Which jazz book are you reading right now?

[Stompin at the Savoy]

7 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

Getting back to this (without wanting to derail this thread further either): The key question is: Will this allow me to download e-books in a printable file format so I can print out and make up my personal paperback-style hardcopy later on as I wish? I'd be used to that. I've done it often enough in the olden days long, long before there was such a thing as internet and OOP books (particularly foreign ones) remained inaccessible almost forever without going to totally uneconomical lengths and trouble.

Well Steve, there are many advantages to having a book as a file rather than a printed copy.  In my case, I had used progressive lenses for a few years and complained to my optometrist that it was awkward and uncomfortable trying to read through an aperture smaller than a dime at the bottom of the lenses (and having to move my head to scan the page like reading through a telescope) and asked if I could get reading glasses, whereupon he told me to buy dime store magnifying glasses.  I used those for a while but I needed such strong cheaters that I was having to hold the book very close to my face and it was a jolt every time I had to look away from the plane of the book.  Now I just blow up the text on a monitor to a size I can read comfortably without glasses.  So it's useful for people with vision issues.  But as someone else pointed out, ibooks allow you to carry thousands of books with you on a phone or tablet or kindle device (I still haven't bought a kindle device).  Another great advantage is you can do things like rapid text searches through the book, which you can't do with print.  In many cases the kindle edition of a book is far cheaper than the print version and in some cases the only practical way to obtain the book. Hundreds of thousands of books published before 1926 are available on Gutenberg.org for free.  Paperless reading saves energy, reduces logging of forests, and reduces traffic.  I could go on enumerating advantages but I think that's enough. 

It seems to me that your question - how do I turn electronic books into paper - misses the whole point of having electronic books.  Printing electronic books negates the whole purpose of an electronic book. If what you want is a paper book, buy a paper book, don't buy an electronic book and then jump through awkward and expensive hoops to turn it into paper.  This is kind of like complaining that using soap to clean your body doesn't allow you to reconstitute the dirt and put it back on your body!

Edited December 11, 2022 by Stompin at the Savoy

[Bluesnik]

I'm with this fascinating book right now. On chaps. 1 and 2. When the diaspora from the rural South to the northern cities made the beginning of a musical movement possible. And how in the 50s after bebop, Detroit had a very vital scene that even nurtured cities as NY. Congratulations for this work Mark Stryker. And I'm only just at the beginning. But it looks very promising. By the way, I have a Savoy album called Jazzmen Detroit. With Flanagan, Adams, Chambers, Burrell and Clarke. Who is omitted from the cover because he was not a detroitian, as I've said before. But I read in the book that it was precisely him who organized the session. This has me seeking out other music books about the city, like Before Motown. Very good the Elvin Jones shot from the cover.

 

Edited December 11, 2022 by Bluesnik

[ghost of miles]

Starting:

[EKE BBB]

1 minute ago, ghost of miles said:

Starting:

Same here! Kindle edition.

[Peter Friedman]

Looking forward to reviews of this book from those now reading it.

[jlhoots]

1 hour ago, ghost of miles said:

Starting:

Ordered

[Big Beat Steve]

On 12/11/2022 at 5:13 PM, Stompin at the Savoy said:

Well Steve, there are many advantages to having a book as a file rather than a printed copy.  In my case, I had used progressive lenses for a few years and complained to my optometrist that it was awkward and uncomfortable trying to read through an aperture smaller than a dime at the bottom of the lenses (and having to move my head to scan the page like reading through a telescope) and asked if I could get reading glasses, whereupon he told me to buy dime store magnifying glasses.  I used those for a while but I needed such strong cheaters that I was having to hold the book very close to my face and it was a jolt every time I had to look away from the plane of the book.  Now I just blow up the text on a monitor to a size I can read comfortably without glasses.  So it's useful for people with vision issues.  But as someone else pointed out, ibooks allow you to carry thousands of books with you on a phone or tablet or kindle device (I still haven't bought a kindle device).  Another great advantage is you can do things like rapid text searches through the book, which you can't do with print.  In many cases the kindle edition of a book is far cheaper than the print version and in some cases the only practical way to obtain the book. Hundreds of thousands of books published before 1926 are available on Gutenberg.org for free.  Paperless reading saves energy, reduces logging of forests, and reduces traffic.  I could go on enumerating advantages but I think that's enough. 

