The Autobiography of Pops Foster: New Orleans Jazzman [Paperback]

Ron Carter (Foreword), Tom Stoddard (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

The first famous double-bass stylist in jazz, George Murphy "Pops" Foster enjoyed a career that spanned gigs with greats from Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker and John Coltrane. This autobiography, first published in 1971 and now reissued with a generous collection of rare photographs, was created from 70 hours of interviews with this beloved and influential musician. Foster recounts his seven-decade career with uncanny attention to detail and charming candor, providing an uncensored look at the society in which jazz developed and breathing life into legends such as Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Sidney Bechet. As he takes us on his journey from plantation to riverboat, New Orleans to New York City, Foster paints an indelible panorama of the jazzman's life while setting the record straight on many crucial points of jazz history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A jazz aficionado and avid collector, the late Tom Stoddard also wrote Jazz on the Barbary Coast and Ceramic Coin Banks: Value & Identification Guide (with Loretta Stoddard).

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879308311
• ISBN-13: 978-0879308315
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pops Foster, February 22, 2006

By 

jfarles "jf" (Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autobiography of Pops Foster: New Orleans Jazzman (Paperback)

This book is similar to other transcribed autobiographies of jazz musicians, of which there are many. In fact, it is rare for a musician to write his/her own words. This being the case, the real style and flow of the book are really under the responsibility of the editor--in this case Tom Stoddard. There are two unique features to Stoddard's work: he does not try and edit the conversations so that they are seamless, but rather he leaves breaks in the chunks of conversations that obviously happened on different days. This leaves the connections that Pops was making intact and is much less a construction of how Stoddard should think a particular time period should flow narratively. Also, there is the insertion of small historical contexts by jazz historian Ross Russell. Though this partially serves to undermine Pops' own authority and perhaps ability to tell the 'whole' story as claimed, they are very succinct and well written pieces which add to the context around which Pops' words construct a personal narrative.
Most of all, this autobiography is both insightful for those interested in history and entertaining. Pops was indeed a clever man when it came to the pranks as well as the music, and he doesn't fail to tell about both adequately. This makes the narrative light, as in the case of fellow New Orleans musicians Barney Bigard's and Louis Armstrong's (multiple) texts, which separates these from the somber and literary Sidney Bechet.
The book is shorter than most, but filled with an astonishing amount of details and laugh-out-loud experiences that are well worth reading, no matter what your interest or knowledge of Pops Foster is.

5.0 out of 5 stars Just an additional comment, November 27, 2011

By 

William H. Coffin (Berkeley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autobiography of Pops Foster: New Orleans Jazzman (Paperback)

I agree with jf's review but wanted to add my own comments:

For me, this book made some history "come alive" much more than other, more serious histories. Pops is a good story-teller and was around for a period that was pivotal in the development of American music. The book also has a great collection of photographs.

One other note: I had the pleasure of seeing Pops Foster and Zutty Singleton play together at the University of California Jazz Festival in '69 or perhaps '70. (This festival no longer exists, BTW.) They were accompanied by, I seem to recall, Joe Zawinul. They did a 12-bar blues progression. Zawinul started in too fast, clearly thinking "dixieland", but Pops and Zutty wouldn't budge from their nice mid-tempo swing, and Zawinul settled down nicely.

Anyway, 5 stars because this book is so memorable, years after I first read it.