On The Bookshelf
88: The Giants Of Jazz Piano
Ever wondered what made the piano gods of jazz so extraordinary? This captivating hardcover opens the door to 88 legendary artists who didn’t just play the piano—they transformed it into an instrument of revolution, soul, and pure genius.
Get ready to discover the fascinating stories behind the music. Each profile reveals not just what these pianists played, but who they were—their quirks, their breakthroughs, and the unmistakable fingerprints they left on jazz history.
The book takes you on an intimate journey with seven towering figures: Jelly Roll Morton, Earl Hines, Art Tatum, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Keith Jarrett, and Cecil Taylor. But that’s just the beginning. You’ll also meet Mary Lou Williams, James P. Johnson, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Nat “King” Cole, Dorothy Donegan, Oscar Peterson, Les McCann, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, Billy Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Chick Corea, Geri Allen, and 67 more innovators who pushed boundaries across every style imaginable—from stride’s joyful bounce to swing’s sophistication, bebop’s lightning-fast complexity to the fearless explorations of the avant garde.
At 344 pages packed with 100 stunning photos, plus a bonus CD featuring 11 essential jazz tracks, this is more than a book—it’s an experience. And with a foreword by Keith Jarrett himself, you know you’re in for something special.
Whether you’re a devoted jazz lover or just beginning your journey into this incredible art form, these stories will inspire, surprise, and maybe even change how you hear music.
88: The Giants Of Jazz Piano | Robert L. Doerschuk | Backbeat Books
On The Bookshelf
Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong | Gary Giddins
Gary Giddins has been called “the best jazz writer in America today” by Esquire Magazine. Louis Armstrong has been called the most influential jazz musician of the twentieth century. His magnificent career as trumpeter, singer, bandleader and actor made him a legend in his own time. His influence on jazz and popular music is impossible to overstate. Satchmo is one of the most vivid and insightful portraits ever drawn of the great man and superlative artists in the history of American music.
This edition is an authoritative introduction to Armstrong’s life and art for the curious newcomer and offers fresh insight even for the serious student of the musician. Whether he was known as Pops, Satch,Satchelmouth, Gatemouth, Dippermouth, Louie or King Menelik, this recounting of Louis’s colorful and controversial life brings the man to life.
Satchmo ~ The Genius of Louis Armstrong: 2001 | Gary Giddins
Da Capo Press
On The Bookshelf
Hard Bop: Jazz & Black Music 1955-1965
It’s nineteen fifty-something, in a dark, cramped, smoke-filled room. Everyone’s wearing black. And on-stage a tenor is blowing his heart out, a searching, jagged saxophone journey played out against a moody, walking bass and the swish of a drummer’s brushes. To a great many listeners–from Black aficionados of the period to a whole new group of fans today–this is the very embodiment of jazz. It is also quintessential hard bop.
In this, the first thorough study of the subject, jazz expert and enthusiast David H. Rosenthal vividly examines the roots, traditions, explorations and permutations, personalities and recordings of a climactic period in jazz history.
Beginning with hard bop’s origins as an amalgam of bebop and R&B, Rosenthal narrates the growth of a movement that embraced the heavy beat and bluesy phrasing of such popular artists as Horace Silver and Cannonball Adderley; the stark, astringent, tormented music of saxophonists Jackie McLean and Tina Brooks; the gentler, more lyrical contributions of trumpeter Art Farmer, pianists Hank Jones and Tommy Flanagan, composers Benny Golson and Gigi Gryce; and such consciously experimental and truly one-of-a-kind players and composers as Andrew Hill, Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Charles Mingus.
Hard bop welcomed all influences–whether Gospel, the blues, Latin rhythms, or Debussy and Ravel–into its astonishingly creative, hard-swinging orbit. Although its emphasis on expression and downright “badness” over technical virtuosity was unappreciated by critics, hard bop was the music of black neighborhoods and the last jazz movement to attract the most talented young black musicians.
Fortunately, records were there to catch it all. The years between 1955 and 1965 are unrivaled in jazz history for the number of milestones on vinyl. Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, Charles Mingus’s Mingus Ah Um, Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners, Horace Silver’s Further Explorations. Rosenthal gives a perceptive cut-by-cut analysis of these and other jazz masterpieces, supplying an essential discography as well. For knowledgeable jazz-lovers and novices alike, Hard Bop is a lively, multi-dimensional, much-needed examination of the artists, the milieus, and above all the sounds of one of America’s great musical epochs.
Hard Bop | Jazz & Black Music 1955~1965: 1992 | David H. Rosenthal
Oxford University Press
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.