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| Value for Money | 9/10  |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 9/10 |
Full review by
jfderry
expert review 
on 9th Sep 2004
User Rating : 9
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Bill Crow, Jazz Anecdotes - Ranging from stage fright to stardom, racism to the importance of a good nickname, these sparkling stories offer fresh and often hilarious insights into the joys and woes of a jazz musician's life. Topping the bill are such giants of jazz as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Eddie Condon, who seemed to have lived his entire life with the anecdotist in mind.
A fantastic book stuffed with anecdotes straight from the musicians' mouths collected in person, second hand or rarely from the literature. The subject matter is predominently Swing bands but there are plenty of examples pulled from across the jazz board. Subjects covered are immediately recognisable as issues within the jazz idiom (Cutting Contests, Reading Music, On The Road, etc.), plus informative sections on myths and legends, for example, the origin of the word "Jazz", why Dizzy Gillespie's horn was bent, and players' nicknames. The Count, The Duke, Slim, Philly, Satch, Swee Pea, Cannonball, Lady Day, Dizzy, Zoot, Prez, Pops, Bags and Bird. Know who I'm talking about?
Elsewhere, amongst the hilarity of lifestyle idiosyncrasies of the larger-than-life characters (especially alcoholism), goofs and pranks, are also poignant and shocking tales of mistreatment, extortion, drug addiction and a brilliant eye-opener on racism. There's also some in-jokes specially for the musos, "Mugsy Spanier lost the little finger of his right hand in a youthful accident of some sort. Johnny Frigo saw a review of one of Spanier's performances in a Detroit newspaper that said: 'Mr. Spanier can play more on a trumpet with four fingers than most trumpet players can play with five'", and When Don Ellis had a band that featured arrangements in time signatures like 9/4 and 27/16, someone remarked, "The only tune they play in 4/4 is Take Five!".
No real criticisms except that each name, especially the lesser known ones, could be introduced (what'd they play? Who'd they play with?), but hey, that's why you need the Biographical Encyclopedia! And some context could be given to the quotes to assist comprehension - but nothing that can't be inferred (e.g., approximate chronology).
This is an excellent companion to Bill Milkowski's Swing It (see review) which expands on many of the colorful characters only briefly cited herein. The pages are alive with quick wit and vibrate with the thuds of the fallen, cut down in their naivity by the razor-sharp tongues of veterens like Hawk and Prez ("Say Prez, when was the last time we worked together?"."Tonight", sighed Lester). Know who I'm talking about? You need these books. Do know? But not everything and everyone, right?
In addition to the revealed insights into many musicians' lives, the 2nd half of the book changes pace with extended personal narratives further embroidering the lives of a few greats; Armstrong, Smith, Beiderbeck, Waller, Condon, Russell, Ellington, Goodman, Hawkins, Parker, Gillespie, Mingus, Davis and Coltrane. Accounts of choice events accent our heroes best known characters bringing them so much to life that when their end comes with a memory from near their death, you're left mourning a long lost friend.
jfderry's review and ratings | 513 words
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