a thread, but, to be honest, I scared myself off.

If anyone else fancies it, by all means, go for it: there's no copyright in an idea. But too big for me.

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