Jazz artists mentioned in fiction.

[Michael Weiss]

Henning Mankell mentions Lars Gullin in the Wallander series novel, "Before the Frost."

[Chuck Nessa]

Good catch and good memory.

[Ted O'Reilly]

Jay McShann appears in Elmore Leonard's "The Hot Kid" (2005). Even talks with the main character Carl Webster if I remember correctly.

[Larry Kart]

In Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels, Harry often listens to Art Pepper and Frank Morgan recordings.

[Chuck Nessa]

Harry must be a junkie.

[JSngry]

Otherwise it would be Bud Shank...

[mikeweil]

There is an experimental novel by German author Hartmut Geerken (who also played music, IIRC), Obduktionsprotokoll, in which a concert by the Sun Ra Arkestra in Cairo plays a central role.

Oh, and I remember a Swedish erotic short story where a teacher seduces a student to the music of the Bill Evans trio with Scott La Faro ...

[Larry Kart]

Harry must be a junkie.

He's an LAPD homicide detective.

[Chuck Nessa]

Harry must be a junkie.

He's an LAPD homicide detective.

So....

[David Gitin]

Among the musicians Kerouac mentions are Allen Eager (in "The Subterraneans" under the pseudonym "Roger Beloit"), Richie Kamuca (in the same place, K spells it "Ricci Commuca"), Shearing (in "On the Road") Getz and Warne Marsh (in "Desolation Angels"), Miles Davis (in "Mexico City Blues") and, perhaps above all and most intimately, Brew Moore (in "Desolation Angels" -- K calls him "Brue").

He also speaks of following Lee Konitz and wondering what it would be to BE Lee.

[colinmce]

If I'm not mistaken the writers of the film version of THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY inserted jazz into the narrative. Matt Damon does a pretty cringey Chet Baker impersonation and carries around Bird and Dizzy Savoy 12"ers, alongside Chet Baker Sings and, erm, Complete Communion (the story is set in the mid-to-late fifties).

[johnlitweiler]

"Up Above The World:" by Paul Bowles has a scene in which two couples (predators and victims) sitting in a living room listening to a Cecil Taylor record is an extremely decadent activity.

Bowles is as persistently sadistic as Mickey Spillane and up to a point, more effective.

[Chuck Nessa]

Bunch of them in "Beneath the Underdog" and a bunch more in other "tomes."

[johnlitweiler]

Oh, and "Mojo Snake Minuet" includes some references to jazz artists.

Oh, and "Mojo Snake Minuet" includes some references to jazz artists.

[Chuck Nessa]

Oh, and "Mojo Snake Minuet" includes some references to jazz artists.

Really?

Fascinating book. Thanks.

[medjuck]

Many of Josef Skvorecky's books mention jazz musicians by name-- most from the pre-bop era.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

In Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels, Harry often listens to Art Pepper and Frank Morgan recordings.

Michael Connelly's latest Harry Bosch novel, The Black Box, takes Connely's/Bosch's love for Jazz to a new level. Not only does he listen to the latest Art Pepper live CDs put out by his widow, he even mentions the label by name and describes in detail which tracks he really likes. Let's put it this way, I'm buying Art Pepper: Unreleased Art Vol. III, Croydon Concert because of his write up.

Harry Bosch also gets into a little challenge with another character to see if they can name a Jazz artist that the other hasn't heard of. Harry's pretty bad at it, naming somewhat well-known names like Gary Smulyan and Grace Kelly. The other guy comes up with Danny Grissette (singling out his recent CD Form and the track Let's Face The Music And Dance) & Michael Formanek.

It was pretty fun to read this one just for these Jazz mentions. They're sprinkled throughout.

Later,

Kevin

[AllenLowe]

Dave Gitin - years ago I told Dick Katz about the episode in Kerouac where he follows Konitz and imagines being him - Katz told Konitz, who was quite weirded out.

Edited December 8, 2012 by AllenLowe

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Michael Moorcock mentions - of all things - John Patton's 'Fat Judy' in 'The entropy tango'. That was 1981 - a couple of years before Acid Jazz became fashionable in Britain.

MG

[Peter Friedman]

Author Bill Moody has written a number of mysteries all focused on jazz musicians such as Wardell Gray, Chet Baker and others.

[BFrank]

If I'm not mistaken the writers of the film version of THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY inserted jazz into the narrative. Matt Damon does a pretty cringey Chet Baker impersonation and carries around Bird and Dizzy Savoy 12"ers, alongside Chet Baker Sings and, erm, Complete Communion (the story is set in the mid-to-late fifties).

One more anachronism if I remember correctly. There's one scene where you see a stack of records in his apartment and the one on top is Miles' "Tutu".

Edited December 10, 2012 by BFrank

[BillF]

Looks like we've moved on to movies, so I'll just mention Conte Candoli's brief walk on part as the mysterious Club Silencio trumpeter in David Lynch's Mullholland Drive

:

[paul secor]

Curtis Fuller's "Five Spot After Dark" is mentioned in Huruki Murakami's novel After Dark.

Many jazz musicians are mentioned in Paul Pines' novel, The Tine Angel. Among them: Sheila Jordan, Lee Morgan, Ted Curson, Trane, Ornette, King Pleasure, Lloyd McNeill, Jeremy Steig, Mingus, Dolphy, Don Cherry, Robin Kenyatta, Monk, Cecil, and Joe Lee Wilson.

[jlhoots]

Jo Nesbo often references jazz & rock musicians in the Harry Hole novels.

[ejp626]

I'm pretty sure Jim Carroll namedrops jazz musicians in The Basketball Diaries, to show how hip he was even as a teenager, but I'll have to go back and check.