JAM: December 2006 / January 2007 Issue: Feature Story

THE HOUSE THAT
TRANE BUILT:
THE STORY OF IMPULSE RECORDS
Ashley Kahn
W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 338 pages, $29.95
At its height in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Impulse Records created an unmistakable identity based on their eye-catching orange and black design, shrewd marketing, and some amazing music. Impulse’s catalog ranged from timeless classics such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington, to emerging and cutting-edge artists such as Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins. However, Impulse had no stronger connection with any other artist than John Coltrane. In The House that Trane Built, Ashley Kahn chronicles
the history of Impulse Records by weaving in archival research and interviews with over 50 musicians, industry executives, and producers. Accompanied by numerous illustrations and 36 album profiles, Kahn’s book is not just a great chronicle of a famous record label, but a notable history of some of jazz’s finest artists. No jazz lover’s library would be complete without this all-encompassing and inexpensive book.

CHASIN’ THE BIRD:
THE LIFE AND LEGACY
OF CHARLIE PARKER
Brian Priestly
Oxford University Press, 272 pages, $28.00
Charlie “YardBird” Parker’s influence stretches well beyond the famed jazz districts of Kansas City and New York. His talent with the saxophone and his exemplary improvisational style influenced musicians such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane,
while his collaboration with artists like Dizzy Gillespie brought about a major jazz revolution with bebop in the 1940s. Lying underneath this exterior greatness, however, was the bitter reality of Parker’s life. He lost direction in his career and creativity in the late 1940s, became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and his tangled relations with women and the law quickly became endemic to his life. Dead at 34 years old of a heart attack in 1955, Parker had lived such a hard life that the coroner, after examining his body, listed Parker’s age as 53. Priestley’s Chasin’ the Bird is masterfully done. No stone is unturned in Parker’s life, and from his childhood in Kansas City to his final days in New York City, Priestly covers the greatness and the warts. This is the most comprehensive book on Parker to date and includes biographical, discographical, and musicological
points of view along with a bibliography for those who want to learn even more. This book is a must have.

THE ESSENTIAL JAZZ
RECORDINGS
Ross Porter
McClelland & Stewart, 233 pages, $16.95
To say the choices available to a listener of jazz are plentiful would be an understatement. There is a plethora of recordings, many with overlapping tracks, recordings, and artists; some recordings with tunes by one artist, but other recordings with the same tunes by a different artist with a different take on the song. Needless to say, sitting down and deciding where to start—or where to add to—a collection is extremely difficult. Russ Porter, however, gives it his best shot in The Essential Jazz Recordings. This guidebook provides an honest assessment of some great jazz recordings and includes background information on the music, the artist, and the recording, along with Porter’s explanation to each recording’s merits. Of course, such a book is always personal in its choices and Porter’s is no different. While some choices will have long-standing jazz fans scratching their head, remember these are Porter’s favorites. While some of the 101 recordings may not match up with some lists out there, this quick and to-the-point book goes a long way into giving any new jazz fan a great starting point.

—Tristan Smith

YOUR JAZZ BOOKSHELF…
...should make space for PORTRAIT OF JOHNNY: THE
LIFE OF JOHN HERNDON MERCER (Hal Leonard, 2006), by Gene Lees, doyen of jazz writers — biographer-celebrator-chronicler of Woody Herman, Oscar Peterson, “Dizzy, Clark, Milt and Nat” and other giants in the music. This book is Lees’ best and brightest, proving that it takes one to know one. Himself a lyricist of note, Lees as always meticulously researches his subject, builds strongly on the cooperation of the family and fellow professionals, making clear why Johnny Mercer was an awesome hero to his peers and colleagues (Alan Jay Lerner called him “ the greatest lyricist in the English language.”). Skim the Index for the five-column-long list of Mercer song lyrics (well over 150). Even if you’re under 40, you’ll recognize most of the titles and again hear the tunes in your head. Almost all were Hit Parade fixtures, some for weeks on end. Bonus features of this definitive take on Mercer include attention to his co-founding of Capitol Records, an expert précis on lyric-writing as well as how and why Mercer could mostly triumph over an unhappy marriage
and a mean-drunk temper. The Mercer story parallels, and is a
big part of, the rise and fall of 20th century jazz/pop, America’s
classical music.

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? Only if you
really grew up there and were deeply shaped by the music of “the mens” – the self-description of Tom Sancton’s boyhood musical heroes. His SONG FOR MY FATHERS: A NEW ORLEANS STORY IN BACK AND WHITE (Other Press, 2006) is an intriguing and heartfelt memoir, compiled post-Katrina, that vividly recaptures the nowerased world of the author’s “idols and mentors… [who] taught be about their music…their world, their neighborhoods, their humor and anger…fears and disappointments… [and] courage in the face
of poverty and prejudice, sickness, and death.” Sancton’s special idols and mentors were clarinetists George Lewis and George Guesnon. He helps revive memories of many others: Punch Miller, Louis Cottrell, Danny Barker, “Slow Drag” Pavageau, and others who passed through Preservation Hall, which to the young Sancton was “like the Arabian Nights…which for ‘the mens’ was a ticket out of obscurity and unemployment.”

