Customer Reviews

City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis, 1895-1973

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This book, written by the host of Jazz Unlimited, on KWMU, a local station connected to the University Of Missouri, St. Louis, is a fantastic look at the jazz scene, from its roots, in the 1800's to 1973 giving descriptions of jazz's evolution, wonderful photographs, great commentary, by Mr. Owsley, and much, much more-including references to recordings, so that readers may find the music the book describes, to hear various types of jazz-a "soundtrack", if you will, to the history of jazz in the Gateway city. For St. Louis jazz fans, like me, who listen to Mr. Owsley's show, every Sunday night, and for anyone curious about St. Louis jazz, this book is a great way to learn about it.

Written by jazz enthusiast, photographer, and radio show host Dennis Owsley, City of Gabriels: The History of Jazz in St. Louis 1895-1973 is the culmination of twenty years of research into the history of St. Louis jazz. Black-and-white photographs intersperse the music history narrative of the pre-jazz era to the rise and fall of riverboats to the impact of World War II on St. Louis jazz to the polarization of jazz between the traditional style and that developed by the Black Artists' Group, or BAG. Researched in depth, featuring numerous quotes and perspectives from great figures in the jazz, City of Gabriels is a labor of love and reverence for an unforgettable city and the musical excitement it nurtured.

This is a great book about the history of jazz in St. Louis. My name is Karen Madison-Marshall. I am the daughter of the late jazz trumpetier Levi Madison. My father was old enough to be my grandfather at the time, so my memory of him lives up until I was 12 years old before he passed away. I've been researching into my father's musical history, and was quite shocked to learn by reading this book, that my father had been institutionalized in the past. I think it should also be corrected the song "Echo in the dark" can be found on CD through amazon I might add from a CD called "Kansas City Jazz"