Down Beat: Sixty Years of Jazz [Paperback]

Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

Published in conjunction with the world's premier jazz magazine Down Beat, this book serves as a decade-by-decade history of jazz, blues, and other popular music from the 1930s to today. Jazz scholar John McDonough with Down Beat editors past and present offers anecdotes and introductions to each era. With more than 200 photos and plenty of archival treasures, this is a must-have book for jazz fans.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation; 1st edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793534917
• ISBN-13: 978-0793534913
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,811,625 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The History Of Jazz Written While It Was Happening, March 22, 2009

By 

Beagle (Sydney) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down Beat: Sixty Years of Jazz (Paperback)

This book is a fascinating historical document and is essential for any jazz lover.

It starts with an introduction describing the history of the magazine from its humble beginnings as a trade newspaper for musicians written by an insurance salesman to the great mucical and social commentator of jazz music that it became.

The main body of the book speaks for itself in articles published in the magazine, broken up into chapters each covering a decade of music starting with the 1930s. We see the rise of the great jazz era, the hiring of Charlie Christian by Benny Goodman followed by a eulogy for his untimely death a few pages later, interviews with countless greats such as Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie, the decline of the big bands, the rise of bop in the 1940s, all the way through to the free jazz of Ornette Coleman, the fusion of the 1970s and up to the artists of the present day such as the Marsalis brothers. There is so much here.

As a commentator of jazz music, Down Beat was inevitably drawn into debates on race. It was clear to any lover of jazz that the originators and best musicians in the genre were black. As a result the Down Beat writers were inevitably drawn to defending the rights of black artists. The articles from the 1930s in particular show both directly and indirectly the shameful racism that existed. For example, there are a number of articles discussing whether black players should play in white bands.

To the contemporary reader a few articles may be somewhat offensive in this regard. I think it is very important to recognise these as evidence of the attitudes and prejudices of the times. It is also important to realise that the writers of Down Beat were far more liberal in their attitudes than the American public as a whole. However, it is also heartening to see the unifying effect of jazz. There is an article about Benny Goodman's band touring the deep south in the 1930s when Lionel Hampton was with the group. Hampton had some trepidation about going on the tour and there were fears of violent protests about a "mixed" group. Music won out and the band got a roaring reception.

This is an incredible book which will transport you back in time. It provides the immediacy of history being written while it is happening.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Downbeat, September 19, 2008

By 

BevRich (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Down Beat: Sixty Years of Jazz (Paperback)

Found this book at my local library. Loved it so much that I bought 2 copies, one for myself and a good friend.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cover art makes your eyes bleed, November 3, 2009

By 

Christopher J. Tempas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Down Beat: Sixty Years of Jazz (Paperback)

Amazing magazine of the times, wish it was more complete, such as the times Down Beat got it wrong. And wow - that cover art. God hoping they fired the graphic designer that unleashed that on the world. You'd think they'd do a design in keeping with the history that was inside?