jazz books

Rip It Up, Issue 64, 1 November 1982, Page 29

jazz books

Duncan Campbell

. A word of advice to the jazz novice seeking an introduction to the finest of, insanities: each of the books on the subject reviewed below is an admirable companion and reference work, but should not be taken as an introduction. Dive into the sound, experience the indescribable feeling that jazz music conveys, follow your own instincts and do not fear the unknown. In short: listen first. If you are seduced, then read. To do otherwise would be like studying biology without having smelled a flower. Jazz, edited by Nat Hentoff and Albert J. McCarthy A collection of twelve scholarly essays on the origins and directions of the music. Each piece,

written with hindsight, offers new perspectives on history and peels away a lot of the fallacies. Especially illuminating are the chapters on Kansas and the Southwest and the material of Duke Ellington. Live at the Village Vanguard by Max Gordon Gordon runs one of the bestknown still-operating jazz clubs in the world andjust about everyone who is anyone in the field has played there. This is the story of that venue and if the walls could talk, they probably would have added a dozen more chapters. The famous names drift through the pages and the anecdotes abound. A witty and charming book, capturing the spirit of a vital part of the world's greatest city. Chasin' The Trane by J. C. Thomas John Coltrane, profound musician, thinker, mystic. Fifteen years after his death, people are still

trying to figure out where he was headed. Thomas occasionally lets his reverence for Trane override his sensibilities and thus becomes £ushy and embarrassing. But the book is still a work of love and many celebrities share their personal recollections of a great and good man. Essential. Bird/edited by Robert Reisner Charlie Parker spawned as many stories about his lifestyle as his music in his brief 35 years. This book is subtitled The Legend of Charlie Parker', an assemblage of stories about the man from people who knew him, loved him, hated him, loaned him money or gave him somewhere to sleep. Bird was broke more often than he was rich, could drink anyone under the table and eat enough for four. He was generous, selfish, arrogant and humble. He was a genius, a driving force, a one-man revolution. His mark on music is

irrevocable. This book depicts the man behind the myth, very readable and beautifully illustrated. Inside .Jazz, by Leonard Feather Feather, doyen of the jazz writers, presents a meticulously researched analysis of bebop. For the musician it is . undoubtedly illuminating, for the layman the technical passages on playing will be heavy going. • The seminal figures are discussed and there are useful discographies. , ' ; v The Jazz Life, by Nat Hentoff A fascinating insight on the cultural influences of jazz, culled from interviews with musicians. Revealing accounts of what drove and inspired them and also what killed far too many (the chapter on drugs alone is worth the price of the book). All the above titles are published by Da Capo Press.