Claxton Jazz Life - New Edition Coming

[Adam]

Just heard on KCRW this morning that Claxton will also be signing at Book Soup in West Hollywood tomorrow night (Wed Dec 7) at some point in the evening.

[RDK]

Looks like 7 pm tomorrow...

http://www.booksoup.com/authorevents.asp?LocationID=1

Thanks for the tip, Adam. That might be easier for me to make...

[Adam]

Looking at the Taschen site

http://www.taschen.com/

Claxton will also be at Dutton's Books on Thursday the 8th, and at the Strand Bookstore in New York on Dec. 13, and ICP in New York on Dec. 15

[RDK]

Anyone go last night?

[sheldonm]

....my book arrived today.....brilliant (and worth every penny)!!!

[jlhoots]

....my book arrived today.....brilliant (and worth every penny)!!!

I agree.

Mine arrived a couple of days ago.

[Adam]

I went to Taschen, bought the book (for $200! ah, well), and Claxton signed it. Peggy Lipton was there him. People from teh bookstore were having hime sign other copies for people who weren't present, but there wasn't really any line for his signature. Mostly Beverly Hills gallery people were there, it seemed. I bought the Claxton desk calendar as well for my Mom. People had wine, but it wasn't out in the open. They also had a duo of bass & vocalist there, but only the bass seemed to play while I was there.

[sheldonm]

I went to Taschen, bought the book (for $200! ah, well), and Claxton signed it. Peggy Lipton was there him. People from teh bookstore were having hime sign other copies for people who weren't present, but there wasn't really any line for his signature. Mostly Beverly Hills gallery people were there, it seemed. I bought the Claxton desk calendar as well for my Mom. People had wine, but it wasn't out in the open. They also had a duo of bass & vocalist there, but only the bass seemed to play while I was there.

....wish I could have been there!!!

m~

[sheldonm]

I went to Taschen, bought the book (for $200! ah, well), and Claxton signed it. Peggy Lipton was there him. People from teh bookstore were having hime sign other copies for people who weren't present, but there wasn't really any line for his signature. Mostly Beverly Hills gallery people were there, it seemed. I bought the Claxton desk calendar as well for my Mom. People had wine, but it wasn't out in the open. They also had a duo of bass & vocalist there, but only the bass seemed to play while I was there.

....do you mean his wife (Peggy Moffitt-Claxton) or do you mean Peggy Lipton from the Mod Squad???

m~

[Adam]

I went to Taschen, bought the book (for $200! ah, well), and Claxton signed it. Peggy Lipton was there him. People from teh bookstore were having hime sign other copies for people who weren't present, but there wasn't really any line for his signature. Mostly Beverly Hills gallery people were there, it seemed. I bought the Claxton desk calendar as well for my Mom. People had wine, but it wasn't out in the open. They also had a duo of bass & vocalist there, but only the bass seemed to play while I was there.

....do you mean his wife (Peggy Moffitt-Claxton) or do you mean Peggy Lipton from the Mod Squad???

m~

Yes, I had a brain error. I mean Peggy Moffitt-Claxton. I shoulda double checked.

A

[andybleaden]

Yeh I saw a copy here in the UK in Manchester for £100 however many thousands of dollars that buys -_-

It was a big bugger anyway but very nice and so is a hundred quids worth of music......

Just imagine a francis wolff book that big!!!!!!

[sheldonm]

...the book can be had on-line for $120.00 or so; worth every penny IMHO~~~ It may take me until the end of spring to read it completely . May have to build a new book case to hold it....it's freakin' huge!!!

[sidewinder]

'Ray's Jazz' in London have this behemoth for £90 but I think I'll wait until my Amazon Xmas certificate arrives and go for the $120 deal from the US.

[mgraham333]

I've got Claxton's Jazz Life coming my way from Amazon.com for my birthday.

An interesting note: when the order was placed the site showed the book usually shipped within 24 hours. When the order confirmation came in, the estimated shipping date was Feb 1.

Edited December 28, 2005 by mgraham333

[sheldonm]

I've got Claxton's Jazz Life coming my way from Amazon.com for my birthday.

An interesting note: when the order was placed the site showed the book usually shipped within 24 hours. When the order confirmation came in, the estimated shipping date was Feb 1.

Matt,

Did you get it from Amazon or another dealer in their buyer's network? I ordered mine through Amazon but really from caiman and it was shipped rather quickly.

