What It Is: The Life of a Jazz Artist (Studies in Jazz) Paperback – August 12, 2013

by Dave Liebman

Dave Liebman is one of the leading forces in contemporary jazz. Prominently known for performing with Miles Davis and Elvin Jones, he has exerted considerable influence as a saxophonist, bandleader, composer, author, and educator. In What It The Life of a Jazz Artist, friend, pianist, and noted jazz scholar Lewis Porter conducts a series of in-depth interviews with Liebman, who discusses his professional, personal, and musical relationships with notable musicians, as well as such personal matters as contracting polio as a child. Featuring rare photos from Liebman's personal collection, this fascinating and witty story will not only appeal to jazz fans and scholars but also to those readers interested in the story of how a young man followed his dream to become one of the leading jazz artists of our time.

Genres: Music

Paperback

First published March 15, 2012

Reviews

[Dan Charnas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read this extended conversation with Dave Liebman, I've come to appreciate the man, the musician, and the teacher that he is.
I had been listening to My Goal's Beyond, a favorite LP which was purchased when it was released, and I recalled that Dave played on it. I didn't know much about his subsequent career, and when I googled him and discovered that he had authored several books, I decided to try "What It Is."
In addition to discovering so much about Dave, I learned a great deal about his influences, about the travails of a jazz musician and, through his eyes, about the progression of jazz during his lifetime.
His dedication and his contributions to his art are extraordinary, and his life story has been captured in a relaxed, informal conversational format by Lew Porter, himself a musician, too.
If you are "into" jazz, you might enjoy this book as much as I did - and I liked it a lot.