Cats Of Any Color: Jazz, Black And White

by Gene Lees

In a series of candid interviews with jazz players, composers, and critics, Gene Lees explores racism in the past and present of jazz—both the white racism that for decades ghettoized black musicians and their music, and the prejudice that Lees documents of some black musicians against their white counterparts. With subjects ranging from Horace Silver to Dave Brubeck to Red Rodney, and a new introduction analyzing recent developments, Cats of Any Color chronicles jazz as a multiethnic art.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, History, Jazz, Biography

246 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

About the author

Frederick Eugene John Lees (February 8, 1928 – April 22, 2010) was a Canadian music critic, biographer, lyricist, and journalist.

Lees worked as a newspaper journalist in his native Canada before moving to the United States, where he was a music critic and lyricist.

Reviews

[Bobby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good collection of interviews and essays about Jazz artists from the 50s through the 80s with a slight slant on race issues within the genre. A good book to get from the library but probably not to purchase.

[Cindy Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candid interviews with jazz greats, from Rollins to Brubeck, and tons more cats I never even knew about; discussing everything impacting their lives from the music to dealing with racial tensions. A thorough look into the jazz world. Pretty heavy reading at times.

[Chris Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gene Lees is a great perceptive writer who manages to really get to the heart of what he's writing about where other writers often only report on what happened. This examination of racism from multiple directions is a fascinating read for anyone interested in racism, jazz, or both.

[Linus Wyrsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally read this book. Gene Lees is a brilliant writer, I would recommend this book to any jazz fan/musician.