Recounts DeFranco's life from his birth in 1923; through his musical training and his time playing clarinet with the likes of Gene Krupa, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie, Nelson Riddle, and Glenn Miller; to
Beginning with the previously undocumented first recording session of 16-year-old Russell in 1922, and ending in 1968 with a Mississippi riverboat party shortly before his death, this discography cove
In The Last Balladeer, author Gregg Akkerman skillfully reveals the life-long achievements and occasional missteps of Johnny Hartman as an African-American artist dedicated to his craft. In the first
Dave Liebman is one of the leading forces in contemporary jazz. Prominently known for performing with Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, he has exerted considerable influence as a saxophonist, bandleader, c
Mr. Trumpet The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumph of Bunny Berigan by Michael Zirpolo (Scarecrow, 2011) / 588 pages / 6 x 9 / $95.00 (cloth) 978-0-8108-8152-5LTD sales: 232 units, $15,440 net, 260 sto
In this second volume of Rayno’s magisterial treatment of the life and music of this remarkable maestro, Whiteman’s career during the second half of his life is explored in the fullest detail, as Whit
Teddy Reig (1917-1984) was a larger-than-life character, a self-described hustler who had a profound effect on the music world from the 1940s to the 1970s. As a record producer, he captured the work o
An entertaining and unpretentious chronicle of a life in American popular music, recounted with wit and honesty. Bennett evokes a bygone era when 'territory' and 'name' bands—each with its own 'girl s
The life of jazz trumpeter Roland Bernard "Bunny" Berigan (1908-1942) resembles nothing less than an ancient Greek tragedy: a heroic figure who rises from obscurity to dizzying heights, touches greatn
This volume follows the history of fake books from the Tune-Dex subscription service used in the 1940s to the Real Book series now popularly used (the latter described in part by musicians Steve Swall
The literature on jazz music has been generally shaped by a racially exclusionary theme that may have been laudatory in terms of the goal of advancing the social position of African Americans in a rac
The author was attorney for the musicians, the entertainers, and the Citizen's Committee involved in fighting the rigidly enforced and arbitrary rules in New York City that severely limited their acti
New York Post jazz critic Deffaa has interviewed famous and not-so-famous jazz musicians, many of whom have not been profiled before. Eighteen profiles mostly in the words of the musicians themselves
During its lifespan (from 1965 to 1995), Britain's jazz periodical, Storyville, was a prime source of information on the music of the first three decades of the 20th century. Griffiths, a regular cont
Simosko details the life and music of Serge Chaloff in an engaging style, from his childhood in Boston, Massachusetts, through his untimely death in 1957. He also provides a discography of Chaloff's r
