Conversations in Jazz: The Ralph J. Gleason Interviews

by Ralph J. Gleason, Toby Gleason (Editor), Ted Gioia (Foreword)

An extraordinary collection of revealing, personal interviews with fourteen jazz music legends

During his nearly forty years as a music journalist, Ralph J. Gleason recorded many in-depth interviews with some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. These informal sessions, conducted mostly in Gleason's Berkeley, California, home, have never been transcribed and published in full until now.

This remarkable volume, a must-read for any jazz fan, serious musician, or musicologist, reveals fascinating, little-known details about these gifted artists, their lives, their personas, and, of course, their music. Bill Evans discusses his battle with severe depression, while John Coltrane talks about McCoy Tyner's integral role in shaping the sound of the Coltrane quartet, praising the pianist enthusiastically. Included also are interviews with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Jon Hendricks, and the immortal Duke Ellington, plus seven more of the most notable names in twentieth-century jazz.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Mesoscope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting interviews with many of the all-time jazz greats, such as Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, and Sonny Rollins. For some reason, nearly a third of the book is occupied with interviews with all four members of The Modern Jazz Quartet, which I enjoy well enough, but I would hardly regard them as indispensable.

One thing that I found really striking is that nearly every one of these musicians gave some version of their description of their peak moments in jazz, the great moments which make the whole thing worth it, and they all describe it in nearly identical terms, including all of them qualifying that it is very rare. Horace Silver, for example, describes it like this:

"Yeah, the tighter a rhythm section is and the tighter a whole group is, when you, 'course a group can be tight but when you really hit that stride, on those certain nights when everything is cooking, the rhythm section is cohesive, everything is smooth, the horns are really wailing and I don't know, it's hard to put into words but everything seems to flow, it's like you're sailing, floating around in space, there's not no real effort to anything. It's when the rhythm is flowing your ideas seem to flow too, just everything comes out so much easier than ordinarily."

Interesting he used the word "flow," given the striking similarity between this description and the psychological concept of flow, made famous in the book of that name by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, who observed this kind of complete engagement in many high-level performers in a number of disciplines.

I liked the diversity of perspectives represented by the different subjects. Quincy Jones, for example, went deep into the economics and the strategy involved with running a jazz group, while Sonny Rollins spoke a great deal about the importance of concentration, and various kinds of concentration.

All in all, this is a fun and interesting book, and I would recommend it to any moderate jazz fan.

[Nahoa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gained a great deal of insight into legendary jazz musicians' approaches to life, travel, and composition, collaboration, and performance. For me, this book had the effect of personalizing many of my musical heroes. For example, it was compelling to read Ralph J. Gleason ask the great John Coltrane, "Are you ever satisfied with anything you've done?" then read the response, "No, not a hundred percent." (p. 8). I happen to think that Coltrane has a number of perfect solos and even albums, so I think I will forever remember his own expression of self-doubt (in true perfectionist fashion).

One problem—if I can even call it that—is that a good deal of the interview content centered around the particulars of playing and traveling with other specific musicians. That was not always engaging to read; it felt like eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends, or even two academics, speaking jargon without context. I prefer learning about artists' philosophy of art, and it's a good thing that there's a significant amount of that to balance out what I'd consider to be mundane information. For example, Gleason and Sonny Rollins had a conversation about strength of musicians' desires to "reach people," and how they have to be consistent with personal standards of excellence (pp. 165–6).

This book is both educational and quite enjoyable, so I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in classic jazz (or music history more broadly).

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's probably for the real jazz‐heads, I'd say, and I'm not one, much as I like jazz. But there's some intriguing stuff in here. Interviews with jazz legends, around 1959 and 1960, by Ralph Gleason (later of Rolling Stone Magazine fame).

I always find interviews with Coltrane frustrating. I say this with the greatest love, and my expectations and wants are on me. His music was so profound (when it hadn't gone too way out), and I'm always hungry to hear his thoughts. Words-wise, he was at his best in the liner notes to Love Supreme... and that spiritual depth is what I'm always hungry to hear coming through in interviews. But the fact is, it was his music that did the ultimate talking.

Sonny Rollins, on the other hand, was amazing in the interview in this book. So considered and intent. That's not to compare the two men - they were both absolute legends. Just an observation. I really enjoyed the Sonny Rollins interview.

