On The Bookshelf
Notes Of A Hanging Judge | Stanley Crouch
Notes Of A Hanging Judge: Essays and Reviews, 1979-1989 is a 1990 collection of essays by Stanley Crouch that critically examines the American Civil Rights Movement, Black culture, and politics, arguing the movement became “loco” and self-defeating despite its initial nobility. The book features sharp, often controversial, critiques of figures like Jesse Jackson and artists like Toni Morrison and Spike Lee, using a blend of insider passion and journalistic rigor to analyze the Black experience in America.
The title refers to Crouch’s role as a harsh judge of the Civil Rights Movement, similar to a pirate-turned-judge who was hard on his former comrades. The book includes essays on race relations, Black middle-class life, the Bernhard Goetz case, Black homosexuality, and profiles of leaders like Jesse Jackson.
Crouch views the Civil Rights Movement as a noble cause that became mired in self-defeating nationalism and a lack of spiritual depth, losing its original majesty. Written with a virtuosic prose style, it balances passionate involvement with a reporter’s rigor, offering unique perspectives on public issues. He covers a wide range of topics, from politics and social issues to art and travel, often focusing on the African-American experience.
Notes Of A Hanging Judge: 1990 | Stanley Crouch
Oxford University Press
On The Bookshelf
A Pictorial History Of Jazz | Orrin Keepnews & Bill Grauer Jr.
A classic photographic collection documenting jazz history, particularly up to the mid-1960s, though some note its coverage of later styles is limited. Praised for its extensive and captivating black-and-white photographs, the text may be less substantial than the images and the coverage of later jazz movements is not as thorough.
The book is often described as a valuable visual reference for jazz enthusiasts, and some consider it an essential purchase, though older editions may be harder to find in good condition.
A Pictorial History Of Jazz: 1966 Crown Publishers, Inc.
On The Bookshelf
Original Jazz Classics Collector’s Guide
An easy guide to 200 of the most popular classic jazz albums currently available on CD. Includes complete listings of tunes and personnel, cover graphics, historical and contemporary critical notes, selected biographies, and never-before-seen-photographs plus a complete numerical listing of OJCs on compact disc.
Original Jazz Classics Collector’s Guide: 1995
Fantasy Inc.
On The Bookshelf
Jazz: America’s Classical Music | Grover Sales
Jazz critic Grover Sales takes the reader on a journey of introduction to the history, complexity and criticism of the music in Jazz: America’s Classical Music. This book illustrated with photographs, is considered a classic text and an ideal guide for both beginners and those familiar with the genre.
In an engaging and conversational style, the renowned jazz teacher tells of the lives and music of the greats like Ellington, Tatum, Hawkins, Coltrane, Parker, Hines, Goodman, Armstrong, and many others. He does this with a mix of important facts, fascinating anecdotes, and brilliant interpretations.
The author was a prominent figure in the jazz world, he taught at Stanford University and worked as the publicity director for the Monterey Jazz Festival.
Jazz: 1984 | Grover Sales
Prentiss-Hall Press
On The Bookshelf…
The Story Of Jazz | Marshall W. Stearns
Beginning with the African musical heritage and its fusion with European forms in America, Marshall Stearns’s history of jazz guides the reader through work songs, spirituls, ragtime, and the blues, to the birth of jazz in New Orleans, Louisiana and its adoption through the Great Migration by St Louis, Chicago, Kansas City, and New York.
The effect of jazz upon American culture and the American character has been all pervasive. This superlative history is the first and the most renowned systematic outline of the evolution of this Black American musical phenomenon. The book follows its course through the era of swing and bop to the beginnings of rock in the 50s, vividly depicting the great innovators, and covering such technical elements as the music’s form and structure.
The Story Of Jazz: 1956 | Marshall W. Stearns Oxford University Press