Mark

[mgraham333]

Matt,

Did you get it from Amazon or another dealer in their buyer's network? I ordered mine through Amazon but really from caiman and it was shipped rather quickly.

Mark

It was ordered directly from Amazon.com (Usually ships within 24 hours. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com)

[sheldonm]

Matt,

Did you get it from Amazon or another dealer in their buyer's network? I ordered mine through Amazon but really from caiman and it was shipped rather quickly.

Mark

It was ordered directly from Amazon.com (Usually ships within 24 hours. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com)

While you have to wait a bit, the book is worth it....spectacular!!!

m~

[BruceH]

I saw this in a bookstore the other day. Holy freakin' crap that is one enormous book!! Nice photos though.

[mgraham333]

I've got Claxton's Jazz Life coming my way from Amazon.com for my birthday.

An interesting note: when the order was placed the site showed the book usually shipped within 24 hours. When the order confirmation came in, the estimated shipping date was Feb 1.

Yes, I am quoting myself....

Oddly enough when the book finally shipped from Amazon.com it originated in Tulsa, OK (my hometown). So they either have a distribution center here or they got it from a local retailer (in which case, why did it take a month!!??)

This thing is enormous!! And well worth the wait. I took a couple of hours just to "flip" through it. I can't wait to have a chance to really sit down and take a good look.

Edited February 1, 2006 by mgraham333

[wigwise]

I ordered my copy from Superbookdeals.com. I paid just under $107 shipped, which seems to be the best price I've seen so far. The book took about 9 days to arrive.

Here is the link:

http://www.superbookdeals.com/cgi-bin/more...=2413296&bisac=

BTW- I'm not affiliated with SBD.com. This was the first time I've ordered from them. They also list on Amazon Marketplace, but their prices are a bit higher. I hope this helps someone.

[Dmitry]

http://www.realclearlife.com/music/rare-version-jazzlife-jazz-book-now-sale/

Each updated volume is signed and numbered. Every copy comes with four signed and numbered, 24 x 20-inch ultrachrome prints. And the entire compilation is packaged in a cloth-covered box. There are only 1,000 collections like this in the world, and each one sells for $2,500.

[Big Beat Steve]

A bit over the top, really, that kind of money  ...

I do not think I saw this 2005 discussion before but what I do regret is that Stateside the ACTUAL name of the author - Joachim Ernst B erendt - seems to have slipped into oblivion (probably furthered by the unfortunate cover layout adopted by Taschen). Not wanting to blow a local hero's horn (Berendt never needed that from anybody), but it was Berendt who was instrumental in setting up the trip and Claxton went along for the ride to capture the pictures. Text and pictures form an indissociable unit and equal credit ought to be given to both.

They did give this equal credit in the original edition of the early 60s. I have had this original hardcover edition for at least 25 years but nevertheless ran and snapped up the 552-page 2008 edition (which has no CD, BTW) when it was on sale for something like 30 euros or so at the local Zweitausendeins shop here in late 2011. I never regretted this purchase , though I do understand to some extent what Neveronfriday complained about in 2005. They COULD have included even more new material. 

I wonder, BTW, if the 700-page book discussed here in 2005 really holds that much more content or just has a different layout that fit into 552 pages later on. Taschen only refer to their "updated" version of 2003 throughout even in their publicity for the subsequent printings, including a 2016 printing of that book that they have now listed on their site.

 

[medjuck]

I found the size of the   2008 edition to be too large to be easily handled and perused.  I believe that the original edition was a friendlier size. So was there another smaller edition since the one I bought?  The 2008 one?  And I don't mean the number of pages but the dimensions and weight of the book.  The one I have weighs more than eight pounds. 

Edited January 18, 2017 by medjuck

[bakeostrin]

There were 3 editions of the original German:

(1) hardcover with two EP records laid in the rear board inside a cardboard band; dust jacket; binding on spine is rounded;

(2) hardcover w/o records; dust jacket; binding is square; no records (no cardboard band inside rear cover);

(3) softcover w/jacket (frequently glued to spine) no records; 

All are the same size; dust jacket flaps (in German) describe schallplatten (records) although only the true first has the records.

You can get copies of these in varying conditions (softcover or hc w/o jacket or records) for $20 on the low end. (bigger money for a first w/jacket + records + signature).

For the second edition, editor Steve Crist & Claxton went to Germany hoping to find (at the Jazz Institute Darmstadt (sp?)) Bernd't original tape recordings to include more music; however they could not find the tapes, so the new edition only contains a remastering of the material found on the 2 EP's from the first edition.

