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Looking for jazz books & CDs ?
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RoJaC - Robert's Jazz Corner
Jazz Books
This is a list of jazz literature that I can recommend. Of course you
will see what my personal focuses (and biases) are. It is a mixture of
literature on the music and the lives of specific jazz artists, overall
introductions and jazz history, some particularly nice books on the free
jazz scene, and finally, to relax the brain, a number of books
highlighting jazz visually in the form of photo collections and album
cover art which are currently booming on the market. Hope you enjoy it!
And yes: if you happen to purchase one of the books after following the
corresponding link to Amazon.com
you support this site - Thanks in this case! Amazon prices given are form
July 13,1999 and are indicative!
Robert Stubenrauch
Jazz Introduction and History
As a person interested in jazz you need some basic coverage of the music
and the people involved to get an overview of the whole.
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The
Jazz Book: From Ragtime to Fusion and Beyond
by Joachim Ernst Berendt
Price at Amazon: $15.96
Paperback
- 541 pages 6th - 1997 Revised edition (March 1992)
Lawrence
Hill & Co; ISBN: 1556520980 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.45 x
8.90 x 5.97
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The book of the German writer Berendt
has been a major source of information for decades in a series of
ever-updated releases. With proverbial German accurancy he unfolds
the history of jazz along a number of parallel lines: styles, bands,
instruments, and artists. In that way, supported by a comprehensive
index, you get a multiple view of this music and all its
contributing elements. But take care to separate facts from
Berendt's personal focuses and assessments which are inevitably
interwoven at in such a book |
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Jazz Encyclopaedia
Having stepped into that music, you know what it is all about and what
you need is more facts about the artists and their recordings.
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The
New Grove Dictionary of Jazz
by Barry Kernfeld (Editor)
Price at Amazon: $35.00
Hardcover
- 1358 pages Reprint edition (October 1994)
St Martins
Pr (Trade); ISBN: 0312113579 ; Dimensions (in inches): 2.39 x
11.27 x 8.94 |
This is an essential resource of facts
for every serious jazz fan! The comprehensive volume (1358 pages!)
has all information up to the 1980s - the biographical articles even
list essential recordings of the artists plus give core
bibliographies! You will find many photos, a history of jazz clubs,
entries on jazz styles, instruments etc. Though it is not absolutely
free of errors (how could it?) this is a very serious text.
You have the choice between the original publisher's edition of
$395.00 or the hardcover reprint for - hold tight! - just $35.00.
Rush! |
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The
Penguin Guide to Jazz on Compact Disc (4th Ed)
by Richard Cook, Brian Morton
Price at Amazon: $19.16
Paperback
- 1808 pages 4th edition (March 1999)
Penguin USA
(Paper); ISBN: 0140513833 ; Dimensions (in inches): 2.78 x 6.12 x
9.14 |
This monumental work of 1800+ pages
tries to review all jazz CDs available in the US! Because of
this comprehensiveness it is a basic resource of information for
every jazz fan, though care should be taken not to base assessment
of artists and bying decisions solely on this book! The authors
competently cover a surprisingly wide range of music but of course
there are always personal biases.
The CDs are graded along a scale of 4 stars. Often, in
describing a series of historically connected recordings, the
development of an artist is outlined in a brief essay which gives
the book a further encyclopaedia-sort of dimension. |
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Jazz Visually
The following series of record-sized books full of historic album cover
reproductions is a source of joy for every jazz fan and stirs
sentimentality about the good old vinyl record with their cardboard
sleeves capable to offer fine pieces of commercial art. Besides presenting
nice photos of jazz artists (taken by such stars as William Claxton, Lee
Friedlander or Francis Wolff) they always reveal the corresponding
prevailing zeitgeist. The Blue Note label, represented by two volumes of
books, probably was the most successful and advanced one (not only
visually!) with the congenious duo of photographer Francis Wolff and
graphical artist Reid Miles. However, Blue Note was not the only label to
offer appealing album covers, as proven by the other two volumes on the
series which unfortunately are currently out-of-print.
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Blue
Note: The Album Cover Art
by Graham Marsh, Felix Cromey, Glyn Callingham (Editor), Horace
Silver
Price at Amazon: $19.96
Paperback
- 127 pages (September 1991)
Chronicle
Books; ISBN: 0811800369 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.44 x 11.81
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Volume one of Blue Note
covers, covering all "classical" periods of the label |
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Blue
Note: The Album Cover Art, Vol. 2
by Graham Marsh (Editor), Glyn Callingham (Editor), Ruth Lion
Price at Amazon: $19.96
Paperback
- 112 pages (September 1997)
Chronicle
Books; ISBN: 0811818535 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.43 x 11.82
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Volume two of Blue Note
covers, with more from the 1960s and early 1970s when Francis Wolff
and Reid Miles had left the work to their less sensible followers.
