Unheralded jazz books

[Chuck Nessa]

Big bucks on ebay, when is shows up every decade or so. I ordered my copy from France soon after it was announced (1981). I do not remember the cost but it was HUGE for me at the time.

It is an amazing work but the first time I opened the book the glue in the binding gave way and pages came loose. I looked through it and put it back in the shipping carton. I have (maybe) opened it five times since then.

I just weighed the book (in carton) and it hits 7.5 pounds.

Of the books mentioned in this thread I have Bird, Hendersonia, Sun Ra and the AEOC.

[gslade]

Marla,

One is for sale on Amazon.com for $750

[makpjazz57]

Only $750.00???? I'll take two!!!

Thanks!

Marla

[paul secor]

My copy of To Bird With Love has held up ok, but I've been very careful with it. I guess it would be well worth having it rebound if it's going for $750 (!)

I don't know if this qualifies, but Francois Paudras' La Danse des Infideles - Bud Powell is an impressive work, and obviously a labor of love. I bought my copy at Tower Records in NY in, I believe, 1986 or 87. The publisher is L'Instant. I have no knowledge of that publisher - perhaps brownie can tell us something about that.

The book itself is huge, with hundreds of photographs (many rare) and essays by Francois Paudras.

I bought this primarily for the photographs, since the text is in French, and my French is less than sketchy. (I did have thoughts of using a French-English dictionary and reading it little by little, but that was obviously when I was in a revved up psychological mode and it never happened. A couple of years later I had thoughts of buying the French edition of Francois Truffaut's correspondence and trying to read it in French, but in that case sanity ruled (there also weren't nearly as many photographs) and I waited for an English translation.)

Years later, I bought the Da Capo English translation edition of the Powell, and was able to read the text. I'm sure that there are those who have their differences with Mr. Paudras and what he wrote, but there is little else that has been published about the later years of Bud Powell's life. I still treasure the French edition, partly because many of the photographs in it are not included in the American edition, and because it is a treasure.

Two other books that I'd like to mention, though they are not beautifully printed, are Bud Freeman's if you know of a better life! and You Don't Look Like a Musician.

Both are collections of anecdotes written by Bud Freeman. Both were published by small (perhaps private?) publishers with minimal distribution. And both are very entertaining reads.

[brownie]

Francis Paudras' 'La Danse des Infideles' from Editions L'Instant might have qualified as one of those rare items I am looking for. It was a labour of love. But it was published and widely distributed when it was published in France.

L'Instant was a regular publisher. I'm not sure but I think they went out of business. They also published books that reprinted early copies of the French review Jazz Hot.

A book similar in size to the French edition of the 'Danse des Infideles' is Hank O'Neal 'The Ghosts of Harlem' which was published in France by Editions Filipacchi.

Very interesting book with interviews and photos by O'Neal. Don't think there was an english translation. This book: http://www.hankonealphoto.com/ghosts.html

This also was widely available when it was published back in 1997.

This thread has turned into an interesting discussion but the only new book that seems to really qualify - labour of love privately published - is the AEC opus that Chuck Nessa posted.

I have never seen the Sun Ra that Michael Fitzgerald mentioned and not sure it qualifies as a beautifully printed and illustrated book.

[mikeweil]

I think

Black Beauty, White Heat, by Frank Driggs and Harris Lewine

qualifies for a mention here. Lovingly assembled photos up to 1950. One of the best pictorial jazz books I own.

As a textbook, Ira Gitler's Swing to Bop qualifies, IMHO. A book that gave me plenty of insight, but I hardly see it mentioned anywhere.

[Christiern]

Black Beauty, White Heat is marred by the fact that a great number of the photos contained therein were acquired without the rightful owner's consent or knowledge (i.e. outright stolen).

[mikeweil]

Black Beauty, White Heat is marred by the fact that a great number of the photos contained therein were acquired without the rightful owner's consent or knowledge (i.e. outright stolen).

Oh - didn't know that. Too bad ....

[cannonball-addict]

There is a very unwidely-known autobiography out now about a little-known man outside jazz industry/musician circles. The book's title is "Men, Woman, and Girl Singers: My Life As a Musician Turned Talent Manager."

This man, John Levy, was not a Jewish-American as one might expect from such a last name, but a black musician from Chicago. He played with Stuff Smith and Art Tatum on 42nd Street in the 1940s and later while bassist in George Shearing's early band, Levy became the band's manager when Shearing, a blind man, would not tolerate people discriminating against blacks especially on the road (inhospitable hotel managers and restaurant owners). It was a fulfillment of Levy's dream of having a desk job and a strong statement about Shearing's values.

As Chuck Nessa and others of you may know, Levy went on to be the first successful black talent manager/agent with offices in both New York and LA (John Levy Enterprises). The book was dictated by Levy to his current wife, Devra Hall, daughter of the great guitarist Jim Hall. Anyone who was at IAJE this year might recall Hall, upon receiving his NEA Jazz Master award. mentioning that his son-in-law was older than he. This of course was a reference to John Levy, who was in the audience. The 92-year-old was also mentioned when Nancy Wilson received her Jazz Master award, as the man who she could not have gotten to where she is without.

Levy managed people such as Cannonball Adderley (that's how I found out about him), Wes Montgomery, Shearing, Wilson, Joe Williams and scores of other singers and instrumentalists who don't come to mind right now.

But I hope you all go out and buy this book wherever it can be found. John Levy's website for his still-active management outfit is John Levy Enterprises.

I recommend the book to anyone interested. I believe the book has no distributor currently but I wish Da Capo or someone bigger would take it up because the amount of first hand

[cannonball-addict]

You can order the book here.

