Unheralded jazz books

[brownie]

There is 'To Bird With Love', the extraordinary book by Chan Parker and Francis Paudras that is now a collectors' item. This was published in France back in 1981

There is also 'Shelly Manne. Sounds of the Different Drummer', the near LP album-size 194-page book by Jack Brand and Bill Koster that was published in 1997 by Percussion Express.

Both were superb labour of love and also limited editions that went quickly out of print.

I love those two but may have missed others.

Are there any similar books on jazz greats that went unheralded and sold mostly through word of mouth?

[ghost of miles]

Valerie Wilmer's JAZZ PEOPLE used to be a really hard to find, somewhat overlooked book, but I think it finally came back into print as a paperback several years ago.

Did Boris Vians' writings on jazz ever get published as a book?

[jlhoots]

Robert Hilbert's book on Pee Wee Russell is nice.

Edited July 23, 2004 by jlhoots

[brownie]

Should have been more specific in my original post.

The two books I mentioned 'To Bird With Love' and 'Shelly Manne' are volumes that do not seem to have been distributed via the regular commercial channels.

The Bird book by Chan Parker and Francis Paudras is a 15" by 11" object that gathered numerous photos of Charlie Parker and it was sold by subscription - if I remember well - after being briefly advertised in a couple of jazz reviews. It came inside a glossy cardboard wrapper.

The Shelly Manne book is also a beautiful volume consisting of a very detailed biography, then a discography and finally a filmography of Shelly Manne all illustrated with remarkable photos - mostly by Willam Claxton - on the life and times of Shelly Manne. It was produced with the help of Manne's widow who also contributed a number of photos from the family's collection. The printing of all the photos is absolutely first-rate.

The Manne book was a limited edition of 1,000 copies. All copies seem to have been signed by the two authors. No idea how it was distributed. Saw one copy at the Jazz Record Center in New York during my last visit to the city and bought it as soon as I took a look at the content. It was the last copy available there.

The PeeWee Russell - an excellent one - was distributed in the regular bookshops.by Oxford University Press. Same went for the Valerie Wilmer book.

What I would like to find out is if a book like the Shelly Manne volume was privately published by admirers of - let's say - Lee Morgan, Zoot Sims, Hank Mobley, etc.

People who reunited to publish a beautiful volume that was distributed outside of the regular market.

[brownie]

Did Boris Vians' writings on jazz ever get published as a book?

Ghost, this is a paperback reissue - in French - that gathers all writings by Boris Vian on jazz. This is from Amazon.fr. No idea if there is an english translation:

http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/2253...3596023-5193026

Met Boris Vian a number of times when I started writing articles in Jazz Hot. That was shortly before his death in 1959. He died way too young!

[sidewinder]

I've just been reading Ian Carr's 'Music Outside' (Latimer, 1973) which is a good overview of progressive UK jazz of the late 60s, early 70s. I don't think this one has ever been reprinted.

[ghost of miles]

Brownie, this still probably doesn't fall within the parameters that you mention, but Allen Lowe's THAT DEVILIN' TUNE and AMERICAN POP: FROM MINSTREL TO MOJO, 1953-1956, seem to have received very limited distribution. I had to buy mine through Cadence. He's an excellent writer, one to whom I was hipped by our own Joe Milazzo, but his books are damned hard to find.

[brownie]

Thanks Ghost! But what I am trying to find out if there are privately printed and very carefully designed books books that were dedicated to specific jazz heroes.

Beside the To Bird With Love and the Shelly Manne books, there does not seem to have been other ventures of this kind. Costs must be prohibitive. Which is why I subtitled my thread 'Labour of Love!' which they were and seem to have no predecessors or successors.

Only two of a kind? What a pity!

[Chuck Nessa]

Does this count?

[brownie]

Does this count?

Bingo It sure looks like one of those Labour of Love!

What is this beauty? When did it came out? Still available?

[jlhoots]

I think it's available from the AEC website.

[Chuck Nessa]

It was published in 1998. As jlh says the AEC sells it HERE. Sometimes Dusty Groove has it too.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

I would guess the Hartmut Geerken book "Omniverse Sun Ra" would qualify?

Mike

[rockefeller center]

It was published in 1998. As jlh says the AEC sells it HERE. Sometimes Dusty Groove has it too.

Can you please give a brief description about its content (the description on the AEC site reveals nothing for me)? Thank you.

[ghost of miles]

What about this one, which Chris Albertson & Chuck mentioned in a previous thread I started about a forthcoming Fletcher Henderson bio?

[Christiern]

The Henderson book is great for research, but not something one cuddles up with, if you know what I mean.

Here's one from 1959 that I seldom see... it has interesting photos.

[Christiern]

And here is another, from 1960. Duncan Schiedt's photo of Monk is worth repeating (in the post that follows)...

[Christiern]

And here's the Monk photo...

[J.A.W.]

And here's the Monk photo...

Great picture.

[ghost of miles]

Duncan has a new book out:

Jazz in Black and White

The cover of the Tristano Mosaic box comes from a picture he took at the Indiana Theater in 1959. Great guy, and still very active here in the Indiana jazz community.

[couw]

does the stuff from the Jazz Institute in Darmstadt count? (link)

Not familiar with much of their stuff, but you need to go through some effort to find these out and they're in German too, which helps obscurity. I only have the catalogue to the 1988 exposition, reprinted with additions in 1997. Now, that is one hefty jazz tome! 700+ pages (A4 sized) with loads of information on jazz, particularly also in Europe.

[Chuck Nessa]

It was published in 1998. As jlh says the AEC sells it HERE.  Sometimes Dusty Groove has it too.

Can you please give a brief description about its content (the description on the AEC site reveals nothing for me)? Thank you.

It is a hardback, page size about 9.5" x 12.75", 30+ black and white photos, interviews with the musicians and short essays by Chicago Beau, Mike Hennesey, Isio Saba, Hartmut Geerken, etc. The book is 104 pages, fairly large type and was printed and bound in Italy.

[rockefeller center]

Thanks, Chuck.

[Michael Fitzgerald]

The Horricks book is notable for a chapter on Gigi Gryce (the most extensive writing done on him during his life). It's a book that should be used more as it has some primary research on its subjects that isn't found elsewhere.

But while somewhat uncommon, it doesn't really fit in this thread about lavish self-published coffee-table sort of items. It was published a couple of times - once by Victor Gollancz in 1959 and then reprinted by the Jazz Book Club in 1960.

Mike

[makpjazz57]

I sure would be interested in purchasing a copy of "To Bird With Love." Does anyone have suggestions as to where I might start a search?

Thanks,

Marla