A Social and Musical History
Scott DeVeaux
Synopsis
The richest place in America's musical landscape is that fertile ground
occupied by jazz. In this book, Scott DeVeaux takes a central chapter in
the history of jazz--the birth of bebop--and shows how our contemporary
ideas of this uniquely American art form flow from that pivotal moment. 29
photos. 111 musical examples. 664 pp. Targeted print ads. 5,000 print.
Quote
"Authoritative and engrossing -- the inside story, full of fascinating
insights."
- Sonny Rollins
This Book was reviewed by: Terry Teachout, Jazz Times, The Readers Catalog and The Publisher
From Terry Teachout:
"A model of what such scholarship can and should be....the first fully
reliable account of how Charlie Parker, dizzy gillespie, Thelonious Monk,
and their colleagues changed the face of jazz." -- Wall Street Journal
From Jazz Times:
"A fresh portrayal of this fascinating time in musical history."
From The Reader's Catalog:
The fleet 16th notes and acid harmonies of bebop accompanied the
conversion of jazz from a dancehall entertainment to a clubroom artform.
DeVeaux tells the familiar story with unprecedented thoroughness, linking
issues within the jazz world to other developments in the American
scene, including the turmoil during World War II and the pervasive racism
of the period. "At a time when shrill controversy is raging throughout the
jazz criticism and historiography, this measured, thoughtful, and
exceptionally well-documented volume is a welcome antidote"--Kirkus
Reviews
From The Publisher:
Scott DeVeaux takes a central chapter in the history of jazz - the birth of
bebop - and shows how our contemporary ideas of this uniquely American
art form flow from that pivotal moment. At the same time, he provides an
extraordinary view of the United States in the decades just prior to the
civil rights movement.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Stylistic Evolution or Social
Revolution?
1
Pt. 1
College of Music: Coleman Hawkins and the
Swing Era
1
Progress and the Bean
35
2
The Making of a Virtuoso
72
3
Out of Step with Swing
116
Pt. 2
Professionals After Hours: Young Black
Musicians in the 1940s
4
Spitballs and Tricky Riffs
167
5
The Jazzman's True Academy
202
6
Wartime Highs - and Lows
236
Pt. 3
Taking Advantage of the Disadvantages: Bop
Meets the Market
7
Showcasing the Real Stuff
273
8
The Rush to Record
295
9
Eckstine and Herman: A Contrast in Fortunes
318
10
Short Stay in the Sun
364
Epilogue: Unfinished Business
437
Notes
451
Selected Bibliography
521
Recordings Cited
535
Index
545
Birth of Bebop