What jazz artists need to be written about?

[Shawn]

Duke Pearson - for both his musical contributions and his "behind the scenes" work with Blue Note

Johnny Griffin

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

Edited December 7, 2011 by Shawn

[Joe]

Not a book, but i'm writing liner notes for an expanded reissue of an album by cornetist Don Joseph and hope to gather all the reliable info that can be found about this gifted but elusive musician, who was even more elusive than his good friend, the somewhat similar-in-style Tony Fruscella. Joseph doesn't even appear in Feather-Gitler.

Larry -- would this be Joseph's Uptown session? Looking forward to it, whatever it may be.

yes

Fabulous news. Wonderful session.

[BeBop]

Duke Pearson - for both his musical contributions and his "behind the scenes" work with Blue Note

Johnny Griffin

Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis

There is a Johnny Griffin biography, by Mike Hennessey. I haven't read it. But just in case you hadn't come across it... Little Giant --> http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/10926399/used/The%20Little%20Giant%3A%20The%20Story%20of%20Johnny%20Griffin

[EKE BBB]

Luckey Roberts... although I'm afraid that all the research carried out by Tom Roberts with Luckey's grand-granddaughter has been put aside and no bio is coming

[jostber]

Some bios that I would want to read:

- Buster Smith and the Tenor Sax sound with stories of playing with Lester Young and being a mentor for Charlie Parker

- Jack Teagarden from the early days to the final great Verve albums

- Oscar Pettiford as a leader and sideman

[Niko]

here are some remembrances of Don Joseph by trumpeter Mike Morreale who could certainly tell more (there are also clips of the two on youtube...)

http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/siloh/featured/michael-morreale/

contact info

http://www.csi.cuny.edu/faculty/MORREALE_MICHAEL.html

Edited December 12, 2011 by Niko

[king ubu]

Not a book, but i'm writing liner notes for an expanded reissue of an album by cornetist Don Joseph and hope to gather all the reliable info that can be found about this gifted but elusive musician, who was even more elusive than his good friend, the somewhat similar-in-style Tony Fruscella. Joseph doesn't even appear in Feather-Gitler.

Larry -- would this be Joseph's Uptown session? Looking forward to it, whatever it may be.

yes

Fabulous news. Wonderful session.

That's indeed good news! Got the LP but if there'll be some additional music on the CD, I'll go for it!

[David Ayers]

There is a book in the works that will deal with the history of jazz in Europe. It is being written by numerous authorities. This was reported to me by Francesco Martinelli when he gave a presentation on European jazz 1970-2000 a few months ago. Don't know about the language(s).

Mike

Um - did this book ever appear?

[Face of the Bass]

Evan Parker

Peter Brotzmann

Paul Chambers

[David Ayers]

I was considering doing a bio of Parker but couldn't quite imagine how it would go. I guess I can't quite think how I would find time/will/purpose/funding to do one now, but you never know.

[Steve Reynolds]

Han Bennink

Misha Mengelberg

Peter Brotzmann

Evan Parker

Peter Kowald

Joe Maneri

John Stevens

all had or still have amazing musical lives

[Face of the Bass]

Well, it would be wonderful if it happened. A year ago I toyed with the idea of starting to do research on a Paul Chambers biography, but other projects got in the way and it never took off.

IMO, though, the European Free Improvisation scene of the last 40 years really needs an authoritative account in English. Heffley's Northern Sun, Southern Moon is interesting in parts, although I don't agree with much of his analysis and think the book is more an intellectual exercise than a proper history of the EFI movement.

Han Bennink

Misha Mengelberg

Peter Brotzmann

Evan Parker

Peter Kowald

Joe Maneri

John Stevens

all had or still have amazing musical lives

I agree with this. And of course writing a book on a deceased figure is a different kind of project than writing one on a musician who is still very much active and evolving.

[David Ayers]

IMO, though, the European Free Improvisation scene of the last 40 years really needs an authoritative account in English. Heffley's Northern Sun, Southern Moon is interesting in parts, although I don't agree with much of his analysis and think the book is more an intellectual exercise than a proper history of the EFI movement.

I agree that such a history needs writing. It also needs to be done while there are still enough people left to interview. Individual biographies are a difficult genre and a lot of time is spent documenting things important for the life but less important for artistic/musical/literary history. Such a history, even a preliminary one which does little more than draw together already published sources (magazines etc) could be very useful, and of course the discography is taken care of to a very large degree by Peter Stubley at efi.

[clifford_thornton]

I'd love to read something like that, too.

[Larry Kart]

Don't know if it's been mentioned above, but a Don Byas critical biography might be very interesting if done by the right person. Certainly an intriguing guy who lived an intriguing life, and a great player of vast importance (though that last has been somewhat forgotten).

[EKE BBB]

Don't know if it's been mentioned above, but a Don Byas critical biography might be very interesting if done by the right person. Certainly an intriguing guy who lived an intriguing life, and a great player of vast importance (though that last has been somewhat forgotten).

Larry:

Our colleague C.J. Hazevoet compiled a very detailed and thoroughly researched two-part discography/sessionography of Don Byas, as the starting point for an ongoing and wider Byas project, which in his own words, "in due course will hopefully result in a comprehensive work on the tenorist’s ‘Life and Work’".

I'm proud of having modestly contributed with some research on the months Don Byas stayed in Spain.

Best regards,

Agustín