Customer Reviews

Historic Photos of New Orleans Jazz

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As noted in the Preface, "This book organizes a 100 year span of music according to different eras in the New Orleans jazz scene, starting with the jazz forerunners of the 1890s and ending in the early twenty-first century....."

And what a book it is - a visual journey over 216 pages filled with archival photos from the Louisiana State Museum's Jazz Collection.

We begin with a picture of the Original New Orleans Jazz Band, an early Dixieland band. In this photo don't miss the rather odd mute attached to the trombone that changed the instrument's sound. It is noted that in the 1930s New Orleans jazz was becoming known throughout the world, and the next two decades saw millions of people coming to New Orleans to hear this authentic music.

The final photo is one of Kermit Ruffins, trumpeter, vocalist, and entertainer, who was greatly influenced by Louis Armstrong. In 1992 Ruffins started his own group, The Barbecue Swingers.

A New Orleans based jazz historian, writer, and radio producer Tom Morgan has compiled a volume that is not only comprehensive but entertaining. You may find more from him on his web site jass.com.

In addition to being a valuable contribution to the annals of music history and a must for jazz aficionados, for this reader HISTORIC PHOTOS OF NEW ORLEANS JAZZ introduce d musicians who have increased my appreciation and enjoyment of this uniquely American sound.

- Gail Cooke

Superb volume of ultra-rare photos with detailed annotation

Turner Publishing in Nashville has been publishing wonderful books of photos from various major cities but this volume is, by far, the best. From the moment I opened it to page one (a two-page spread of King Oliver's Jazz Band from 1921), I couldn't put it down for well over an hour. Compiler Tom Morgan (a NOLa jazz deejay) scoured the Louisiana State Museum's Jazz Collection and chose nearly 200 black and white photos for this 10 x 10 inch coffee table book. Then he annotated each photo listing the reason for the photo, the names of the musicians shown and the reason for their importance. The images are nearly full page and the clarity is great.

Of course, Louis Armstrong appears here in many photos but there are other true NOLa artists as well. Only the last 2two or three photos (by Erika Goldring) are post 2000, and MOST of the photos are of musicians from the 1920s and 30s, even playing into the 1970s.

If you love jazz you will definitely want this book. If you are just learning, the name will not be familiar. (Well, maybe the photo with Wynton and Branford Marsalis).

Turner published a book on Chicago Jazz last year. I guess Early New York Jazz must be next.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

I went to New Orleans one year and just happened to stumble on this book. I began flipping through the pages and found a picture of my grandfather and his band when he was in his early 20's. I just had to have a copy of the book. Sure enough, I came home and checked Amazon and there it was. If you like Jazz, you'll love looking at the pictures and reading about all the Jazz musicians.

This is not so much a review but more of a short comment on my reaction to this book. I love jazz music and I have read many books on the subject; and now looking at the photos in this book is an absolute thrill for me. I imagine Morgan had a great stock of photos to go through in creating this book because so many of the photos are just perfect. This is one of those books that will wind up on the shelf of most lovers of New Orleans jazz. I wish I had found this book before the holiday season so I could spread the joy that this book has given me.