Customer Reviews

Live At The Village Vanguard (Da Capo Paperback)

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Max Gordon is a name that will be familiar to lovers of jazz. Anyone who goes to New York City and loves jazz will almost inevitably wind up seeing someone perform live at the Village Vanguard. Many great artists like John Coltrane have recorded live performances there.

Gordon was the founder of this legendary club. He found a little basement in Greenwich Village and then proceeded to make jazz history. All the greats like Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker et al played there at one time or another. Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen also performed comedy at the Vanguard.

Max Gordon proves to be a very competent author in this book that recounts the history of the club. Gordon discusses the early struggles with getting liquor licenses or dealing with racial segregation. He includes a lot of great antecdotes of his meetings with many of these legends.

This book is surprisingly well written and entertaining. This chronicle of his life will be inspiring and educational. Max Gordon has an important story to tell. Jazz is one of America's greatest exports. Max Gordon played a major role in its development. I strongly recommend this book for any fan of jazz. (It is out of print but there are a few copies still being sold at the club itself. If you live in or close to New York City, it would be worth the effort.)