Another Big Easy book just out is LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S
NEW ORLEANS (Norton, 2006), by Thomas Brothers, a music
professor at Duke University. Big names in jazz writing – Gary
Giddins, Terry Teachout, Loren Schoenberg – like it for its scholarly depth and detailed coverage of Armstrong’s first 21 years, a time in his and the city’s life usually somewhat mythologized, both by Louis’ own versions of what happened to him and too much “you should have been there” sentimentality. Given the author’s special expertise, there is much more technical detail than in Sancton’s book about style, performance, and musicology. Building strongly on Armstrong’s own extensive yet often imaginative writings, Brothers explores many other sources to describe the social, cultural, racial and musical mix in the New Orleans of a century ago. There’s a huge amount of unpanned gold in a lode of tradition that was no more even before Katrina, and how really fully and forever gone. This is a major scholarly work, an unequalled contribution to understanding of Louis Armstrong’s achievement and legacy.

Not all the new books are as worthwhile. AMERICAN BIG BANDS by William F. Lee, Ph.D. Music D. seems intended as
an updating and extension of George T. Simon’s classic THE BIG BANDS that went through at least three editions a generation ago. No way, Jose. The omissions of major big band headliners and innovators since then are staggering: How about Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Gil Evans, Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry…? Dr. Lee informs us that there have been three kinds of big bands:“sweet,” swing, and studio. He provides short paragraphs on each type for each decade of the 20th century. Significantly, the perfunctory Introduction by Dr. Billy Taylor, another jazz academic who’s also a renowned performer and leader, is a personal reminiscence that says nothing about the book he’s introducing. Buyer beware.

But don’t skip over Stanley Crouch’s CONSIDERING GENIUS:
WRITINGS ON JAZZ (Basic Civitas Books, 2006). Crouch is
a New York essayist, master of mixed metaphors, and in-yourface critic of jazz and other cultural topics. He was, for example, one of the commentators, along with Albert Murray and Gary Giddins, in Ken Burns “Jazz” video series. You may not agree with Crouch’s prejudices and pronouncements because they may not be the same as yours. But he has done his jazz homework. If you’ve done your jazz homework you, too, are entitled to your opinion. See if you agree with his trenchant, extensive treatments of Miles Dewey Davis, the Clint Eastwood “Bird” film, Coltrane, and John Birks Gillespie, who to Crouch is “not so Dizzy.” It’s good to have these Crouch commentaries in more permanent form. What he has to say about jazz deserves your attention.

