Living with Jazz: A reader edited by Sheldon Meyer [Hardcover]

Dan Morgenstern (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 037542072X | ISBN-13: 978-0375420726 | Publication Date: November 16, 2004 | Edition: First Edition

A collection of essays, biographical profiles, and critical analyses by one of the twentieth century's leading jazz writers includes commentary on the work of jazz entertainers, including Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and Louis Armstrong, as well as assessment of the role of jazz in contemporary culture and its influence on modern music.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Former editor of Metronome, Jazz and Downbeat, Morgenstern has been one of jazz's most passionate observers and chroniclers, particularly during its last major flowerings in the '60s and '70s. Longtime Oxford University Press editor Meyer gathers nearly half a century of Morgenstern's profiles, liner notes, record and show reviews and other musings in this definitive compilation. Morgenstern reminisces about his introduction to jazz in a brief opening memoir, then segues into lengthy sections on his greatest heroes, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Liner notes introduce records by everyone from Ma Rainey to Joe Lovano; essays include a survey of the history of recorded jazz and considerations of jazz's relationship to theater, dance, film and television. Morgenstern has known most of the musicians he discusses, and he depicts them all with insight and affection, from his rollicking account of the career of lovable "Hot Lips" Page to his sensitive portraits of self-effacing Pee Wee Russell and eccentric Lester Young. Often he lets the artists speak for themselves, as when Bill Evans articulates his thoughts on the "intellectual" qualities of his music. Now the director of the Institute of Jazz Studies at Rutgers University, Morgenstern is generous in his assessments of performers and performances, and his exuberant characterizations make this monumental volume a stimulating guide to jazz in the second half of the 20th century.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Besides writing for and editing jazz journals, Morgenstern has promoted concerts, worked at record companies, and taught and managed jazz education. Rather than a critic--though he is certainly evocative and convincing in his evaluation of music and musicians--he is a contemporary chronicler, a Boswell of jazz. He discovered jazz in his native Austria, and he says in the autobiographical introduction to his massive gathering of articles, reviews, album-liner notes, and other fugitive writings that jazz helped sustain him when, as a child and teenager, he and his mother fled the Nazi Anschluss and spent the war in Scandinavia before reunification with his father in the U.S. Sincerity and generosity of spirit illuminate his personal remarks and carry through to his description of and reflections on the great musicians he has known, worked with, and loved. While there is something good on every page, the pieces on jazz recording and discography constitute an especially valuable part of this lovable book. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; First Edition edition (November 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037542072X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375420726
• Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.6 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,279,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a collection by one of our most respected critics, January 8, 2005

By 

Jeff Lowenthal (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Living with Jazz: A reader edited by Sheldon Meyer (Hardcover)

I have been waiting a long time for this book, speaking as someone who has often bought reissues of records I already owned, just to have Dan's liner notes.

From his days at Down Beat to the present, he has maintained the highest standards of critical integrity, tempered with kindness. Unlike many "critics" he is not a slash and burn operator, seeking to trash some performers to enhance the reputation of others, or praising one school of jazz to denigrate another.

He has his favorites, of course. The book is heavily weighted toward more mainstream performers, which is fine with me.

In particular, his appreciation and love for Louis Armstrong comes through in the 81 pages devoted to his live performances and recordings, as well as critical reviews of two biographies. There are insights into his true character, some of which will be surprising to readers who know only his show business face.

Jumping forward a few generations, he says this in a 1958 review of Ornette Coleman "...whatever may happen, this music is not the jazz of the future but a sincere and somewhat raw attempt to chart new tributaries." Do you see what I mean about "kindness?"

So, from Bessie Smith and Louis to Ornette and Bill Evans, there is a lot to savor in this collection, one any jazz fan will enjoy.

Otherwise, 5 stars. Bravo to Morgenstern and his editor, Sheldon Meyer.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars King of Jazz Criticism, January 14, 2005

By 

Charlie "Yankee Charlie" (Murfreesboro, TN, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Living with Jazz: A reader edited by Sheldon Meyer (Hardcover)

What I love about Morgenstern is that not only is he the greatest critic since John Hammond, but he never interjects himself or his emotion into his writing. While sometimes dry, this is the greatest collection of essays, reviews, liner notes, etc. A must for any fan of jazz or jazz scholor.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting reference, April 26, 2008

By 

James (Indianapolis, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living with Jazz: A reader edited by Sheldon Meyer (Hardcover)

Someone please tell me why Morgenstern, in the Table of Contents and within the section on "Liner Notes", does not provide album titles. This also happens occasionally throughout other parts of this tome. It is very irritating and for this reason I give "Living with Jazz" four stars instead of five. Otherwise, a very exhaustive and interesting reference.