Jazz and Death: Medical Profiles of Jazz Greats (American Made Music Series) (Hardcover)

~ M.D., Frederick J. Spencer (Author) "Bass player Charles Mingus Jr. was born in Nogales, Arizona, on April 22, 1922..." (more)
Key Phrases: death certificate shows, alphabetical file, knee infection, New York, Lester Young, Down Beat (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In examining figures in the history of jazz from a medical perspective, Spencer (emeritus, Sch. of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth Univ.) has engaged in a fascinating endeavor. What jazz fan can resist reading more about the heartbreaking complexities of Art Pepper or the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Wardell Gray, for instance? Divided into categories by conditions such as "tuberculosis," "mental illness," and "eye disease," the book goes a long way toward making sense of the ailments, misfortunes, and deaths of jazz musicians. Unfortunately, Spencer moves abruptly between the anecdotal and the clinical, and while he is able to provide an expert opinion regarding actual causes of death and a careful analysis of conflicting reports, the final result is often an informed speculation that still leaves a degree of ambiguity. Also, as with any record of this sort, there are some curious omissions, although many lesser-known figures and incidents are covered throughout. Despite its failings, however, the book is unique and has drawn together much new information that will serve scholars and jazz fans for years to come. Recommended for collections with a demonstrated interest in jazz and jazz studies. Mark Woodhouse, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY Poetry
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the longest chapters in Spencer's catalogue of the deaths of jazz notables are those headed "Substance Abuse: Drugs," "Trauma" (including highway and air accidents, and fire), and "Substance Abuse: Alcohol." Perhaps surprisingly, more pages are concerned with "Eye Disease" than "Homicide." Eric Dolphy, apparently unaware of the diabetes that an autopsy disclosed, "passed out on stage, went into a coma and died," age 36. He and John Coltrane (41 at his demise) "were on [a] health food pills and honey" diet that they thought "made them much stronger when they played." Tommy Dorsey prefigured Jimi Hendrix's exit by suffocating on his vomit when "sleeping pills inhibited the cough reflex that would have cleared his windpipe." Although "Gerry Mulligan's wife said that he died 'from complications due to a knee infection,'" the real cause was "hepatic (liver) failure, perhaps a result of substance abuse." And so it goes in this wonderful if morbid resource that innocently confirms Frank Zappa's sardonic jest that jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 311 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Mississippi (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1578064538
• ISBN-13: 978-1578064533
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #916,810 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Author gets a 5 but presentation brings it down, September 1, 2002

By	"sklett" (Bel Air, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This is an excellent reference work which should be on the shelf of most serious jazz collectors and anyone who writes about jazz or does discographical work in this field. Dr. Spencer very clearly explains numerous medical conditions and provides death certificates and other pertinent illustrations. He also clears up a number of mistakes/misunderstandings which have appeared in the literature. The references are annoying (the superscripts are tiny for my ancient eyes) and you must look in the back of the book to find the reference. The illustrations could have been sharper. Lastly, I understand that Dr. Spencer submitted a 660 page manuscript and only then was told that 300 pages was the goal. Thus, a great deal has been cut. He did a remarkable job but no doubt a lot of information got left on the cutting room floor!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Jazz Reference Book, September 18, 2002

By	Larry R Forbes (Ontario, CA USA) - See all my reviews

... Dr. Spencer, who is no spring chicken, really knows his jazz. His book is part biography, part history, part sociology; it is also an excellent primer on pathology for non-medical people. His book is spiced with glimpses into the lifestyles of jazz greats. There's even a bit of ... humor here and there. Dr. Spencer has real affection for these haunted geniuses, and he shows us why early death was epidemic in their world.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual and welcome, May 6, 2003

By	Jonathan Q. - See all my reviews

As I read more and more about old jazzmen, it is striking just how many died early or unnecessary deaths. "Jazz and Death"
fills an unusual and worthwhile niche.

The only complaint I have is that Dr. Spencer tends to editorialize at length on the justifications for marijuana laws, etc. Not that I don't agree completely. He also (in the introduction -and- the conclusion) draws attention to the very tenuous links between the history of jazz and the history of medicine.

A wonderful and engrossing read.