—Charlton Price






	Search our site:		THE HOUSE THAT TRANE BUILT: THE STORY OF IMPULSE RECORDS Ashley Kahn W. W. Norton & Co., Inc., 338 pages, $29.95 At its height in the ‘60s and ‘70s, Impulse Records created an unmistakable identity based on their eye-catching orange and black design, shrewd marketing, and some amazing music. Impulse’s catalog ranged from timeless classics such as Count Basie and Duke Ellington, to emerging and cutting-edge artists such as Charles Mingus and Sonny Rollins. However, Impulse had no stronger connection with any other artist than John Coltrane. In The House that Trane Built, Ashley Kahn chronicles the history of Impulse Records by weaving in archival research and interviews with over 50 musicians, industry executives, and producers. Accompanied by numerous illustrations and 36 album profiles, Kahn’s book is not just a great chronicle of a famous record label, but a notable history of some of jazz’s finest artists. No jazz lover’s library would be complete without this all-encompassing and inexpensive book. CHASIN’ THE BIRD: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF CHARLIE PARKER Brian Priestly Oxford University Press, 272 pages, $28.00 Charlie “YardBird” Parker’s influence stretches well beyond the famed jazz districts of Kansas City and New York. His talent with the saxophone and his exemplary improvisational style influenced musicians such as Miles Davis and John Coltrane, while his collaboration with artists like Dizzy Gillespie brought about a major jazz revolution with bebop in the 1940s. Lying underneath this exterior greatness, however, was the bitter reality of Parker’s life. He lost direction in his career and creativity in the late 1940s, became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and his tangled relations with women and the law quickly became endemic to his life. Dead at 34 years old of a heart attack in 1955, Parker had lived such a hard life that the coroner, after examining his body, listed Parker’s age as 53. Priestley’s Chasin’ the Bird is masterfully done. No stone is unturned in Parker’s life, and from his childhood in Kansas City to his final days in New York City, Priestly covers the greatness and the warts. This is the most comprehensive book on Parker to date and includes biographical, discographical, and musicological points of view along with a bibliography for those who want to learn even more. This book is a must have. THE ESSENTIAL JAZZ RECORDINGS Ross Porter McClelland & Stewart, 233 pages, $16.95 To say the choices available to a listener of jazz are plentiful would be an understatement. There is a plethora of recordings, many with overlapping tracks, recordings, and artists; some recordings with tunes by one artist, but other recordings with the same tunes by a different artist with a different take on the song. Needless to say, sitting down and deciding where to start—or where to add to—a collection is extremely difficult. Russ Porter, however, gives it his best shot in The Essential Jazz Recordings. This guidebook provides an honest assessment of some great jazz recordings and includes background information on the music, the artist, and the recording, along with Porter’s explanation to each recording’s merits. Of course, such a book is always personal in its choices and Porter’s is no different. While some choices will have long-standing jazz fans scratching their head, remember these are Porter’s favorites. While some of the 101 recordings may not match up with some lists out there, this quick and to-the-point book goes a long way into giving any new jazz fan a great starting point. —Tristan Smith YOUR JAZZ BOOKSHELF… ...should make space for PORTRAIT OF JOHNNY: THE LIFE OF JOHN HERNDON MERCER (Hal Leonard, 2006), by Gene Lees, doyen of jazz writers — biographer-celebrator-chronicler of Woody Herman, Oscar Peterson, “Dizzy, Clark, Milt and Nat” and other giants in the music. This book is Lees’ best and brightest, proving that it takes one to know one. Himself a lyricist of note, Lees as always meticulously researches his subject, builds strongly on the cooperation of the family and fellow professionals, making clear why Johnny Mercer was an awesome hero to his peers and colleagues (Alan Jay Lerner called him “ the greatest lyricist in the English language.”). Skim the Index for the five-column-long list of Mercer song lyrics (well over 150). Even if you’re under 40, you’ll recognize most of the titles and again hear the tunes in your head. Almost all were Hit Parade fixtures, some for weeks on end. Bonus features of this definitive take on Mercer include attention to his co-founding of Capitol Records, an expert précis on lyric-writing as well as how and why Mercer could mostly triumph over an unhappy marriage and a mean-drunk temper. The Mercer story parallels, and is a big part of, the rise and fall of 20th century jazz/pop, America’s classical music. Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans? Only if you really grew up there and were deeply shaped by the music of “the mens” – the self-description of Tom Sancton’s boyhood musical heroes. His SONG FOR MY FATHERS: A NEW ORLEANS STORY IN BACK AND WHITE (Other Press, 2006) is an intriguing and heartfelt memoir, compiled post-Katrina, that vividly recaptures the nowerased world of the author’s “idols and mentors… [who] taught be about their music…their world, their neighborhoods, their humor and anger…fears and disappointments… [and] courage in the face of poverty and prejudice, sickness, and death.” Sancton’s special idols and mentors were clarinetists George Lewis and George Guesnon. He helps revive memories of many others: Punch Miller, Louis Cottrell, Danny Barker, “Slow Drag” Pavageau, and others who passed through Preservation Hall, which to the young Sancton was “like the Arabian Nights…which for ‘the mens’ was a ticket out of obscurity and unemployment.” Another Big Easy book just out is LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S NEW ORLEANS (Norton, 2006), by Thomas Brothers, a music professor at Duke University. Big names in jazz writing – Gary Giddins, Terry Teachout, Loren Schoenberg – like it for its scholarly depth and detailed coverage of Armstrong’s first 21 years, a time in his and the city’s life usually somewhat mythologized, both by Louis’ own versions of what happened to him and too much “you should have been there” sentimentality. Given the author’s special expertise, there is much more technical detail than in Sancton’s book about style, performance, and musicology. Building strongly on Armstrong’s own extensive yet often imaginative writings, Brothers explores many other sources to describe the social, cultural, racial and musical mix in the New Orleans of a century ago. There’s a huge amount of unpanned gold in a lode of tradition that was no more even before Katrina, and how really fully and forever gone. This is a major scholarly work, an unequalled contribution to understanding of Louis Armstrong’s achievement and legacy. Not all the new books are as worthwhile. AMERICAN BIG BANDS by William F. Lee, Ph.D. Music D. seems intended as an updating and extension of George T. Simon’s classic THE BIG BANDS that went through at least three editions a generation ago. No way, Jose. The omissions of major big band headliners and innovators since then are staggering: How about Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Gil Evans, Bill Holman, Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry…? Dr. Lee informs us that there have been three kinds of big bands:“sweet,” swing, and studio. He provides short paragraphs on each type for each decade of the 20th century. Significantly, the perfunctory Introduction by Dr. Billy Taylor, another jazz academic who’s also a renowned performer and leader, is a personal reminiscence that says nothing about the book he’s introducing. Buyer beware. But don’t skip over Stanley Crouch’s CONSIDERING GENIUS: WRITINGS ON JAZZ (Basic Civitas Books, 2006). Crouch is a New York essayist, master of mixed metaphors, and in-yourface critic of jazz and other cultural topics. He was, for example, one of the commentators, along with Albert Murray and Gary Giddins, in Ken Burns “Jazz” video series. You may not agree with Crouch’s prejudices and pronouncements because they may not be the same as yours. But he has done his jazz homework. If you’ve done your jazz homework you, too, are entitled to your opinion. See if you agree with his trenchant, extensive treatments of Miles Dewey Davis, the Clint Eastwood “Bird” film, Coltrane, and John Birks Gillespie, who to Crouch is “not so Dizzy.” It’s good to have these Crouch commentaries in more permanent form. What he has to say about jazz deserves your attention. —Charlton Price RETURN TO DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 MAIN INDEX © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2006. All rights reserved.