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Dameronia: The Life and Music of Tadd Dameron (by Paul Combs)
While Tadd Dameron’s music has been beloved by jazz aficionados for decades, the details of his life and work remain quite elusive. Dameronia, a new book by Paul Combs, includes a persuasive argument for Dameron as a chief architect of bebop harmony, but as Thomas Cunniffe points out in his book review, Combs omits any…
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The Boswell Legacy (by Kyla Titus)
Don’t look now, but the Boswell Sisters are currently enjoying a resurgence in popularity. A recent gathering in New Orleans featured tribute groups from all over the globe, and a new documentary on the Boswells is due to air on PBS in 2015. Unfortunately, none of the sisters are still alive to take part, but…
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Conversations with Bill Holman (edited by Bill Dobbins)
At the age of 90, Bill Holman is as active as ever, leading his LA-based big band, fulfilling commissions for new compositions and arrangements, and (in the near future) being the subject of a new documentary. Conversations with Bill Holman is the result of a week-long series of interviews conducted by Holman’s friend and colleague,…
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Conversations with Charlie Haden (by Josef Woodard and Charlie Haden)
Charlie Haden was known for passionate music that encompassed several genres, and his fiery left-wing politics. Over the last two decades of his life, Haden was interviewed several times by writer Josef Woodard. Seventeen of these encounters have been collected in a new book, Conversations with Charlie Haden. Reviewer Thomas Cunniffe writes that the book…
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Sophisticated Giant: The Life & Legacy of Dexter Gordon (by Maxine Gordon)
The extraordinary life of Dexter Gordon is the subject of two fine biographies, one written in 1989 by British journalist Stan Britt, and the other–just published, by Gordon’s manager and widow, Maxine. In this month’s book review, Thomas Cunniffe compares the two books, noting what each author chooses to highlight and omit.
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Good Things Come Slowly: A Life In and Out of Jazz (by Fred Hersch)
Like most autobiographies, “Good Things Happen Slowly” is a story of discovery and identity. However, as the subject is Fred Hersch, this book tells of the more-or-less simultaneous emergence of two distinct (and for some, incongruous) character traits, that of a gay man and of a jazz pianist. Thomas Cunniffe reviews this touching memoir, notable…
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Freedom of Expression: Interviews with Women in Jazz (by Chris Becker)
When the sub-category of Women in Jazz first appeared in the 1970s, female jazz musicians were still a rarity. Today, women musicians represent a substantial part of the jazz scene, and the sub-category has started to lose its relevance. In this book review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that Freedom of Expression, a new collection of interviews…
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Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington (by Terry Teachout)
In the weeks following its Terry Teachout’s new critical biography Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington has unleashed a storm of controversy, including charges of blatant racism. Thomas Cunniffe examines the book, finding strengths in Teachout’s exemplary collection of historical facts, and flaws in his basic musical hypothesis.
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The Jazz Life of Dr. Billy Taylor (by Billy Taylor & Teresa L. Reed)
Until shortly before his death in December 2010, Dr. Billy Taylor maintained a busy schedule of concerts, lectures and other live appearances. Unfortunately, that meant that he had little time to write his memoirs. He did work with a ghostwriter, Teresa Reed, but even Reed admits that she did not have adequate time with Taylor.…
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Jelly Roll, Bix and Hoagy (by Rick Kennedy)
In the early 1920s, future jazz giants like Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton and Bix Beiderbecke endured long train rides to record for a tiny company in rural Indiana. Rick Kennedy’s newly expanded and revised book Jelly Roll, Bix and Hoagy offers the history of Gennett Records with discussions of their jazz, country and blues…