It seems to me that your question - how do I turn electronic books into paper - misses the whole point of having electronic books.  Printing electronic books negates the whole purpose of an electronic book. If what you want is a paper book, buy a paper book, don't buy an electronic book and then jump through awkward and expensive hoops to turn it into paper.  This is kind of like complaining that using soap to clean your body doesn't allow you to reconstitute the dirt and put it back on your body!

What you say may be true on a GENERAL level but is totally out of focus of what I am aiming at.

Even disregarding the fact that the idea of having to read this kind of long, long text on a stupidphone would raise REAL issues not only with my reading habits but above all with MY eyes (and as for full-blown screens - see my earlier post on this), I am and remain geared towards PRINTED PAPER books for those that are keepers and not just casual entertainment literature to occupy your idle hours.

E-books in the fields where books I buy are keepers would only and always only be stopgap solutions in those cases where the corresponding printed book simply does not exist. (E.g. as would be the case IIRC with a recently-published e-book-only book on Teddy Weatherford)

As for the effort required and allegedly "awkward and expensive hoops" - not so ... I do have the equipment and stamina to do that (once the printout stage has been taken care of) and it is not awkward to me one bit - but rather a creative process, a bit like in the bookbinding trade 😄. In fact I did this often many years ago (before the advent of anything like internet or easily accessible international selling platforms) when long-OOP books on niche subjects were virtually unobtainable unless a library had a copy which you were able to run through a photocopier. Which I often did back in the day (and a.o. my copy of "Jazz Masters of the 40s" - 1966 edition - still sits on my shelf as a homemade paperback based on a photocopy of the entire book I made in 1982 or so. And in other archiving/reference fields this has enabled me to complete missing copies in runs of long-OOP magazines/programs a.o. in a very non-awkward way).  In the same manner, turning printouts into paperbacks would be no big deal to me either. So I suggest you leave the judgment of what is feasible and worth doing to me.  😉
What is more, as for "negating" the purpose of e-books, YOU are missing the point about BOOKS, I feel. There are people (and I guess I am not the only one) who insist on BUYING their books and are willing to pay but feel they are being cheated all the way if they are being coaxed into getting access to e-books only through "paying for a license" instead of actual ownership. Particularly since this license, as the past has shown, is revokable so in the long run you risk having paid for exactly .. nothing (and see the "soap" you seem to like so much 😄 slip through your fingers !) And in many cases even the price difference between e-books and the real thing isn't big enough to warrant this temporary license always dependent on external power sources.

So we'll just have to agree to disagree. Different strokes ...
 

 

4 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Starting:

Ordered one too. Printed version. At 35 EUR for the eternally keepable real thing vs 20 EUR for a kindle license-only read the choice was a no-brainer to me. 😉

Edited December 12, 2022 by Big Beat Steve

[Stompin at the Savoy]

44 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

What you say may be true on a GENERAL level but is totally out of focus of what I am aiming at.

Even disregarding the fact that the idea of having to read this kind of stuff on a stupidphone would raise REAL issues not only with my reading habits but above all with MY eyes (and as for full-blown screens - see my earlier post on this), I am and remain geared towards PRINTED PAPER books for those that are keepers and not just casual entertainment literature to occupy your idle hours.

E-books in the field where books I buy are keepers would only and always only be stopgap solutions in those cases where the corresponding printed book simply does not exist. (E.g. as would be the case IIRC with a recently-published e-book-only book on Teddy Weatherford)

As for the effort requirted and allegedly "awkward and expensive hoops" - not so ... I do have the equipment and stamina to do that (once the printout stage has been taken care of) and it is not awkward to me one bit - but rather a creative process, a bit like in the bookbinding trade 😄. In fact I did this often many years ago (before the advent of anything like internet or easily accessible international selling platforms) when long-OOP books on niche subjects (particularly if foreign publications) were virtually unobtainable unless a library had a copy which you were able to run through a photocopier. Which I often did back in the day (and a.o. my copy of "Jazz Masters of the 40s" - 1966 edition - still sits on my shelf as a homemade paperback based on a photocopy of the entire book I made in 1982 or so. And in other archiving/reference fields this has enabled me to complete runs of long-OOP magazines/programs a.o. in a very non-awkward way).  In the same manner, turning printouts into paperbacks would be no big deal to me either. So I suggest you leave the judgment of what is feasible and worth doing to me.  😉
What is more, as for "negating" the purpose of e-books, YOU are missing the point about BOOKS, I feel. There are people (and I guess I am not the only one) who insist on BUYING their books and are willing to pay but feel they are being cheated all the way if they are being coaxed into getting access to e-books only through "paying for a license" instead of actual ownership. Particularly since this license, as the past has shown, is revokable so in the long run you risk having paid for exactly .. nothing (and see the "soap" you seem to like so much 😄 slip through your fingers ! And in many cases even the price difference between e-books and the real thing isn't big enough to warrant this temporary license always dependent on external power sources.

So we'll just have to agree to disagree. Different strokes ...
 

 

Ordered one too. Printed version. At 35 EUR for the eternally keepable real thing vs 20 EUR for a kindle license-only read the choice was a no-brainer to me. 😉

Steve, Steve, Stevarino!  This is not a battle of printed books against digital books!  I'll be seventy in a few months and have been collecting paper books all my life.  I have so many I have to keep most of them in a storage locker the size of a one car garage.  Somebody saying that digital books can help people with visual issues is not a challenge to you and your decision to avoid them.  Relax, ok?  Nobody is trying to convert you.  Remember the old saying: don't knock it if you haven't tried it?

[Big Beat Steve]

6 minutes ago, Stompin at the Savoy said:

Steve, Steve, Stevarino!  This is not a battle of printed books against digital books!  I'll be seventy in a few months and have been collecting paper books all my life.  I have so many I have to keep most of them in a storage locker the size of a one car garage.  Somebody saying that digital books can help people with visual issues is not a challenge to you and your decision to avoid them.  Relax, ok?  Nobody is trying to convert you.  Remember the old saying: don't knock it if you haven't tried it?

Point taken. 😉I tried it. With a colleague's Kindle. Albeit briefly. Yet underwhelmed.

So .. to brighten things up on a calmer note, check this below for your amusement (skip the ad if it displays). Even though German and not English, the punch line should be obvious ("lady sooo overjoyed with the happy ending of the book she just finished", and then ... 😄).

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Big Beat Steve

[Stompin at the Savoy]

A device like she has there isn't much use to me.  I'm trying to blow the text up on a large screen.  That thing or a phone - the screen is so small that once I've blown up the text size I have to scroll all the time.  So those are useless to me.  I'm sure they are great for people with better vision than I have.  Kindle on Ipad works ok for me in a pinch.  The screen is big enough to work pretty well.  I mainly use kindle with pc and monitor.

OK, been derailing this too much so my final remarks on this topic:

I think maybe we are talking about different things here.  You are considering the kindle device and some issues surrounding the kindle/Amazon ecosphere. And there are significant issues, I'll allow.  Of course you can always use the Kindle for PC reader independently of Amazon to read public domain books in kindle format from Gutenberg.org and elsewhere.  From a PC point of view this is simply another format, like Adobe Acrobat.

I am talking about accessibility.  I am now in the 'large type' stage of life though I have never bought any large print books.  I have found that I can turn any digital book into a large type book with the perfect size print to read without glasses by displaying them on a large monitor.  I even photograph Mosaic booklets so I can read them blown up on a monitor.

Edited December 12, 2022 by Stompin at the Savoy

[jlhoots]

FWIW, I don't use an e-reader either. Not political, just a personal choice. Oh - & BTW I'm "old"!!

[Ken Dryden]

I just got through with assembling an index for Con Chapman's excellent upcoming book Kansas City Jazz: A Little Evil Will Do You Good. I believe that it is due out in March.

Like his terrific Johnny Hodges biography, Kansas City Jazz is very well researched and flows well. Many lesser known names are discussed, in addition to Bennie Moten, Lester Young, Count Basie, Mary Lou Williams, Pete Johnson, Joe Turner, etc.

On 12/12/2022 at 2:48 PM, jlhoots said:

FWIW, I don't use an e-reader either. Not political, just a personal choice. Oh - & BTW I'm "old"!!

I won an e-reader in a drawing about 10 or so years ago. I downloaded one book preview, then bought the book itself. I've never used it since and I'm not sure where the charging cord is for it. It would be great if I had a lot of reading to do on planes, but I still have lots of room for book storage for now, as HutchFan can verify.