[Christiern]

There was another John Levy (also black) who came into Billie's life. This was an unsavory character and Billie came down hard on him in the original manuscript of Lady Sings the Blues." Bill Dufty (her co-author) told me that Doubleday edited all that out, thinking that Levy was Jewish and would sue.

There were also very interesting stories about Billie performing for FDR at the White House, with Hazel Scott, feeding her drug habit there, and observing that the President was on drugs--it turned out that she was right. I saw that part of the manuscript and might even have a copy somewhere in my apartment.

[Larry Kart]

Hey Chris -- Maybe I'm too sensitive, but it seems to me like someone (or several someones, I hope not you) was thinking along way too loose lines in the final sentence of this graf from your previous post: "There was another John Levy (also black) who came into Billie's life. This was an unsavory character and Billie came down hard on him in the original manuscript of Lady Sings the Blues. Bill Dufty (her co-author) told me that Doubleday edited all that out, thinking that Levy was Jewish and would sue." Jews are inherently more inclined to sue than Gentiles? Oy Gevalt!

[Christiern]

Bill Dufty was merely relating to me the thought behind the decision of Doubleday's editors. I presume that he was told this by an editor, I did not get the impression that it was Bill's assumption.

Charlie Ventura on roller skates?

Edited July 30, 2004 by Christiern

[Larry Kart]

Thanks for the clarification, Chris. Otherwise, I'd have to --- sue you!

About "Ventura on roller skates," believe it or not, that line first popped into my head years ago, in response to a David Murray performance. Don't think I used it in the review though.

[clifford_thornton]

You know, it's not 'unheralded' but I feel that I know far more people that have 'seen' the Art Taylor book (Notes and Tones) than actually read it. Great stuff, if you haven't picked through it.

[brownie]

Black Beauty, White Heat is marred by the fact that a great number of the photos contained therein were acquired without the rightful owner's consent or knowledge (i.e. outright stolen).

The same applies to the 'To Bird With Love' book. Francis Paudras 'borrowed' many of the photos that were displayed. I don't have the details but Herman Leonard was very upset about the use made of his photos. It was also one of the sources of the dispute between Chan Parker and Francis Paudras.

[Christiern]

Chan "Parker" wasn't exactly the epitome of virtue, was she?

[brownie]

Chan "Parker" wasn't exactly the epitome of virtue, was she?

Understand she could be a pain... but considering the fact that she stood by Bird in very adverse times, I am inclined to forgive her a lot.

But why are we using the past tense when speaking of her? I think she is still around, or am I wrong?

Edited July 30, 2004 by brownie

[J.A.W.]

Chan "Parker" wasn't exactly the epitome of virtue, was she?

Understand she could be a pain... but considering the fact that she stood by Bird in very adverse times, I am inclined to forgive her a lot.

But why are we using the past tense when speaking of her? I think she is still around, or am I wrong?

Chan Parker died in 1999 (click here)

[brownie]

Chan Parker died in 1999 (click here)

And I missed THAT?

Sad - even belated - news!

Now why could I not find this when I did a quick google before posting earlier today?

Thanks, J.A.W.!

Edited July 30, 2004 by brownie

[makpjazz57]

Having met John Levy several times, I can highly recommend his book, which is told straight from the heart. All people I've spoken with regarding John (mostly musicians) hold him in the highest regard. He has been a Manager and generous advisor to many in the jazz community. It is truly amazing that a man in his early 90's has more energy and enthusiasm than many 20 year olds I know!

Marla

[brownie]

Thanks for the recommendation of the John Levy book. This sure looks very interesting BUT it does not really qualify as a beautiful volume: by that I mean a beautifully printed and beautifully illustrated book not nationally published as were the Charlie Parker and Shelly Manne labours of love that I mentioned in my earlier posts.

The AEC book that Chuck Nessa mentioned joined that list.

Now I'ld like to add another opus:

'A Life In the Golden Age of Jazz: A Biography of Buddy deFranco' by Fabrice Zammarchi and Sylvie Mas, a heavy 384-page volume with splendid illustrations, layout plus text and discography. It should not really qualify since it was published by Parkside Publications, out of Seattle, but I'm sure it got pretty little distribution.

And it is a labour of love judging from the copy I just lay my hands on. Great photos (324 of them) including manyI had not seen yet of deFranco with Billie Holiday, Art Blakey, Sonny Clark and others. A beautiful tribute to a great musician!

[Christiern]

My good friend, the late Karl Emil Knudsen (Storyville Records) had an impressive jazz library. One of the books would definitely qualify, but I don't recall its name--if there was one. Perhaps someone here has come across this very unusual publication, which was put out by a very devoted and obviously very well-to-do Japanese Louis Armstrong collector. He had amassed a sizeable collection of Armstrong recordings in just about ever format. Each LP, each 78, each 45, each CD, each reel of tape was photographed professionally and the print reproduced on high-quality glossy paper in a beautifully bound book. Excessive? Absolutely (the individual tape reels photos being a demonstration of that), but it was indeed unusual and rare--I would guess that the book is a more valuable collector's item now than most of the man's Armstrong recordings.

Anyone seen or heard of this?

[brownie]

Christern, thanks for recalling that one. Never heard of it before. Exactly what I'm searching for. Now where can I get a copy of this Armstrong opus just to have a look at it?

[Brownian Motion]

Ah, the missed oppotunities of the past. There was a time when certain visual artists were being heavily influenced by jazz. Several great jazz books could have been produced utilizing the talents of Franz Kline, David Stone Martin, Stuart Davis, Fred Beck, Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden and others who don't come immediately to mind. How about Mezz Mezzrow's book Really the Blues illustrated with original lithographs by George Wettling, limited to 500 copies signed by author and illustrator? I would have paid plenty for something like that.