On Jazz: A Personal Journey

A vivid and fascinating up-close encounter with jazz, brim-full of anecdote and personal reminiscence, by an internationally known broadcaster and writer.

Few musical genres inspire the passionate devotion of jazz. It has a mystique which goes beyond its own melodies and rhythms, with its practitioners talked about by aficionados with a respect that borders on reverence. But some books on the subject offer little more than theory or dry facts, and so relinquish much of the 'essence' of what jazz really amounts to. This book is different. One of the most influential writers on the subject describes, through vivid personal reminiscence and zesty anecdote, his life as a player, broadcaster and observer. The author recalls friendships with legendary musicians, while revealing fresh discoveries about such luminaries as Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. On Jazz brings us into the smoke-filled clubs and basements, right up close to the stage and behind the scenes, so that the electric world it conjures is unforgettably spotlighted as never before.