Mezzrow/Really the Blues

[AllenLowe]

The Tablet, the on-line mag, has asked me to do a piece on Mezzrow and his book Really the Blues; I hadn't looked at it years, and, re-reading it now, I am absolutely amazed at how good it is, for many reasons -

1) the writing is fine - probably helped by Bernard Wolfe, an excellent novelist and fascinating guy himself -

2) the historical importance - think of it; here we have a very reliable witness to jazz at the beginning; Mezzrow was born in 1899 and was exposed to African American musical and instrumental styles as early as 1915 - and his reports of song and stanzas are extremely significant (he quotes one odd, pre-blues couplet that is near the blues form but not quite - tantalyzing) - also his reference to early black musician friends going ont he road in circuses; his apparent witnessing of the Original Creole band or some offshoot (with Keppard) as well as The Original Dixieland Jazz band.

this is an amazing piece of literature, social autobiography, maybe, and has a lot to say on race (and there are some weird but difficult-to-figure out references to early white cabaret/blues singers which are completely unique and which demand further research) -

I recommend this book.

Edited August 16, 2012 by AllenLowe

[BeBop]

Absolutely agree. A fundamentally honest book (I think), punctuated by apparent ornamental lies (exaggerations, et cetera)

[Big Beat Steve]

So how do all of you tell the REALLY honest sections from the (personally imagined to be) honest (but in fact overly embellished/exaggeratged) sections that demand a grain of salt?

Because if you are able to tell ALL of them apart then the book won't tell you anything new since you know all the historical background and detail by heart. Likely ... ?

[Larry Kart]

I vaguely recall an account from Dan Morgenstern or someone with similar knowledge and stature of Mezz's vast fabrications in "Really the Blues." The conclusion was that the book is essentially a work of fiction.

[jazzbo]

No matter how factual, I think this is a fascinating work that I will read again soon. Allen, I know you'll do a great piece, please let us know where and when it's in print.

[AllenLowe]

I don't agree about the general veracity because the book corrobrates a lot of things I have learned since the first time I read it - the more I learned about those early pre-Jazz years, the more it matches the things Mezz says. Even the pre-blues stanza he quotes sounds, to me, that it had to have come from pre-1920; and I don't think Mezz could have been aware of this from any other source in 1946; nobody was talking about that stuff in that way.

It is possible that some of the reform school stuff is fiction - I don't know - but to me the musical observations just add up. In that sense it may be the the prequel to Beneath The Underdog -

Edited August 16, 2012 by AllenLowe

[Harold_Z]

I agree with Lon and Allen. There are plenty of interesting musical observations. Mezz's exaggerations are mainly concerning himself. When he is speaking of music he is interesting and informative.

I still have the old Signet paperback edition but the pages are falling out. I recently bought a new hard cover copy at Barnes and Noble. I think it is their own printing and I found it in the same area where low priced hardcover copies of classics are kept.

[johnlitweiler]

A few years ago I finally found and read a Bernard Wolfe novel (Dan Morgenstern has recommended his writing) - one of those silly books where the opinionated narrator stays drunk from begin to end. But when I was 11 or 12 Really The Blues was one of the first books about jazz that I read. It still makes a great story, with a lot of truth in it even though Mezz comes across as a magnificent bullshitter.

[Chuck Nessa]

Speaking of magnificent bullshitters (maybe that's too harsh), I should dig out my tapes of Bud Freeman (discussing Chicago jazz in the twenties) made in my living room. He is pretty harsh with Mez, Red McKenzie and Goodman (as expected).

[Larry Kart]

Chuck -- Remember the time that Bud and an all-star band that included Al Cohn was playing at the Blackstone in the largish ballroom on the other side of the hall from the Jazz Showcase? Afterwards Al mentioned that the reason during his solos Bud quite oddly played facing almost directly to the left side of the room rather than facing forward toward the audience was that the left side of the room was almost completely covered by a large mirror in which Bud could see himself.