books about jazz

piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
edited May 2007 in Strut Central
I am looking for quality books about jazz and I am curious to know what the strut recommends. I already have these the small one is a general introduction in German and the other one the SABA/MPS label guide. I am also familiar with J.E. Behrendt "Das Jazzbuch" (the Jazzbook).However, I am looking for quality stuff in English - general overviews (rough guide to jazz etc ?), label or artist biographies. Which book can you recommend and what is enjoyable to read?Please to drop some knowledge!
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  • edulusedulus 421 Posts
    miles davis autobiography?

  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts







  • DJ_NevilleCDJ_NevilleC 1,922 Posts
    Two of my faves:




  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts
    That MPS book is really crap. I wouldn't even bother about the movie. Absolutely boring. What's up with the guy presenting his MPS collection? What the hell is he doing in the film? Simply a bad documentary.

    The Penguine Guide to Jazz is probably the best introduction to Jazz. Some of the reviews and grades are cryptic, but overall, I think it's the very best book about Jazz. Mostly pictures, record reviews, grdings, biographies, discographies and so on. A good read.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    The greatest music bio I have ever read, and likely the best ever written is the Billy Strayhorn Lush Life by David Hajdu.


    You will learn about the inner workings of the worlds greatest jazz orchestra from the mid 40s till the late 60s and lots more.

  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts

  • I have to agree that I was a bit disappointed about the MPS film as well. However, some of the old footage in there is amazing.

    Dress

  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts
    I have to agree that I was a bit disappointed about the MPS film as well. However, some of the old footage in there is amazing.

    Dress

    you're right. great footage. but that was the work they copied from other guys. the new stuf in the documentary is really terrible.

    at least, they should have tried to show what kind of crazy recordings were done in the MPS studios.

  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    "Black Nationalism & the Revolution in Music" is one of the best I've read. Anything by Leroi Jones is excellent as well.

  • TrueStuTrueStu 91 Posts
    This is a work of fiction, but is based on fact and legend. One of the best books I've ever read and highly recommended.


  • G_BalliandoG_Balliando 3,916 Posts





    i don't even read and this was a great book.

  • faux_rillzfaux_rillz 14,343 Posts
    Can anyone recommend some quality books on jazz rap?

    I'm trying to get a little floetic with it, ya heard.


  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    That MPS book is really crap. I wouldn't even bother about the movie. Absolutely boring. What's up with the guy presenting his MPS collection? What the hell is he doing in the film? Simply a bad documentary.

    the film is really tepid. the book is a reliable resource for mps/saba. not a "great" book, but it??s helpful. You get familiar with all the covers and you can finally clear every OG check ever. I could borrow it from a friend for some time, so I did not have to drop cash for it.

  • fishmongerfunkfishmongerfunk 4,154 Posts
    hey!! how's it going man.

    my list
    1. mile davis autobiography by quincy troupe is a must read. its pretty comprehensive and some of the anecdotes in there are fucking superb.

    2. who killed jazz? forget the author but its an all out assault on stanley grouch and wynt marsalis.

    3. "Sonny's Blues", the short story by william baldwin

  • G_BalliandoG_Balliando 3,916 Posts
    stanley grouch

    haha, nice. i might have to check that one out.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts


    2. who killed jazz? forget the author but its an all out assault on stanley grouch and wynt marsalis.


    I've gotta check that. Shelve it next to Pat Methany's attack on Kenny G.

  • mingus' book is a storytelling powerhouse. picked it up and finished it straight in two days.

    art pepper's STRAIGHT LIFE is a marathon of a read, but well worth it. 500 pages of heroin.

    npr jazz critic kevin whitehead always nails it for reviews.

  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts


    This is a great book about Jazz, but more importantly an amazing portrait of creativity in general. Essential reading for any jazz fan.

  • white_teawhite_tea 3,262 Posts
    Reads like straight pulp fiction, tough and moving.
    "??? When I wash away, don't nobody mourn for me, and don't nobody cart me out to Potter's Field to dump me all in a heap with the other scorned and forgotten cast-aways. I don't aim to have fillings and bridgework picked out, to fatten the Bull Durham sack in some junkie's or lushhead's pocket. Uh, uh. Just take my body and shove it in one of them blast furnaces, and when I'm melted down good, scrape out the dust and mix it up with some shellac and press it into a record with a King Jazz label on it. Don't stamp any D.A. on the label. Just mark down: Here lies Mezz the Prezz, home at last. And on one side press Gone Away Blues, and on the other Out of the Gallion, and then take it up to Harlem and give it to some raggedy kid on The Corner who hasen't got the price of admission to see the stage show at the Apollo or a deuce of blips to buy himself a glass of foam. Let him play that record until it cracks or wears out, or until he gets tired of it, and then let him throw it away and that's that. Just do that, and you'll know I???ll be happy. That's memorial enough for me".

    - Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow: Really the Blues

    Oooo. That's nice.

  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts
    the book that you are looking for is the penguine guide to jazz. the other titles are mainly fiction

    if you are looking for a book about the record and bio-/discographical data, go for the penguine guide. not everything in there is gold, but at least you get a proper idea. there's are other penguine guides. i've seen the blues guid at an airport. very nice!

  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    I checked the Penguin guide on amazon. Sounds good in general, but it covers CDs and in-print titles only. WTF???
    anyone familiar with the allmusic guide or the rough guide?

    however, great contributions so far. I will definitely check out a couple of these books.

  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts
    I checked the Penguin guide on amazon. Sounds good in general, but it covers CDs and in-print titles only. WTF???
    anyone familiar with the allmusic guide or the rough guide?

    however, great contributions so far. I will definitely check out a couple of these books.

    I was gonna point that out. I was a bit dissapointed in that, otherwise it is a wealth of info, but probably waaaaay more than anyone needs. I mean, how much data about Keith Jarrett ECM records do you really need?

  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts
    I checked the Penguin guide on amazon. Sounds good in general, but it covers CDs and in-print titles only. WTF???
    anyone familiar with the allmusic guide or the rough guide?

    however, great contributions so far. I will definitely check out a couple of these books.

    ehm... does that matter? what are you looking for? a guide to the most rare and obscure records or a guide to jazz music? honestly, you can't judge a book by fucking amazon...

  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    On the dictionary tip, I've had this for over 10 years:



    And I'm very happy with it. Haven't read the Penguin Dic. I've tried other dictionaries, but I haven't found another one that I really took a liking to. I especially hate dictionaries where the author(s) try to force their opinions down the reader's throat. Like "it all went downhill when Herbie started playing the Rhodes" or "Ornette should never have picked up a violin". I want dictionaries to be fairly objective and straight informative. No soapbox bullshit, just the facts, ma'am.

  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    I checked the Penguin guide on amazon. Sounds good in general, but it covers CDs and in-print titles only. WTF???
    anyone familiar with the allmusic guide or the rough guide?

    however, great contributions so far. I will definitely check out a couple of these books.

    ehm... does that matter? what are you looking for? a guide to the most rare and obscure records or a guide to jazz music? honestly, you can't judge a book by fucking amazon...

    huh?

    It would be an advantage if it would cover jazz records and not jazz cd??s/ in-print titles only.

  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts

    huh?

    It would be an advantage if it would cover jazz records and not jazz cd??s/ in-print titles only.

    the book is not about current jazz cds! unless there's a new edition. it used to be about old and new jazz recordings. maybe the newest edition is about new jazz.


    the blues one is cool. and the jazz one is even better.

  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts

    huh?

    It would be an advantage if it would cover jazz records and not jazz cd??s/ in-print titles only.

    the book is not about current jazz cds! unless there's a new edition. it used to be about old and new jazz recordings. maybe the newest edition is about new jazz.


    the blues one is cool. and the jazz one is even better.

    His point is that it only covers jazz that is currently in print, which leaves out a LOT of some artists most enduring recordings, not that it only covers current artists and recordings.

    A good compromise would have been to simply gather together an artist's best titles and simply remark wether it is in print or not. A better name for the book would be 2007 Jazz Buyer's Guide: A Guide to Jazz on CD.
    By titling it The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings, it is a bit deceptive. PLUS it is probably more info than most people want to know, data-wise. Not saying that's a bad thing, just so people are aware of the type of tome it is.

  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts
    exactly.


    + I buy 2nd hand RECORDS, which (surprise! surprise!) are often not in print anymore or not available as CDs yet.

  • HonkyFippleHonkyFipple 418 Posts
    so you're looking for books that recommend 2nd hand records only? i thought you were looking for books about jazz. i mean, not all of the cds inside the book are compilations. well, nevermind, i don't get it. there's no book about jazz records for 2nd hand collectors only.

  • piedpiperpiedpiper 1,279 Posts




    what??s so hard to understand?
    I think it??s a serious disadvantage if a guide for jazz releases leaves out titles that are currently out of print. I will most likely look for 2nd hand records and, thus, this is more or less irrelevant for me. That does not mean that I need a book about 2nd hand records only. A guide for jazz releases should IMO cover all the (relevant) releases from particular artists.
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