With six authors of nominees for the 2021 JJA Jazz Award for Book of the Year About Jazz convening on a Zoom call that was streamed live to the JJA’s Facebook page on Sunday, March 21, 2 pm EDT, Book Committee chair Bob Blumenthal sent this further report:
“As often happens, a final list of nominees cannot represent the full range of worthy publications that appeared in 2020. As members of the JJA Book Committee, we wanted to note other volumes that impressed us in our deliberations. Committee members’ names for the endorsements
BETTER DAYS WILL COME AGAIN: THE LIFE OF ARTHUR BRIGGS, JAZZ GENIUS OF HARLEM, PARIS, AND A NAZI PRISON CAMP,(Chicago Review Press) by Travis Atria: The story of the Grenada-born trumpeter who rejected U.S. racism for the cosmopolitan life in Europe, where he became a continental star and found him crossing paths Zelig-like with virtually every major figure of the early jazz decades. /Bob Blumenthal
CHASIN’ THE BIRD: A CHARLIE PARKER GRAPHIC
NOVEL (ZZ Comics), by Dave Chisholm: A vibrantly illustrated tale of Charlie Parker’s stay in California, in which multiple narrators including Dizzy Gillespie view Parker through lenses of love, reverence, sorrow and exasperation. Chisholm’s use of bird imagery avoids cliché and suggests further levels of interpretation. /Leslie Lynnton Fuller
SITTIN’ IN: JAZZ CLUBS OF THE 1940s and 1950s (Harper Design), by Jeff Gold: A nostalgic collection of photos and memorabilia from venues both renowned and forgotten, plus the author’s musings and historical descriptions, bring the audiences and culture to life as well as the musicians who made jazz happen./Todd Jenkins
JAZZ DIALOGUES (Cymbal Press), by Jon Gordon: A unique and intimate combination of interviews, diary entries and informal conversations covering the past three decades that trace the artistic coming of age of the alto saxophonist. /Bob Blumenthal
BETWEEN SOUND AND SPACE: AN ECM RECORDS PRIMER (Rey Naranjo Editores), by Tyran Grillo: An evocative overview of 100 important releases from the iconic German label reflecting the spirit of each album and the label’s overall vision, running the gamut from classic jazz sessions to contemporary composers./Todd Jenkins
DOCTONE: AN AURAL HISTORY OF THE
LEGENDARY PIANIST KENNY KIRKLAND (1955-1998) (self-published), by Noah Haidu and Milda McDonald:
Consisting mainly of interviews with those who were closest to this unique artist, it is also part of a multi-media memorial that includes a video and an album of Kirkland’s compositions. /Brad Stone
HEART FULL OF RHYTHM: THE BIG BAND YEARS OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG (Oxford University Press), by Ricky Riccardi: A meticulous and passionate study combines inspired storytelling and deep research that breathes new life into a significant period of the much-discussed legend. /Fiona Ross
JOURNEY TO A DESTINATION UNKNOWN, (Jazz in Britain), by Barbara Thompson: The honest and at times breathtaking story of the saxophonist and composer, told with an intimacy that allows the reader to travel with her on her inspiring yet challenging artistic journey. /Fiona Ross
LATIN JAZZ: THE OTHER JAZZ (Oxford University Press), by Christopher Washburne: A treatise on why Latin jazz has been separated and often marginalized from the rest of jazz, and a must for those who view jazz with Latin influences as an essential part of the music. /Brad Stone
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