The Jazz Years

Description

Leonard Feather's autobiography is also the story of jazz over the last half-century. Since arriving in New York from London in 1935, he has managed to distinguish himself as a producer, composer, pianist, and one of the music's most acute critics. He was one of the first to champion the innovations of bebop in the pages of Esquire and Downbeat, also an ardent campaigner against racial barriers, and a friend to dozens of musicians. There are stories here about Feather's relationship with Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Dizzy Gillespie, George Shearing, Joe Williams, Toshiko Akiyoshi, and many others. Filled with information about the recording business and the tricky art of criticism, this earwitness account of a lifetime in jazz caps a career that has been dedicated to the best that American culture has to offer.

Leonard Feather is one of the handful of indispensable jazz critics. His many books include From Satchmo to Miles, Inside Jazz, Laughter from the Hip (with Jack Tracy), all published by Da Capo Press/Perseus Book Group, and the Pleasures of Jazz, along with other works. Composer, pianist, record producer, critic, he remains a vital presence on the jazz scene.