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Post by minorkey on Aug 19, 2014 15:56:51 GMT -5
I really like Art Pepper's Straight Life, both as a jazz autobiography and (probably more) as a "warts and all" (to put it mildly) study of the addictive personality. Not easy to find, but worth seeking out. Kind of in the same vein (bad pun  ), still in print and easy to find is Hampton Hawes's autobiography Raise up off me. Highly recommended. Many good jazz biographies seem to get published in small runs and go oop very quickly. Three I regret missing are: Tadd Dameron ( Tadd: the life and legacy) by Ian MacDonald, Al Haig ( Death of a bebop wife) by Grange Rutan, and Gigi Gryce ( Rat Race Blues) by Cohen and Fitzgerald. Downside of such small editions is that the books are pricey (which is probably why I tend to miss them). I think there's a new Dameron bio by Paul Combs (U of Michigan Press) which I haven't read but should! It seems Gioia has written quite a few such books, including one on delta blues! I looked him up on bookmooch.com bookmooch.com/m/detail/0393062589 |
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Post by minorkey on Aug 19, 2014 16:03:35 GMT -5
What about this book on Monk:  |
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Post by tomd on Aug 19, 2014 17:18:19 GMT -5
What about this book on Monk: It was recommended twice on p. 1 of this thread, but a different cover image was shown. I fully agree with the above posts - go for it. |
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Post by tom1960 on Aug 19, 2014 20:32:42 GMT -5
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Post by bebop on Aug 19, 2014 20:41:46 GMT -5
At the risk of being identified as the nutcase I am...
I've got 535 jazz-related books (not including music or discographies) including six Bud Powell biographies.
I'd "second" (third? fourth?) Straight Life, and add the autobiographies of Hampton Hawes (Raise up Off Me) and Mezz Mezzrow (Really the Blues)
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Post by tomd on Aug 19, 2014 20:49:57 GMT -5
At the risk of being identified as the nutcase I am... I've got 535 jazz-related books (not including music or discographies) including six Bud Powell biographies. I'd "second" (third? fourth?) Straight Life, and add the autobiographies of Hampton Hawes (Raise up Off Me) and Mezz Mezzrow (Really the Blues) What's the best biography of Bud Powell? I read Francis Paudras's book and wasn't knocked out. Saw The Glass Enclosure (Groves and Shipton) in a brick-and-mortar shop but passed. |
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Post by rooster on Aug 20, 2014 0:31:50 GMT -5
Of all the jazz bios I've read, the three that I thought were the best by far were Sidney Bechet's "Treat It Gently" and Lee Collins', "Oh, Didn't He Ramble", both of which were in large part concerned with earlier jazz styles and musicians and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty", the autobiography of Pianist, Horace Silver. Bechet's Autobio had some interesting insights toward what Jazz was and who really played Jazz among the earlier players. Lee Collins book outlines the hard luck story that defined him as a Jazz musician. Horace Silver's Book was Published in 2006 and covers most of his working life, from his first recordings as a member of the Stan Getz Quartet in 1950 through his Jazz Messengers years to his late 1990's recordings and all of the sessions he played for other Jazzers throughout his career. The book is a great read full of humor and warmth and a wealth of stories about both.
rooster
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Post by billf on Aug 20, 2014 2:33:52 GMT -5
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Post by billf on Aug 20, 2014 2:35:06 GMT -5
At the risk of being identified as the nutcase I am... I've got 535 jazz-related books (not including music or discographies) including six Bud Powell biographies. I'd "second" (third? fourth?) Straight Life, and add the autobiographies of Hampton Hawes (Raise up Off Me) and Mezz Mezzrow (Really the Blues) That's another one for the Hawes autobiog, then! |
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Post by billf on Aug 20, 2014 2:39:16 GMT -5
Of all the jazz bios I've read, the three that I thought were the best by far were Sidney Bechet's "Treat It Gently" and Lee Collins', "Oh, Didn't He Ramble", both of which were in large part concerned with earlier jazz styles and musicians and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty", the autobiography of Pianist, Horace Silver. Bechet's Autobio had some interesting insights toward what Jazz was and who really played Jazz among the earlier players. Lee Collins book outlines the hard luck story that defined him as a Jazz musician. Horace Silver's Book was Published in 2006 and covers most of his working life, from his first recordings as a member of the Stan Getz Quartet in 1950 through his Jazz Messengers years to his late 1990's recordings and all of the sessions he played for other Jazzers throughout his career. The book is a great read full of humor and warmth and a wealth of stories about both. rooster The Silver autobiog is a fine book - one of the best I've read in this field. As for early jazz, Alan Lomax's classic Mr Jelly Roll has a charming quality, to which David Stone Martin's illustrations contribute. |
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Post by AlanB on Aug 20, 2014 7:27:35 GMT -5
Of all the jazz bios I've read, the three that I thought were the best by far were Sidney Bechet's "Treat It Gently" and Lee Collins', "Oh, Didn't He Ramble", both of which were in large part concerned with earlier jazz styles and musicians and "Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty", the autobiography of Pianist, Horace Silver. Bechet's Autobio had some interesting insights toward what Jazz was and who really played Jazz among the earlier players. Lee Collins book outlines the hard luck story that defined him as a Jazz musician. Horace Silver's Book was Published in 2006 and covers most of his working life, from his first recordings as a member of the Stan Getz Quartet in 1950 through his Jazz Messengers years to his late 1990's recordings and all of the sessions he played for other Jazzers throughout his career. The book is a great read full of humor and warmth and a wealth of stories about both. rooster I have Lee Collins', "Oh, Didn't He Ramble" which I bought when published in 1974 (Illinois UP). It came with an Evatone 331/3rpm flexi disc Oh Didn't He Ramble (Aug. 1, 1953) c/w Ain't Gonna Give Nobody None O' My Jelly Roll (july 7, 1951. |
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Post by johnt on Aug 20, 2014 7:54:21 GMT -5
An unflinching look at Getz's life for better and for worse (unfortunately there was way too much of the latter for comfort). |
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Post by tomd on Aug 20, 2014 15:54:35 GMT -5
An unflinching look at Getz's life for better and for worse (unfortunately there was way too much of the latter for comfort). Thanks, this looks good. I just ordered it through interlibrary loan (!). Not surprised there's a lot of "the latter". |
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Post by billf on Aug 20, 2014 16:23:23 GMT -5
An unflinching look at Getz's life for better and for worse (unfortunately there was way too much of the latter for comfort). Thanks, this looks good. I just ordered it through interlibrary loan (!). Not surprised there's a lot of "the latter". Manchester Public Libraries were able to provide me with Maggin's books on Getz and Dizzy. Both very readable. Not much library buying now, so I had to shell out for that little list I gave a few posts back :-( |
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Post by minorkey on Aug 20, 2014 16:46:38 GMT -5
What do we think?  |
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), still in print and easy to find is Hampton Hawes's autobiography Raise up off me. Highly recommended.
