From Birdland to Broadway: Scenes from a Jazz Life

by Bill Crow

In the 1950s, New York City's Birdland was the center of the world of modern jazz--and a revelation to Bill Crow, a wet-behind-the-ears twenty-two-year-old from Washington State. Located on Broadway between 52nd and 53rd streets, the club named for the incomparable Charlie "Bird" Parker
boasted lifesize photo murals of modern jazzmen like Dizzy Gillespie, Lennie Tristano, and, of course, Bird himself, looming large against jet black walls. Exotic live birds perched in cages behind the bar. The midget master of ceremonies, 3'9" Pee Wee Marquette, dressed in a zoot suit and loud tie,
smoked huge cigars and screeched mispronounced introductions into the microphone. And the jazz-struck young Crow would park in the bleachers till 4 am, blissfully enveloped by the heady music of Bird, Bud Powell, Max Roach, and a host of other jazz giants.
From Birdland to Broadway is an enthralling insider's account of four decades of a life in jazz. Bill Crow, journeyman bass player, superb storyteller, and author of the successful Jazz Anecdotes , here narrates many moving and delightful tales of the pioneers of modern jazz he played with and was
befriended by. We find Dizzy Gillespie, with whom Crow, because of prior commitments, regretfully declined steady work, dancing at the Royal Roost, Stan Getz sadly teetering on the brink of losing himself to drugs, and Harry Belafonte (known then as "the Cinderella Gentleman") running a lunch
counter in New York's Sheridan Square between music dates. And we also witness many of the highlights of Crow's career, such as in 1955 when the Marian McPartland Trio (with Crow on bass) was named "Small Group of the Year" by Metronome ; Crow playing with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet at venues like
Storyville in Boston and Harlem's Apollo Theater (where they appeared with Dinah Washington); and the tour of the Soviet Union with Benny Goodman, a journey that might have been a high point of Crow's travels abroad but was marred by Goodman's legendary mistreatment of his band.
Moving beyond jazz clubs to the Broadway concert pit and a variety of studio gigs in the '60s, Crow encounters actors such as Yul Brynner and pop-rock acts like Simon and Garfunkel. From the great to the near-great, from Billie Holiday to Judy Holliday, Bill Crow's wealth of personal anecdotes
takes the reader from Birdland, to the Half Note, to the Playboy Club, to the footlights of Broadway. This revealing book is a marvelous portrait of the jazz world, told by someone who's been there.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Biography Memoir

288 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1992

Reviews

[JDK1962 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. If you ever wondered what the life of a working jazz musician was like in New York during the latter half of the 20th century, this is the book for you. Bill Crow was a bassist (and valve trombonist, and tuba player) who played with Gerry Mulligan and a host of others, but was also a session and Broadway pit musician. The book consists of fairly short chapters on a wide variety of topics and people, and made for wonderful bedtime reading as the last thing in my day for several weeks.

[Steve Vetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I had never heard of Bill Crow and picked up this book simply because the title piqued my interest. He played with virtually everyone in the fabulous New York jazz scene back in it's heyday!! Loved it! Oh, and btw? I bought a Sal Salvador (jazz guitarist) cd just the other day and who do you think was on bass? Yep, Mr Crow himself!! Great read to reminisce over the true glory days of American jazz and the icons that made it happen.

[Graham P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anecdotal and breezy recollections by jazz journeyman bassist, Bill Crow. Besides a few mundane, antiquated puns, this is essential reading for the golden era of jazz in New York City. From Bird at a city pool, to lagging on the road with a miserly and embittered Benny Goodman, these tales tend to show the bright moments and not the hard, tragic ones. It's a celebration of one of America's truest art forms.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transports you back to 52nd Street nexus of Jazz life in the 1950s and 60s, with humor and great stories.

[Paul Secor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bassist Bill Crow has lived many stories and heard many stories over the years. He shares some of them here and you'll want to read them all.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have liked to give it 3.5 stars but went 3 instead of 4, only because it can be disjointed at times, and due to the fact that it gets confused with its own memoir/anthology of anecdotes status. Sometimes Bill Crow is telling his life story, and sometimes it is just a five page acknowledgement of a server at club he once worked at. Bill has a very pleasant voice and has some great stories, but there are parts that are less accessible if you aren't familiar with the Jazz personalities involved. Still, it is an amusing read and great if you are a jazz fan. 3.5 stars for all folks, 4 stars for people that love jazz and the world around it.