Sidney Bechet [Paperback]

John Chilton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1996

Fifty years after hearing Sidney Bechet (1897–1959) in 1923, Duke Ellington recalled, "I have never forgotten the power and imagination with which he played." The first great jazz soloist, Bechet was a genius of the clarinet and the notoriously difficult soprano saxophone. In a career that spanned five decades and two continents he worked with Bunk Johnson, King Oliver, Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong. He was a giant in early New Orleans jazz and a pioneer of improvisation whose contribution to the music, from the traditional to the avant-garde, has been a vital and lasting one. This biography reveals with insight and precision the man and his music, and illuminates the many events obscured by Bechet's own highly readable but factually suspect autobiography, Treat It Gentle.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A professional trumpeter and jazz writer, John Chilton is the author of Billie's Blues, Who's Who of Jazz, and with Max Jones, Louis: The Louis Armstrong Story.

Product Details

• Paperback: 380 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 22, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306806789
• ISBN-13: 978-0306806780
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #357,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Researched and Written Life of Jazz Great, March 25, 2000

By 

D.C.Meyer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sidney Bechet (Paperback)

Sidney Bechet was not only one of the greatest jazz musicians ever, he was one of the most facinating characters in the music. He wrote his own poetic autobiography, "Treat It Gentle". After reading "Treat It Gentle" you might want to know even more about Bechet, and wonder how much of his stories are fact or fiction. If so, "Sidney Bechet The Wizard of Jazz" is the book for you.

British musician and writer John Chilton is one of the very best jazz researchers. His carefully gathered information is presented well in this book. Find out about Bechet's personality, the real story of his time in French prison, insightfull analysis of his recordings, and more.

This book is an example of what a well researched and written jazz biography should be.

-- DCM "Froggy"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Research, September 2, 2003

By 

albacorehunter (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sidney Bechet (Paperback)

The rersarch and information put into this great book is extraordinary. Chilton did a superb job about researching every part of Bechet's life, including his ancestory, childhood friends, and other hobbies besides playing playing clarinet or sax. This book is also a very fast reading biography and i find it enjoyable to read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written account of a fascinating life, April 12, 2006

By 

Nathaniel Levin (Rye, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sidney Bechet (Paperback)

I write this review mainly to second the opinion of my fellow reviewer D.C. Meyer. I found this book to be very readable, and a positively enjoyable way to learn the details of Bechet's life. Chilton is especially good on covering the contradictory or less-than-likeable aspects of Bechet's character. And some of the anecdotes are priceless. My favorite is the author's encounter with a drunken musician on a train--a classic frame for a classic Bechet story.