Birdland To Broadway : Scenes From A Jazz Life - by Bill Crow

[Peter Friedman]

I read Bill Crow's first book (Jazz Anecdotes)  many years ago. Finally got around to this, his second book. It is one of those books that I could read a chapter, and then a week or two later another chapter. So have been enjoying it over quite a few months.There were many place where I broke out laughing after reading a section

Finally finished it this morning.  It is a terrific book for jazz lovers. I recommend it highly.

[Big Beat Steve]

Seconded. Absolutely. Same impressions here. 
But probably preaching to the converted on this forum. 

[Ken Dryden]

If you haven’t read his memoir about touring the Soviet Union, To Russia Without Love, fo a web search for it. You will laugh out loud and be as disgusted with Benny Goodman’s behavior as Phil Woods and Zoot Sims, both of whom were in the band. Bill Crow is a national treasure as a writer, he could have written a column on everyday life and it would be entertaining.

There is also a paperback edition of Jazz Anecdotes that works in bonus stories, rather than just add them as additional chapters.

I interviewed Bill Crow years ago and don’t remember if I digitized it or if it remains on an inaccessible tape reel.

[Big Beat Steve]

1 hour ago, Ken Dryden said:

If you haven’t read his memoir about touring the Soviet Union, To Russia Without Love, do a web search for it. You will laugh out loud and be as disgusted with Benny Goodman’s behavior as Phil Woods and Zoot Sims, both of whom were in the band. Bill Crow is a national treasure as a writer, he could have written a column on everyday life and it would be entertaining.

It's here: https://www.billcrowbass.com/to-russia-without-love.html

I downloaded this years ago and printed it out. Re-reading it from time to time is a yo-yo between disbelief and hearty laughter.

[Ken Dryden]

1 hour ago, Big Beat Steve said:

It's here: https://www.billcrowbass.com/to-russia-without-love.html

I downloaded this years ago and printed it out. Re-reading it from time to time is a yo-yo between disbelief and hearty laughter.

I didn't take the time to look up the link, thanks.

I did find one of my phone interviews with Bill Crow, done for an Encore feature in The New York City Jazz Record.

[RiRiIII]

On 7/15/2026 at 4:45 PM, Big Beat Steve said:

It's here: https://www.billcrowbass.com/to-russia-without-love.html

I downloaded this years ago and printed it out. Re-reading it from time to time is a yo-yo between disbelief and hearty laughter.

Amazing stories. Thank you.

"Benny received an invitation for the band to do a week of concerts in Warsaw on the way home. We were curious about Poland, and we could have used the extra money, but nobody wanted to go with Benny. Jim Maxwell called his wife and told her to send him a telegram saying there was an emergency at home and he was needed. The telegram she sent said:

    "COME HOME AT ONCE. THE DOG DIED. THE CAT DIED. EVERYBODY DIED."

[gmonahan]

I still love the quote from Zoot Sims about Benny. It may be from Crow's Jazz Anecdotes. Asked what it was like playing with Goodman in Russia, Zoot said (and I paraphrase a little here), "every gig with Benny is like playing in Russia."

 

[JSngry]

I've read both Crow volumes and found the first more engaging, just because it's wholly a collection of jazz anecdotes. The second one isn't, not wholly.

[Big Beat Steve]

Well, the second one is a sort of autobiography. So no matter how light-hearted a person is, it cannot be anecdotes all the way, can it?