Jazz biographies

[liamw]

Since there seems to be some interest in elevating the level of discourse here, how about a literary/philosophical topic? In another thread I mentioned having read James Gavin's book about Chet Baker ("Deep in a dream"), which another member suggested was among the best-written jazz biographies. I agree, though my candidate for best would be David Hajdu's book about Billy Strayhorn ("Lush Life"). Anyone care to recommend or warn against any others?

As for the philosophical part: what is the value of artists' biographies anyway? Does knowing about an artist's life change the way we listen to or hear the music?

[valo]

One of the more interesting, though more difficult to call a biography is Scott Deveuax's "The Birth of BeBop". It is a biography in the parts where he focusses on Coleman Hawkins being a kind of spiritual father for bebop, and in a sense he creates a portrait of a time and music that gives real character to both. There's a decent amount of theory, and he does a good job of making it understandable for someone who has only a rudimentary grasp of theory. Whatsmore, the theory side is fully integrated with thesocial and personal histories, and the book feels really unified in the end.

John Szwed's Sun Ra bio is a wealth of information, albeit his writing style can be a bit bland. This style, however, serves the subject well, and leads to an answer to your question: Szwed did change the way I viewed Ra and heard his music. I've always enjoyed Ra's music and found his esoteric philosophy to be mostly amusing. But I gained new respect for Ra as a bandleader (not a businessman, however) and his ideas (which are still weird.

Another interesting jazz book to discuss could be Micheal Ondaatje's fictional re-creation of Buddy bolden's life "Coming through Slaughter". Ondaajte pulls apart the boundary between fact and fiction, shedding light on the way legends grow. He picked a great subject as well, because a lot of what gets written and said about bolden, and passed off as fact, is just not true. Makes you wonder about the endless anecdotes that are shuffled from person to person about our favorite jazz players.

[Dr. B]

Originally posted by liamw
Since there seems to be some interest in elevating the level of discourse here, how about a literary/philosophical topic?... Does knowing about an artist's life change the way we listen to or hear the music?

Two pretty heavy biographies are Art Pepper's Straight Life and Donald Maggin's Stan Getz: A Life in Jazz. These have been two of my favorite musicians, and I think that both of these books make a significant contribution to our knowledge and understanding of them. I tried hard not to let my distaste for them as people color my listening to their music, but it was difficult. Then I came to believe that they were both really sick individuals, and it got a heck of a lot easier. Drugs and alcohol and the craving for them can do some really rotten things to folks...

Sometimes I still hear a tone in their playing (Getz's in particular) that sounds "whiney"; I don't remember ever thinking so before reading Maggin's book, for instance (and I actually read it first, although it was published two years later). Perhaps that is a valid interpretation of the sound; Getz could certainly be a whiney SOB...:p

[clifton]

Valo: "The Birth Of Bebop" is indeed one of the best books on jazz ever written. I also recommend Dizzy's autobiography, "To Be Or Not To Bop", required reading for every jazz fan.

[omar zamora]

I liked the Szwed bio on Le'Sony too.

For all its flaws, Miles' autobiography is a great read. I've probably read it about four times.

As for how and if it affects our perception of the music, I'm not too sure. I just read an interview with Henry Grimes on the Wire. Reading about the difficult life he's endured since dropping out in the late 60's made me somehow appreciate his playing Ayler's "Live at Greenwhich Village" (which I happened to have been listening while I read the article) in a different way, but I don't know why.

[Square]

I just finished the Miles autobio and before that, Mingus' Beneath the Underdog. I really liked both of them. Their voice came through very clearly. (For me that's a problem with biographies - the subject's voice is missing. ) Right now I'm reading Max Kaminsky's 'My Life In Jazz' - pretty good so far.

[JamesJazz]

I really enjoy a well-written and researched biography.
I'll mention a few jazz bio's / autobio's I haven't seen posted:
"Music On My Mind" Willie "The Lion" Smith
"James P. Johnson" Bob Hilbert
"Glass Enclosure" Francis Paudras (Bud Powell bio)
"George Lewis" Tom Bethel
"Lester Leaps In" Douglas Henry Daniels

Anything John Chilton touches turns to gold. His bio's of Bechet, Louis Jordan, Hawk, Red Allen and Roy Eldridge are superb.

Rex Stewart is nonpareil as a jazz writer. "Jazz Masters Of The Thirties" is simply beautiful.

And, although he hasn't had his research compiled into a book, the Swiss writer Johnny Simmen is absolutely first class both as writer and researcher. I treasure the few articles I own.

[BruceH]

Dr. B, I just bought the Stan Getz book over the weekend. Found it at a used bookstore and was still very unsure if it was worth getting. My fear was that it would be one of those bios that's just a total bummer from start to finish. Your review seems to confirm that.
Generally I think knowing the foibles of an artist shouldn't affect your appreciation of their work, but in practice it sometimes does. With music, I personally find that if you discover what a huge jerk a musician or composer was, it can color your perception of their music, but that this tends to fade with time, particularly if it's very good music.

[Dr. B]

Originally posted by BruceH
Dr. B, I just bought the Stan Getz book over the weekend. Found it at a used bookstore and was still very unsure if it was worth getting. My fear was that it would be one of those bios that's just a total bummer from start to finish. Your review seems to confirm that.
Generally I think knowing the foibles of an artist shouldn't affect your appreciation of their work, but in practice it sometimes does. With music, I personally find that if you discover what a huge jerk a musician or composer was, it can color your perception of their music, but that this tends to fade with time, particularly if it's very good music.

Gee, Bruce, I'm glad I read it, and I'd read it again in a minute (except that I've got way too many other books backed up to spend time re-reading anything!) ;)

One other thing: Dr. J (Judith Schlesinger) has interviewed Getz's wife and others, and her impression was that Getz was not as bad as Maggin implies. So, I guess one can read it with "a grain of salt" and not take it as gospel truth, or realize that no one is as bad as he or she might be painted, given only one perspective...

Bob

[JSngry]

Originally posted by Dr. B


One other thing: Dr. J (Judith Schlesinger) has interviewed Getz's wife and others, and her impression was that Getz was not as bad as Maggin implies. So, I guess one can read it with "a grain of salt" and not take it as gospel truth, or realize that no one is as bad as he or she might be painted, given only one perspective...

From the stories I've heard over the years, a slightly more "accurate" (whatever that means) way to put that might be that Getz was not as bad as he was portrayed as frequently as he was portrayed as being. The guy's dark side is/was pretty legendary amongst those who knew him.

[Pete B]

I've always liked that Zoot quote that Stan was "a great bunch of guys".

A lesser known book that I admire is "Bassically Speaking", a biography of George Duvivier. It's made up primarily of interviews, including extensive interviews the author did with Duvivier before he passed. It's a part of a series on lesser known jazz performers, sponsored by Rutgers and published by Scarecrow Press. Other artists written about include Warne Marsh, J J Johson, Serge Chaloff, Buddy DeFranco, Benny Carter. The ones I've read have been well researched and well written, with a certain (not overwhelming) amount of technical analysis.

[BruceH]

Don't worry B, I plan to read the Getz book. Well, sometime.
Might read Rat Race Blues first, though.

[desertblues]

Originally posted by BruceH
Don't worry B, I plan to read the Getz book. Well, sometime.
Might read Rat Race Blues first, though.

Bruce H, "Rat Race Blues" is a great read and tells the real story of one of the great jazzmen-Gigi Gryce. Heartily recommended.


:)