Jazz Masters Of The 30s

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title Jazz Masters Of The 30s
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Rex Stewart
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:223
Dimensions(mm): Height 215,Width 141
Category/GenreJazz
Blues
ISBN/Barcode 9780306801594
ClassificationsDewey:781.6509043
Audience
Undergraduate
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Hachette Books
Imprint Da Capo Press Inc
Publication Date 22 March 1982
Publication Country United States

Description

This is the only jazz history written by a musician that is not strictly autobiographical. Rex Stewart, who played trumpet and cornet with Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington, knew personally all the giants of jazz in the 1930s and thus his judgments on their achievements come with unique authority and understanding. As a good friend, he never minimizes their foibles; yet he writes of them with affection and generosity. Chapters on Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, Red Norvo, Art Tatum, Big Sid Catlett, Benny Carter, and Louis Armstrong mix personal anecdotes with critical comments that only a fellow jazz musician could relate. A section on Ellington and the Ellington orchestra profiles Ben Webster, Harry Carney, Tricky Sam Nanton, Barney Bigard, and Duke himself, with whom Rex Stewart was a barber, chef, poker opponent, and third trumpet. Finally, he recounts the stories of legendary jam sessions between Jelly Roll Morton, Willie the Lion Smith, and James P. Johnson, all vying for the unofficial title of king of Harlem stride piano. It was the decade of swing and no one saw it, heard it, or wrote about it better than Rex Stewart.

Author Biography

Rex Stewart, who died in 1967, was a soloist for Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington. He played extensively both in the U.S. and in Europe where he led bands of his own. Francis Thorne includes a warm appreciation of his many gifts as a last chapter in this book.