[Peter Friedman]

I was highly skeptical of eBooks for many years. A friend had a Kindle reader and was thrilled with it but I was unconvinced.

Eventually I did decide to try some eBooks and read them on my iPad. I began to find them a good way to go, especially for novels that I had no need to keep. The iPad is, for me a bit heavy to hold when reading in bed which I do regularly before going to sleep.

I discovered that a Kindle reader was very inexpensive compared to tablets and phones. I then bought one for about $125.

It is very lightweight, much lighter than most books, tablets and phones. Font and brightness can be easily adjusted, and one can store a huge number of books in the Kindle library.

Though I will still read certain books in the traditional form, the   large majority of my reading of books is on my Kindle Reader. In truth I have completely become a strong believer that reading books this way is wonderful. It is especially great for travel. I don't travel constantly, but do spend a month or so out of town during the hot Arizona summer as well as visiting my family in Chicago for a week or so during the year. In the past I had to take a large stack of books with me when traveling, now my lightweight Kindle Reader has become the ideal solution.

There will be a modest number of books unavailable as eBooks, or some I want to keep on a shelf for future reference. But most of my reading are novels that I have no need to have stacked on shelves and never returned to again.

Finally, there is now the option to share the Kindle library with my wife. So she can on her iPad read any books in my Kindle library and vice versa, 

 

[BFrank]

12 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

I was highly skeptical of eBooks for many years. A friend had a Kindle reader and was thrilled with it but I was unconvinced.

Eventually I did decide to try some eBooks and read them on my iPad. I began to find them a good way to go, especially for novels that I had no need to keep. The iPad is, for me a bit heavy to hold when reading in bed which I do regularly before going to sleep.

I discovered that a Kindle reader was very inexpensive compared to tablets and phones. I then bought one for about $125.

It is very lightweight, much lighter than most books, tablets and phones. Font and brightness can be easily adjusted, and one can store a huge number of books in the Kindle library.

Though I will still read certain books in the traditional form, the   large majority of my reading of books is on my Kindle Reader. In truth I have completely become a strong believer that reading books this way is wonderful. It is especially great for travel. I don't travel constantly, but do spend a month or so out of town during the hot Arizona summer as well as visiting my family in Chicago for a week or so during the year. In the past I had to take a large stack of books with me when traveling, now my lightweight Kindle Reader has become the ideal solution.

There will be a modest number of books unavailable as eBooks, or some I want to keep on a shelf for future reference. But most of my reading are novels that I have no need to have stacked on shelves and never returned to again.

Finally, there is now the option to share the Kindle library with my wife. So she can on her iPad read any books in my Kindle library and vice versa, 

 

I've been using a Kindle for several years. They're great for travelling and also reading in bed, especially if you have a partner -  you don't have to turn on the light.

Great for space-saving, too. I rarely buy text-only books any more.

[Ken Dryden]

[Ken Dryden]

I just finished this book, though I felt like a few topics were either truncated in the editing or that Gerry Mulligan shared what he wanted to and moved on.

I do think that Ken Poston did a great job with the editing and letting Mulligan speak for himself.

Edited December 31, 2022 by Ken Dryden
Typo caused by auto correct

[Gheorghe]

I had purchased this some decades ago, I think it was shortly after Chet´s death. 

Mr. Lothar Lewien is a remarkable writer and his stories about the concerts he saw are great ! 

You almost can imagine those days in the best jazzclub of Berlin, with greats like Tete Montoliu, Peter Trunk and Joe Nay, Chet´s performances after his comeback in the late 70´s and 80´s . 

Mr. Lewien has a wonderful way to express his feelings as a young boy who just felt in love the the sound of Chet´s trumpet, and that this music was his best friend. 

He must have been a very very sensible guy too, with soft feelings. 
I recognized myself in the boy who fell in love with Jazz, in my case it was Miles, Mingus, Trane, Ornette Coleman and back to the bop stars. 
I also had an inner contemplative side, but outside I think I was not as soft as Mr. Lewien, more with a rauncious side of a hot blooded youngster. But this personality of Mr. Lewien  is the stuff that makes good books. 
So, it´s a wonderful book and I enjoy reading it again. 

[Big Beat Steve]

1 hour ago, Gheorghe said:

...

Mr. Lothar Lewien is a remarkable writer and his stories about the concerts he saw are great ! 

...

