Jazz was born in the United States, but its influence spread across the world shortly after it was first recorded. Europe embraced the music, producing their own famous soloists. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the massive reference volume, “The History of European Jazz” (Equinox) and notes that its series of essays on each country’s jazz history makes the book seem more like a 3-D jigsaw puzzle than a comprehensive narrative.
MorePublished in time for Billie Holiday’s 100th birthday celebration, John Szwed’s new book, Billie Holiday: The Musician and The Myth is not a full-length biography, but it reads like notes for one. In his review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that Szwed’s in-depth discussion of Holiday’s autobiography is in-depth and thorough, but the musical discussions that follow are sketchy and uneven.
MoreDavid Baker, who passed away March 26, 2016 at the age of 84, was one of jazz’s true Renaissance men. Best known as a pioneer of jazz education, Baker was also a musician, author, composer, conductor, historian and activist. This month, Thomas Cunniffe reviews Monika Herzig’s collection of essays, David Baker: A Legacy in Music, which Cunniffe notes is a book that openly celebrates its subject, but is not always effective in relaying its wealth of information.
MoreOne of the enduring mysteries of jazz history is how Louis Armstrong, with barely a fifth grade education and little exposure to music from outside his hometown, revolutionized virtually every aspect of the music. Thomas Cunniffe reviews a new monograph that answers some of those questions, but raises doubts due to its presentation of the material.
MoreDuke Ellington was many things to many people, and a new collection of essays, The Cambridge Companion to Duke Ellington, examines Ellington from a diverse and wide-ranging set of approaches. In his Book Review, Thomas Cunniffe notes that the anthology–which utilizes the work of 20 different authors–is uneven, but worth exploring.
MoreNo one ever became a jazz critic to be popular. Musicians reserve their strongest (and usually negative) opinions for those who earn their living publishing their viewpoints on the music. However, history shows us that critics have played a valuable role in the music’s development. John Gennari’s book Blowin’ Hot and Cool is the first full-fledged history of jazz criticism. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the book, finding both strengths and flaws in the author’s approach.
MoreBecause so much of jazz history lies within the grooves of phonograph records, discography—the science of cataloging and detailing those records—is an important part of the historical canon. Up until now, the story of jazz discographers was told only in brief articles and offhand summaries, but Bruce Epperson’s new book “More Important than the Music” provides a thorough history of the discography. Thomas Cunniffe offers his reactions.
MoreAmy Duncan has achieved fame both as a pianist and a journalist. A former writer for the Christian Science Monitor (and Jazz History Online), she has penned her autobiography Getting Down To Brass Tacks, which tells of her experiences living in Boston, New York and Rio de Janeiro. Thomas Cunniffe offers his views on this funny and enlightening book.
MoreCharlie Parker’s life story has been so clouded with legends, exaggerations and half-truths, that biographies about the bebop genius have explored his life from a number of directions. In this month’s Book Review, Thomas Cunniffe examines wildly different Bird biographies by Chuck Haddix and Stanley Crouch.
MorePublished to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the event, Catherine Tackley’s monograph, Benny Goodman’s Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert examines the performance in great detail. As Thomas Cunniffe notes in his book review, Tackley’s book might have been more valuable with less musical analysis and more information about the recording’s enigmatic history.
More