A Life in Jazz [Paperback]

Danny Barker (Author), Alyn Shipton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 23, 1988

Since the 1950s, when Nat Hentoff and Nat Shapiro published Heah Me Talkin' to Ya, an oral history of jazz which drew heavily on Danny Barker's reminiscences, jazz buffs have waited impatiently for Barker's full account of his life in jazz.
Finally, Danny Barker--a jazz guitarist who grew up and played in New Orleans and later in New York with the major swing orchestras of Lucky Millinder and Cab Calloway of the 1930s--offers us the story of his life in music, beginning with the children's "spasm" bands of the seventh ward of New Orleans, through his experience in brass bands and jazz funerals, to his early days on the road with the blues singer Little Brother Montgomery. He covers, in depth, his involvement in the New York 1930s jazz scene, highlighting his work with the lesser-known bands of Fess Williams and Albert Nicholas, as well as his work with Jelly Roll Morton, Millinder, Benny Carter, Calloway, and Dizzy Gillespie. Barker also describes the details of his career since the 1940s, including the New York dixieland scene at Ryan's and Condon's, his work with Wilbur de Paris, and his return to New Orleans. Barker's memoirs brilliantly recreate the jazz world of New Orleans and the pioneer musicians of the day, ranking as one of the basic documents in jazz history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

About the Author:
Danny Barker is co-author, with Jack Buerkle, of Bourbon Street Black.
About the Editor:
Alyn Shipton is a jazz musician, the music publisher of Macmillan Press, and a critic whose reviews have appeared in Jazz Journal, Footnote, and the Musical Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (June 23, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195054792
• ISBN-13: 978-0195054798
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,164,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars YOU ARE THERE!, October 24, 2001

By 

Dorothy Weiss (ORLANDO, FLORIDA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Life in Jazz (Paperback)

This book is like having a conversation with Danny Barker. You are there, being guided through four generations of New Orleans musicians, reliving detailed moments in jazz history. His words invoke vibrant images of the jazz funerals, brass bands, the french quarter. He offers a "chronological discography" in the back of the book. It encompasses 1931-1975 and is an amazing compilation of recordings and artists. If only Ken Burns had consulted and included Danny Barker and highlighted some of his performances, his "Jazz" documentary would be what this book is - a treasure.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, probably hard for the jazz beginner, warm beyond jazz, August 14, 2005

By 

Tony Thomas (SUNNY ISLES BEACH, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Life in Jazz (Hardcover)

I think this book would be hard to read for someone not quite knowledgeable about Jazz in New Orleans, and Jazz in the Swing era. I know who Luis Russell was, and what his band signified, what it sounded like, and have seen it playing as Louis Armstrong's back up. However, if you haven't you might not know what this book talks about.

Barker writes about his own personal experiences and some of the atmospheres that Jazz functioned in during his life. He says very little about the actual music he plays. He only mentions at some point in the 1960s that he stopped banjo playing in 1930 when his banjo was stolen and apparently played guitar exclusively.

He gives more a picture of the atmosphere, rough and tumble, sometimes cheating ways musicians were treated by bar owners, band leaders, and each others. He also explains a lot about a number of personalities that he meets. I was quite interested in the little pieces of pictures that he gives of Jelly Roll Morton who didnt eactly receive the best treatment from other jazz writers and jazz musicians.

Like so many books by men who became famous and successful, Barker's book is most interesting in the beginning of the book that discusses his life before he becomes a known Jazz musician. He picture of growing up in the rough and tumble of New Orleans at the turn of the century is preciseless. If the boyhood memories were all this book had and Danny Barker had given up music to become a garbage man or a school teacher, this would still be a wonderful book.

He gives a real good picture of both the rough and tumble and society places musicians struggled to play in New Orleans. He gives a good picture of how the funerals and funeral bands really worked. He talks about the families of musicians and in an honest way about the frictions between Creole and Black musicians.

What wins in this book is the voice of Danny Barker. It is real, visceral, honest, doesn't pull punches, and is not shy to say what he thinks even when he's obviously factually wrong.

This is a book for someone who loves and knows Jazz. This is a book for someone who loves and knows African American life.