So, it´s a wonderful book and I enjoy reading it again. 

You are lucky this is a book that was originally written in German. So the author's writing style (whatever and however it is) comes across as intended.
Hannibal has published a huge lot of music biographies but is fairly notorious for rushing out translated versions that are ho-hum to read in their German translations.  Music matters are no easy subject at all to translate properly and with an insider's feel from English into German but this is no excuse for awkward, stiff and convoluted wordings that just "don't sound".
Their German version of Sally Placksin's "Women In Jazz" reads rather well but i was definitely underwhelmed by their Woody Herman and Dexter Gordon bios.
 

[Gheorghe]

17 hours ago, Big Beat Steve said:

You are lucky this is a book that was originally written in German. So the author's writing style (whatever and however it is) comes across as intended.
Hannibal has published a huge lot of music biographies but is fairly notorious for rushing out translated versions that are ho-hum to read in their German translations.  Music matters are no easy subject at all to translate properly and with an insider's feel from English into German but this is no excuse for awkward, stiff and convoluted wordings that just "don't sound".
Their German version of Sally Placksin's "Women In Jazz" reads rather well but i was definitely underwhelmed by their Woody Herman and Dexter Gordon bios.
 

Yes, written in the original language is always the best. I´m really moved by the writing style of Mr. Lewien, but must admit I don´t know much about him. I googled him, and obviously he died a few years ago. 

Another book, somehow similar in the way it was written, was the original "Dance of the Infidels" in French, written by Francis Paudras. I never had the english translation, I had the french book as soon as it came out. Same like Lewien, Paudras had that sensible side and idolized Bud from a very early age on. The only thing that I observed is that Paudras obviously was very naive about the really purposes of Bud´s comback in NY. I think he really thought that Oscar Goodstein is just a "Gutmensch" who want´s to help Bud, but the truth was so obvious. How could a businessman think other than wanting to make money out of it. For him, sending a check to cover Bud´s hospital and sanatorium stay was just an invest thing, to get him healthy and than get the money back from the earns and make a profite. Francis was "lost" in N.Y. An thinking that he could change an erratic alcoolic but genius piano player to live a model citizen life without booze also was illusory. Francis somehow was a commercial artist with very bourgois background, he might have been a precedessor of what nowadays is called the "Bobos" we have here in Viena in the 7th and 8th district (called "Bobostan"). 

[sidewinder]

Enjoying working my way through this one. It is well written and Alyn has had some really unique experiences as both a musician and publishing specialist to get to know many musicians over the years, starting with the New Orleans veterans in the 1970s that he got to know as a young bass player. Fascinating and unique experiences !

Interesting to hear of his stories concerning the touring ‘One Mo’ Time’ show in London in 1981. Remember sharing a Ronnies’ table with very young pre-Wynton Herlin Riley back then and him mentioning being in the show, his first overseas touring gig I think.

Edited December 31, 2022 by sidewinder

[Stompin at the Savoy]

[BillF]

3 hours ago, Stompin at the Savoy said:

👍

[Stompin at the Savoy]

This just arrived today.  I ordered it directly from the Village Vanguard website.  I like this band and have the Mosaic set and a few of their other early recordings. 

The book is huge and has a surprising amount of content.  Wow!  Some shots of it here.

Edited January 4, 2023 by Stompin at the Savoy

[HutchFan]

This book just arrived in the mail:

Ruminations and Reflections: The Musical Journey of Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach (Cymbal Press, 2022)

Two of my musical heroes.   

 

[Gheorghe]

On 1/15/2023 at 9:27 PM, HutchFan said:

This book just arrived in the mail:

Ruminations and Reflections: The Musical Journey of Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach (Cymbal Press, 2022)

Two of my musical heroes.   

 

They would have been scheduled here in Vienna at Porgy&Bess in early spring 2020 but due to the Pandemia that just had begun during that period, it was chancelled. What a pity since I had convinced my wife to go with me to that event, to introduce her to that fantastic musician who was one of my first live impressions back then in my teenage years. 

One of my key experiences then was "Lookout Farm" and "Drum Ode" just when Dave still was with Miles (great concert here in 1973 or 74). And the records got me acquainted to the piano- and keyboard work of Richie Beirach. I remember one of his main features was his fantastic piano work on the old standard "I´m a fool to want you". He has a special kind of voicings, very very individual.