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Jazzmen
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 27, 2011
My sweet mom gave me this book back around 1974, when I was a teenager getting into jazz. I enjoyed it at the time, although even then I knew that it was somewhat "historical" - it was one of the first American books on jazz, published in 1939. So I decided to reread it this summer.
It took me a long time to get through the book this time. Jazzmen has not worn well. The enthusiasm of the various authors - Frederic Ramsey, William Russell, Charles Edward Smith, Otis Ferguson, Wilbur Hobson, and Roger Pryor Dodge are among those who contributed chapters - comes through, but the book is pretty worthless as a piece of scholarship. I was particularly disappointed with William Russell, whose contributions to jazz through the recordings he made for his American Music label and other labels are extremely important. But at the time Jazzmen was being written, he had discovered Bunk Johnson, the semi-legendary New Orleans trumpeter who had been retired for seven years in 1939. Russell pretty much accepted whatever Bunk said at face value - Bunk had played with Buddy Bolden; Bunk taught Louis Armstrong. In his chapter on Armstrong, Russell attributes various aspects of Louis' style to Bunk's tutelage. What makes this so frustrating is that Russell couldn't have possibly heard Bunk in 1939 - Johnson didn't record until 1942, and hadn't played trumpet since 1932.
Jazzmen is valuable as a historical document: this is what the best critical minds thought about jazz in 1939. And Charles Edward Smith's chapter on New Orleans musicians in 1939 is fascinating to me, who loves that city and its musicians so much. But for the most part, take this book with more than a grain of salt.
It took me a long time to get through the book this time. Jazzmen has not worn well. The enthusiasm of the various authors - Frederic Ramsey, William Russell, Charles Edward Smith, Otis Ferguson, Wilbur Hobson, and Roger Pryor Dodge are among those who contributed chapters - comes through, but the book is pretty worthless as a piece of scholarship. I was particularly disappointed with William Russell, whose contributions to jazz through the recordings he made for his American Music label and other labels are extremely important. But at the time Jazzmen was being written, he had discovered Bunk Johnson, the semi-legendary New Orleans trumpeter who had been retired for seven years in 1939. Russell pretty much accepted whatever Bunk said at face value - Bunk had played with Buddy Bolden; Bunk taught Louis Armstrong. In his chapter on Armstrong, Russell attributes various aspects of Louis' style to Bunk's tutelage. What makes this so frustrating is that Russell couldn't have possibly heard Bunk in 1939 - Johnson didn't record until 1942, and hadn't played trumpet since 1932.
Jazzmen is valuable as a historical document: this is what the best critical minds thought about jazz in 1939. And Charles Edward Smith's chapter on New Orleans musicians in 1939 is fascinating to me, who loves that city and its musicians so much. But for the most part, take this book with more than a grain of salt.
March 23, 2014
The book was written in 1939 and at times reads like an extended contemporary magazine as far as tone and language goes. It is a charming though very specific book. Because of its esoteric nature it is not really a read for any one who has no real great love for Jazz.
I found that this book is best read over time, with some Cole Porter, George Gershwin or Benny Goodman playing after having watched an episode or two of Ken Burns' gorgeous 'Jazz' series.
55 %
I found that this book is best read over time, with some Cole Porter, George Gershwin or Benny Goodman playing after having watched an episode or two of Ken Burns' gorgeous 'Jazz' series.
55 %
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews