Trumpet Kings: The Players Who Shaped the Sound of Jazz Trumpet (Paperback)

by Scott Yanow (Author) "In the beginning there was Buddy Bolden, the first superstar of jazz, a cornetist who in 1895 formed his earliest band..." (more)
Key Phrases: classic jazz festivals, busy studio musician, hard bop trumpeter, New York, New Orleans, Louis Armstrong (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Yanow wants his most recent work (after Afro-Cuban Jazz, LJ 3/15/01) to read like "a series of short stories," and readers will indeed often forget that they are perusing what boils down to an encyclopedia. A prolific and respected jazz writer, Yanow manages to cover the gamut of styles from Dixieland to avant-garde in 479 short biographies, which are accurate (if sometimes opinionated) as well as refreshingly entertaining. Featured are Red Allen, Chet Baker, Fats Navarro, and King Oliver. Also included are an essay on the history of the jazz trumpet, a bibliography of other important reference works, and 29 additional short biographies of other famous musicians/composers who recorded with the trumpet (e.g., Benny Goodman). Some of the entries may be found in more general references like The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (St. Martin's, 1994. reprint) or Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler's The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oxford Univ., 2001. 2d ed.), but neither of these works contains all the entries found here. Recommended for large public and academic libraries as well as libraries with a jazz focus. Ronald S. Russ, Arkansas State Univ., Beebe
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
This engaging book unveils the personal and musical lives of 479 brilliant jazz trumpeters, past and present, through intimate biographical profiles that describe each artistÕs unique traits, intriguing life experiences, relationships with other influential players, career milestones and key recordings. Artist covered include: Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Terence Blanchard, Arturo Sandoval, Red Allen, Chet Baker, Bunny Berrigan, Roy Eldridge, Freddie Hubbard, Freddie Keppard, Lee Morgan, Fats Navarro, King Oliver and hundreds of others - plus jazz figures who seem unlikely to have recorded on trumpet but did, such as Benny Goodman and Mose Allison. A fascinating read!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Backbeat Books; illustrated edition edition (June 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879306408
• ISBN-13: 978-0879306403
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #202,343 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to quickly access, October 11, 2001

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Fans of jazz music in general and the trumpet in particular will appreciate this survey of the great jazz trumpeters from Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis to lesser-known players. The profiles read like fiction, providing dramatic biographical coverage of each player's life and musical abilities. An A-Z reference type approach makes this easy to quickly access.

5.0 out of 5 stars Trumpet Kings, February 12, 2008

By	Piero (Rome, Italy) - See all my reviews

Great Book! All the greatest players are included, with a selection of their most important CDs.

4 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is my opinion, you make up your own., April 7, 2008

By	Steven B. Laury "REAL MUSIC" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to admit, I buy Scott Yanow's books because I need a laugh once in a while and cannot believe the BS this author writes who knows nothing about playing Swing, Latin, Jazz, Be Bop, you get my point. Buy a book regarding music that is written by a real professional full time musician. This will give you the real meat of what great music is all about. First off, you have to be kidding. I started to read this book and It was like researching bacteria at the local library. But it is funny like his other books.
Obviously, this author has collected his information at his local county library, you know the ones that have about 500 books total in their building? What does he really know about Afro Cuban Latin or music in general and playing it on a real stage for a full time living? Nothing, according to this book. Also, have you ever heard Scott Yanow play music? Whew.............................. I've heard better one string banjo players. But that's my own opinion.
First came the Birth of the artist. Then came the Afterbirth of the Critic. In our opinion, Scott Yanow cannot not play his instrument well enough to make a full time living at music, so he went to college. He read a lot of books and became a critic and a so called author. In our opinion, Scott Yanow has NO creditability writing books or reviews regarding any style of music. Read his books and make up your own minds. Someone famous once said: "Those who do, do. Those who can't become critics". Could this is the case of Scott Yanow?

Rudy Gazooty of Full Time Real Music