Berendt also was involved in two other collectible photo books:

(1) "Jazz Optisch" Nymphenburger 1954; a slim volume of jazz photographs including those of Claxton, Leloir, Leonard & Gottlieb; all black & white; 1st = hardcover w/jacket (a shot of Lester Young from "Jammin the Blues"); later hardcover with art cover, 3 editions each called "fan edition"; can be had very inexpensively; text only in German, the first great jazz phonebook collection in my view (superior photographs to, "A Pictorial History of Jazz" or "1939 Swing Photo Album").  Book is sort of a precursor to Abe's "Jazz Giants"; high quality photographers;

(2) Foto Jazz; also Nymphenburger 1959; the German edition of van der Elsken's book (Dutch is available in reprint currently); a very fragile hardcover paper covered boards book; highly collectible; difficult to find in decent shape b/c of fragility; Berendt did the text for this edition.

I follow the prices of the Clax books (had the privilege of knowing him, very talented & humble); interesting many resellers had the artists edition on eBay for $1,500 when Taschen had the book offered at around $1,000 (or maybe it was Euros); but those have disappeared.  One seller had the book up for auction at a nice price, but I noticed the seller (whom I have no affiliation with) listed the print folio separately.  I thought that was a bad deal since you could buy a complete one from Taschen for less (apparently now you can't).

If you think that 700 page book is heavy, add the large cloth covered clamshell case for the artist's edition and it must weigh 20-30 pounds

[Big Beat Steve]

Thanks for this additional info.

I have # (2) of the original editions. Found it at what was quite a good price in those pre-internet days in the very early 90s when the market was much less transparent and less chance of finding an outrageously low-priced copy.

About the Taschen edition, Taschen indeed had listed this huge deluxe book edition with the 4 large prints at 1,000 euros ($1,250). I kept the descriptive page from their old catalog with my copy of the 25th aniversary "standard" edition of the book so was able to check their prices now.

As for the other photo books that Berendt was involved with, copies of "Jazz Optisch" indeed are around (particularly the smaller-sized "Fan Edition" with identical contents) and are nice to look at, though I would not consider it a precursor to Abe's book. It is much too slim for that. As for the comparison with Keepnews/Grauer's "Pictorial History of Jazz"; disagreed again. That book for its time had sensational contents but the PRINTING quality of the photos of "Jazz Optisch" was indeed far better. To me it seems that the editors of the Keepnews/Grauer book goofed with their printing runs. In my early collecting days I regularly perused a library copy of the 60s US edition which was printed in Czechoslovakia (!) and the printing quality was OK to me, given the then standards. Later this copy had disappeared from the library and been replaced by a copy of the 1955 US edition printed in Yugoslavia (!!!) which was decidedly worse. Many pictures came out way too dark. My own copy which I have had for a long time is the second printing of the UK edition of the 60s issue (printed in Czechoslvakia too!). Printing quality (to the best of my recollections) is quite comparable to the 60s US edition printed in Czechoslovakia. Not earth-shattering (as you can tell by identical pics printed in better resolution in other books since) but OK.
I wonder what these publishers were up to anyway, getting their stuff printed behind the Iron Curtain in the middle of the Cold War? Did this sit well with everybody in the US or elsewhere in the West?

About "Foto Jazz" , this is indeed beyond any sensible price range. Just as costly as the original Dutch edition by Ed van der Elsken. But that recent reprint of the Dutch edition is so well done (and affordable) that one can easily live without shelling out big bucks for the original edition. At least I can.

@medjuck:The 2008 edition weighing 9 pounds or so is unwieldy indeed but is even a bit smaller in size than the deluxe edition selling at 1,000 EUR (and weighing about twice as much as the 2008 edition). The 2016 edition that Taschen now has listed is a wee bit smaller in size but the difference amounts to less than 10% if the indications on the sellers' websites are anything to go by.
As for this book fitting your bookshelf, it all depends on where you put it: My copy sits next to the Bob Willoughby photo portfolio published by Nieswand in the 90s which is yet larger in size (though much slimmer). Next door are the  "Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock'n'Roll" and "Grand Ole Opry - The First Fifty Years 1925-1975" by Jack Hurst which both are a bit larger than Jazzlife too (though not as thick). So - no, my copy does fit the bookshelf and does not look that out of place on it either.

 

 

Edited January 19, 2017 by Big Beat Steve