Still highly recommended! |
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Key components of album cover art usually are photographies. So let's
see what books there are on this subject.
The
Blue Note Years: The Jazz Photography of Francis Wolff
by Francis Wolff (Photographer), Charlie Lourie, Michael Cuscuna,
Oscar Schnider (Contributor), Herbie Hancock
Price at Amazon: $45.50
Hardcover
- 203 pages (October 1995)
Rizzoli
Bookstore; ISBN: 0847819124 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.92 x 14.35
x 11.50 |
A must for friends of the then
advanced, today classic, jazz recorded by the Blue Note label mainly
in the 1050s and 1960s. Not only the music was excellent, but also
the album cover art, to which Francis Wolff contributed his
brilliant, insight-full photos. His images however are valid pieces
of art even isolated from the covers. This is proven by this luxury
volume containing some of his best work |
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Jazz
Seen
by William Claxon (Photographer), Don Heckman
Price at Amazon: $27.99
Hardcover
- 288 pages (May 1999)
TASCHEN
America Llc; ISBN: 3822878685 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.21 x
13.45 x 10.86 |
Though maybe not as famous as
Wolff, Claxton contributed equally to the visual presence of jazz
through decades (his is still around and active!). His photos were
used on many classic albums (remember Sonny Rollins in the desert?).
This high-quality, comprehensive publication finally makes
Claxtons's art available in an adequate form - and at a bargain
price! |
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Images
of Jazz
by L. E. Tanner (Photographer), Nat Hentoff
Price at Amazon: $19.25
Hardcover
- 144 pages (October 1996)
Michael
Friedman/Fairfax Publishing; ISBN: 1567993672 ; Dimensions (in
inches): 0.83 x 11.62 x 11.65 |
Still another jazz
photographer, probably unknown to most readers. Some of Tanner's
photos appeared on albums of the Columbia label in the 1960s.
Interesting to compare the works of the different jazz
photographers. |
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American
Musicians
by Lee Friedlander (Photographer), Steve Lacy, Ruth Brown
Price at Amazon: $34.97
Hardcover
- 272 pages (November 1998)
Distributed
Art Publishers; ISBN: 1564660567 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.17 x
9.72 x 10.31 |
Not only for completeness
reasons, finally there is Lee Friedlander. A major and acclaimed
contributor to the art of contemporary photography, one of his
photographic passions fortunately was music and jazz! This book
contains images of a large number of artists of any kind of popular
music with jazz, R&B and soul as the focuses. Some of his jazz
photos for the Atlantic label in the 1960s stick to every jazz fans
mind: the cool quartet of Ornette Coleman, Max Roach's close-up face
... |
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Jazz Background
If you focus on specific styles of jazz, there are dedicated books to
every period, containing essays and analyses. Here are a few on free jazz.
The
Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958
by John Litweiler
Price at Amazon: $11.16
Paperback
- 324 pages Reprint edition (April 1990)
Da Capo Pr;
ISBN: 0306803771 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.97 x 8.20 x 5.38
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It is not just about jazz
after 1958, as the title suggests, it is about Free Jazz, or The New
Thing, that is, it's about the exciting new direction jazz took in
the 1960s and early 1970s. Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane, Eric Dolphy,
Ornette Coleman, Sun Ra, Albert Ayler, Archie Shepp and Pharoah
Sanders were among the first to explore new realms of sound and
Litweiler gives a systematic overview of the developments and
interconnections of this evolution that basically happended within
just a few years. The book is most informative about the 1960s and
early 1970s when the historical free jazz reached its climax, but it
also touches the influences of pioneers such as Miles Davis and
partly reaches up to the 1980s, mentioning for instance David
Murray.
Litweilers text is not too analytical so that musical layman
can easily follow. In brief vivid and atmospheric descriptions of
specific pieces of music his personal enthusiasm and understanding
for this music is obvious and he might well succeed in transferring
this to the reader. |
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As
Serious As Your Life: John Coltrane and Beyond
by Valerie Wilmer
Price at Amazon: $12.80
Paperback - 296 pages (January 2000)
Serpents
Tail; ISBN: 1852427019
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Another essential for
understanding free jazz and the people who create it, the reissue of
this classic is hardly waited for. Wilmer tells the stories of the
artists out of personal involvment. Her brilliant photos strongly
add value to this publication. This is not an introduction to free
jazz, nor a systematic history, but an authentic glimpse of the
scene. |
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Jazz Bio/discographies
If your favorite jazz artist is famuos enough, hopefully somebody has
written a book about his or her live, music, and recordings. Following are
a few of my personal favorites.
