What (jazz book) to read next?

[Big Beat Steve]

I had long wondered whether to put this question into the "What jazz book are you reading right now?" topic but then decided to start a new one in order not to let that "reading right now" thread get deviated into too many directions. 

Sooo ... I am wondering which of the following books to tackle next after the current one (Eddie Condon's Treasury of jazz - which is well-suited to small instalments and can be put aside almost any time in between, of course):

(FTR,

 

(Right now I am leaning towards either "The Song Of the Hawk" or "Jazz Gentry" - another one that is perfect for reading in small -chapter-wise - portions in between)

The primary reason I  am asking is this:
Quite a few of the above artists have been graced by several biographies through the years, and these may not all have the same ranking among those in the know and familiar with them.
So my question is:
Any of you with any opinions on how the above rate compared to other biographies on the respective artists, or recommendations on which of these are particularly recommended, or which to put on the back burner in favor of a different one of the artist, maybe, etc.
(FTR, I do own and have read the Bix biography by Richard Sudhalter, and I did bypass the "Lady Sings The Blues" bio, of which there is a copy - German version - in this lot too)

(And in case anyone's wondering, "why that avalanche of biographies in one swoop?", 2 weeks ago I cleared out the bookshelves of the estate of a deceased jazz collector (from the source that the Bird book mentioned in the "Great finds" thread in August came from), and the above items are the tip of the iceberg - or should I say "icemountain?  - and the more tempting ones of the biographies included in the lot.)

Thanks in avance to everyone for your opinions and assessments. 

 

[HutchFan]

Two that I can easily recommend: Donald Clarke's biography of Billie Holiday and Sidney Bechet's autobiography.

Looks like you found a treasure trove!   

 

[Fer Urbina]

Of the ones you're showing, I'd go for first The Song of the Hawk (the only major biography of Hawkins, as far as I know), then Wishing for the Moon.  

I'd skip the Marian McPartland in favour of Paul de Barros's biography (done with her co-operation).

F

Edited 1 hour ago by Fer Urbina

[jlhoots]

Robert Hilbert: Pee Wee Russell (not on your list).

[EKE BBB]

9 minutes ago, jlhoots said:

Robert Hilbert: Pee Wee Russell (not on your list).

1 hour ago, Fer Urbina said:

Of the ones you're showing, I'd go for first The Song of the Hawk (the only major biography of Hawkins, as far as I know)...
F

I second those two!

 

Edited 16 minutes ago by EKE BBB