The other one I'd remark on was Quincy Jones. How he knew, even in the late 1950s, exactly what he was about strategy-wise in terms of the biz and what he wanted to accomplish.

One activity I discovered relatively late in the reading process was looking up the artists on YouTube and listening to stuff. Made some discoveries that way, enhancing my appreciation of the artform all round by reading plus listening in to conversations and music.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Gleason was co-founder of the Rolling Stone magazine and also co-founder of the Monterey Jazz festival. Now here is a book with some of his interviews with a few jazz performers. I find all of these to be very good. These are much more than anything else you can get anywhere else. Most people don’t know who Bill Evans is any more and you at least get to read some of the interview. Along with Coltrane, Gillespie, Quincy Jones who most people don’t know started out as a musician. This was a good book and one that I was glad I was able to read I like music and I know all of the musicians in this book so I found it a very good read. I received this book from Netgalley.com I gave it 4 stars. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

[Jake Prest · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great, quick read involving some of the best Jazz artists ever. From singers to pianists to saxophonists to even drummers, Gleason interviewed a vast collection of Jazz legends that he thankfully recorded so that it could be shown to the world via book form. The best thing about this book is that the conversations themselves have a Jazz-like setting to them, going from one subject to another but then back to the same one in a matter of seconds. Very good.

[Caleb Sommerville · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd assortment of sometimes great and sometimes dull conversations with some well-known and obscure (to me) names in jazz.
Gleason's sparse questions were sometimes worded strangely, and the musicians' responses varied greatly in readability, but it was still enjoyable. Plus now I have a lot more musicians on my To Listen playlist.

[Volodymyr Holovatyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it, some interviews are pure gem.

[Andrew Pitkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ralph Gleason is from the golden era of Jazz Journalism. Anything he wrote or did is gold to me.

There's interviews with Trane, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, and Duke Ellington among others.

[Danny Haritan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interviews offered valuable insights, while others were generic and could have been omitted or edited down. Overall, this collection showcased some of the top jazz musicians of that era.

[Riya Ganpati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interviews more interesting than others

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

Conversations in Jazz: The Ralph Gleason Interviews

Ralph Gleason, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine and co-founder of the Monterey Jazz Festival, discovered jazz when he was a youngster recuperating from the measles, and went on to write record reviews for his college newspaper at Columbia University. Gleason launched his own music publication, “Jazz Information.” The first issue was mimeographed and mailed on 8 September 1939 from the back room of the 52nd Street Commodore Music Shop; “Jazz Information” was one of the first magazines devoted to jazz in the US. Beginning the same week as WWII, it was also WWII that temporarily suspended Gleason’s promotion of jazz.

Relocating to the West Coast after WWII, Gleason began freelancing at the SF Chronicle until he was eventually hired full time in 1950. Over the years, he saw, heard, wrote reviews on numerous musicians, knew virtually everyone and was as at ease with everyone, making these conversations more like a visit with an old friend than an interview. In 1954 Gleason bought a small house on Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, California, which is where most of these recording were made.

These recordings, these interviews remind me of some of my father’s old recorded conversations with some of his old flying buddies, they have that element of two guys, sitting around, maybe drinking a beer, smoking a cigar, just reminiscing. How music influenced their lives, and how their lives influenced their music. Some are longer than others, some were more interesting than others (to me), but all are worth reading.

Included in this book are the transcripts of the recordings made by Gleason of his conversations with: John Coltrane, Quincy Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath, Connie Kay, Sonny Rollins, “Philly” Joe Jones, Bill Evans, Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, Les McCann, Jon Hendricks

You don’t have to be a jazz enthusiast to get something out of this book; each of these stories is remarkable in their own way. Music captured though moments in time through soul-bearing conversations.

Publication Date: 27 April 2016

Many thanks to the Yale University Press, NetGalley and to Toby Gleason (Editor and also son of Ralph J. Gleason) for providing me with an advanced copy.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ralph J. Gleason was a co-founder of “Rolling Stone” magazine, but was also very hip to the jazz scene. “Conversations in Jazz” is a collection of interviews between this man and some of jazz’s greatest artists (all happen to be men). This book very helpfully provides brief introductions to the artists, not just their career highlights but what they were doing around the time of the interview. Gleason seemed to know how to catch them at interesting moments of transition, and mutual trust and respect brings out some honest, open dialogue.