Space
Is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra
by John F. Szwed
Price at Amazon: $13.56
Paperback
- 504 pages 1 edition (September 1998)
Da Capo Pr;
ISBN: 0306808552 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.34 x 9.21 x 6.11
Other
Editions:
Hardcover
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Sun Ra is a key figure of the
art of the 20th century. The man himself was a "total art work"
producing unique statements musically, verbally, personally. From
the mid 1950s on he pioneered free jazz, but although he made heavy
reference to it, he was almost entirely isolated from the rest of
jazz history. In the 1960s his big band turned into one of the most
advanced sound producers of the time. He was a pioneer user of
electronics in music and made "spaced-out" music long
before the psychedelic movement of rock music.
Szwed's book allows an in-depth view into Sun Ra's world of
ideas - so deep that the reader might get lost sometimes. For the
reader just interested in the background of Ra's music the text
offers plenty of discographical information and musical analyses.
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Dixonia
by Ben Young (Compiler)
Price at Amazon: $69.50
Hardcover
(July 1998)
Greenwood
Publishing Group; ISBN: 0313302758 |
A book for the hard-core fan
of Bill Dixon and for the serious scientist dealing with
contemporary black music. It lists all known musical expressions of
Bill Dixon, regardless whether they were recorded or are just "remembered".
And Dixons musical production is vast, although his commercially
available output is very moderate; Dixon maintains a comprehensive
archive of his recordings since 30 years.
Young's text does not interpret or analyze Dixon's music which
he leaves for future authors. It is a pity that the book neglects
Dixon's work as a visual artist (were he had his initial academic
education) which is very consistent with his musical work. |
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Ornette
Coleman: His Life and Music
by Peter Niklas Wilson
Price at Amazon: $12.76
Paperback
- 240 pages
Berkeley
Hills Books; ISBN: 1893163040
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Ornette Coleman is one of the
developers of free jazz. However he is not just a historical figure;
in recent times has been active in a number of fresh and innovative
projects. Therefore any background information on this key jazz
artist is highly welcome!
The German original (published 1988) of this book was half
built of a biography and half of a commented discography with images
of the record covers. Now this updated English release will be the
only source of information, as Litweiler's text is currently out of
print.
See detailed review ! |
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Ornette
Coleman: A Harmolodic Life
by John Litweiler
currently out of print |
An in-depth text on Ornette Coleman's
life and music, indispensible for friends of free jazz. Coleman gave
name to this style of music with his double-quartet improvisation
that appeared on the album "Free Jazz", recorded late
1960. His carreer was uneven, with a number of year-long pauses and
troubles with record companies which resulted in an
under-representation of his recorded work. However in the last years
Coleman has managed to combine high creativity with crtitical and
commercial success.
This book definitely went out of print too soon - with the
current popularity of Ornette, let's hope Liteiler works on an
updated edition! |
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Miles:
The Autobiography
by Miles Davis, Quincy Troupe (Contributor)
Price at Amazon: $11.20
Paperback
- 441 pages Rep edition (September 1990)
Touchstone
Books; ISBN: 0671725823 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.20 x 9.21 x
6.15 |
Miles Davis is so important
for the music of this century that the reader has the choice of a
number of publications. This is Miles' autobiography, supported (to
what degree?) by Quincy Troupe. The periods of his career are
covered unequally, with more focus on early bebop and hard-bop
years. Miles was always direct, sometimes offending and so is this
text! When it comes to facts, it is probably better to refer to
biographies written by others. But reading the autobiography of
Miles Davis it seems to me I hear that hoarse voice telling me
stories of his life - and that experience is kind of unique! |
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Miles
Davis: The Definitive Biography
by Ian Carr, David Chadwick
Price
at Amazon: $15.16
Paperback
- 672 pages (expected to be released in September 1999)
Thunder's
Mouth Pr; ISBN: 1560252413 |
One of the two relevant Miles
biographies, this will be available soon in an updated version for
which Carr took into account new interviews with some of Miles'
musical fellows. Highly awaited! |
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Milestones:
The Music and Times of Miles Davis
by Jack Chambers
Price at Amazon: $18.40
Paperback
- 816 pages (September 1998)
Da Capo Pr;
ISBN: 0306808498 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.71 x 8.97 x 5.93
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Chamber's comprehensive text
covers all periods of the master's life (and music) in detail. Even
the hard-core fand will find plenty of in-depth information! |
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The
Miles Davis Companion: Four Decades of Commentary
by Gary Carner (Editor)
Price at Amazon: $12.00
Paperback
(November 1996)
Schirmer
Books; ISBN: 0028646126 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.73 x 9.29 x
6.19
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This collection of essays
about Miles Davis combines articles written by authors with very
different approaches and attitides and dealing with many different
periods and styles of Miles' music. This variety is what makes the
book interesting. Just imagine Stanley Crouch putting down Miles'
famous Bitches Brew album! |
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