Milt Hinton, the 'dean of bass players', has experienced the jazz world firsthand for more than five decades. A member of Cab Calloway's orchestra for sixteen years, he has played with most of the jazz greats of this century including Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie. Throughout his career he has photographed artists and personalities in the music scene who have been his mentors, colleagues, and friends. In this book Milt Hinton presents in words and photographs an intimate view of the jazz world. This first person account of his life chronicles his early years in Vicksburg, Mississippi, his family's migration north, and his experiences growing up in Chicago's Southside. Colorful vignettes recall his first jobs as a professional musician and the texture of black urban life in the twenties. As Cab Calloway's bass player, Hinton was part of the New York City music scene in the thirties and forties. His memoir recalls his relationships with well-known musicians and band life on the road, especially as it was affected by segregation. His evocative descriptions of the Cotton Club, the golden age of Harlem, and the subculture of musicians portray a mythic era in the music world. From the mid-fifties to the late sixties, Milt Hinton worked as a freelance studio musician in New York. He describes the studio life, discusses the ways in which the music industry changed, and concludes with his recent activities in music. Throughout the book, approximately 200 photographs, most of which have never before been published, enhance the intimate stories that record a life, a way of life, and a cultural heritage. Author note: David G. Berger is Associate Professor of Sociology at Temple University.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Although numerous memoirs and biographies of swing era musicians are available, bassist Hinton's autobiography merits special consideration. Not only does he present clearly his experiences performing with Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Benny Goodman, but he offers a frank discussion that informed readers will appreciate of both the warm fraternity binding together itinerant musicians and the racial tensions they faced. Also a skilled amateur photographer, Hinton has captured his friends in 175 candid portraits. With a discography listing some 250 recordings that Hinton himself has chosen as representative of his career. Paul Baker, CUNA Inc., Madison, Wis.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Milton Hinton is an artist not only with his bass but with his camera as well. An astute observer of people and a real gentleman, he brings out the best of everyone around him. Milt and David Berger have collaborated on a book I truly love." --Doc Severinsen "Milt Hinton is not only one of the great bassists in the history of jazz, but a gifted and important photographer as well... Rarely, if ever, has someone on the inside of the jazz world been gifted with such fine photographic instinct." --Modern Photography
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Photographic & narrative reminisences of road & studio life,
By A Customer
This review is from: Bass Line: The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton (Hardcover)
This is an incredible book! Milt Hinton was born in Mississippi, raised in depression-era Chicago, and embarked on a career as bassist with Cab Calloway, Louis Armstrong, and then as one of the first black musicians to cross the color line in the New York recording studios. The whole time, Mr. Hinton was documenting his travels in exquisite black and white photographs, which appear throughout the book. Hinton's memory is as sharp as his photographic skills, and the story telling is just marvelous. You won't be disappointed if you buy this one!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The greatest by the greatest!,
By Dr. Bill B. Ramal (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Bass Line (Paperback)
Milt was just about the best bass player there ever was -- and his playing was only matched by his wonderful personality. And the collection and stories reflect him, without any bull -- the way it really was!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great biography with great photos,
By
This review is from: Bass Line (Paperback)
Years ago, I found this book at the library and read it and then, bought my own. Milt Hinton is such a sweet cat, a great artist and a wonderful photographer. This history is an excellent eye-witness account of a young prodigy dealing with the stresses of being a traveling musician in an openly racist world and he develops an excellent record with his superb photographs, which make this book a classic. He also gives great insight into the personalities of other great, more famous musicians such as Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller, and of course, Cab Calloway. One of my favorite books.
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