These interviews are snippets, only a small part somewhere in the middle of a longer, on-going conversation. He asks questions like how they got into music, what direction they think they or their music is going in, and just lets the conversation go where it may. A notable gap in my jazz knowledge was the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), a unique all-star group with a generic title that hid any name recognition. Its members are all interviewed here, giving the group a central place in the bigger picture. John Lewis was the leader, and is admired by the other musicians, not just in the MJQ, as a pianist and composer. Milt Jackson, or “Bags” played the vibraharp and had perfect pitch, Percy Heath came to the bass in a family of musicians, and Connie Kay was their Ringo. Other musicians not interviewed here are mentioned several times. It is sometimes hard to appreciate how revolutionary individuals like Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Bud Powell were in their time, but when they shined they shined, and those are the moments that so many jazz musicians live for.

Among Gleason’s involvements was starting the Monterey Jazz Festival, which gets a few mentions. It’s funny to read words like “gassed,” roughly equal to “impressed” or “amused,” and “swingingest”. Fans of jazz, and music fans wanting to learn more about jazz, will have fun reading these historic interviews.

Note: this e-book was provided through Net Galley. For more reviews, follow my blog at http://matt-stats.blogspot.com/

[Adealey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I'm going to be the dissenting opinion on this one.

Although I am very much a jazz fan, I'll admit to have zero musical ability myself and very little musical literacy, so perhaps the interesting parts of this book zoomed right past me but I found most of the interviews simply tiresome to read.

All too often the interviews seemed to simply be long recitations of "I played here with this guy, then I played there with this other guy, and after that so-and-so left my group". Generally with no explanation of the drives behind _wanting_ to play with this guy or that guy or joining or leaving a group.

Nor with much discussion of the music itself, the structures and drives behind it.

Perhaps it is too much to expect to be able to write about music itself. Perhaps music can only be experienced and dissecting it leaves it dismembered and dead. But, if so, at least interviews with musicians could become interesting mini-biographies revealing something about the artist.

To me, this book missed almost entirely.

[Joshua]

I don’t know how to talk about jazz. I know how to talk about other passions. Heavy metal, for instance. But heavy metal is a culture I feel like an active participant in, and a culture I share with friends. I don’t have jazz friends and my participation in jazz is limited to home listening almost entirely. So I have little confidence in my ability to enter any discourse on the subject.

This is a book comprised of jazz legends, some I worship some I’ve never heard of, talking about jazz. Ralph Gleason here serves as the Marc Maron of 1960 in interviews conducted with icons in his own home. That being said, these are transcriptions and they read like transcriptions. Conversations are meant to be listened to and that’s never been more apparent to me than in reading this book.

That being said to read the words and thoughts of figures so often relegated to black and white photos and iconic album covers is exciting and humanizing and the abundant evidence of the sheer meritocracy of jazz is humbling.

Glad I read it. Would still be intimidated to talk about jazz with anyone who had read even one more book about jazz than me.

[GONZA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the people interviewed in this book were already famous, some were going to be very soon, some others were unknown to me, but I'm far from being a Jazz Expert; I found this book really enjoyable and interesting anyway, because it shows the U.S. as they used to be and the evolution not only of a type of music but of an entire nation. So why Trump now? You were doing so good.....

Alcune dei musicisti intervistati in questo libro erano giá famosi a livello mondiale, altri lo stavano diventando mentre ce ne sono un paio che non conoscevo proprio, ma io non sono assolutamente un'esperta di jazz; ho trovato comunque il libro molto interessante, perché non mostra soltanto l'evoluzione di uno stile musicale, ma mostra anche quella di un'intera nazione: gli Stati Uniti. Quidi ora viene da chiedersi come mai Trump, che stavate andando cosí bene.....

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[4cats · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the legends of jazz speak, fascinating insight into how the jazz greats approached, viewed and lived their music. John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and oh did I say JOHN COLTRANE!!!!!!! : )

[Eileen Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, eyeopening collection of interviews with the great and the good in jazz.
A must for everyone who has an interest in all forms of this genre.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Yale University Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the best interviews of jazz musicians that I've ever read. A must have for any jazz fans bookshelf

[Mark Stodghill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and must read for Jazz buffs and anyone who wants into the Artists heart and head

[Andrew P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth it just for the Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, and Philly Joe Jones interviews.