Four for Jazz: Satchmo, Strayhorn, Marsalis, Jazz Stories  
2 Paperback, 2 Hardback 

POPS A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout PAPERBACK

Wall Street Journal critic Terry Teachout has drawn on a cache of important new sources unavailable to previous biographers, including hundreds of candid after-hours recordings made by Armstrong himself, to craft a sweeping new narrative biography. Certain to be the definitive word on Armstrong for our generation,Pops paints a gripping portrait of the man, his world, and his music that will stand alongside Gary Giddins’s Bing Crosby and Peter Guralnick’s Last Train to Memphis as a classic biography of a major American musician.

Reviews:
A masterpiece
-Seattle Times

One of the Best Books of the Year 
-Washington Post AND The Economist

A superb, clear and definitive narrative biography
-USA Today 

Lush Life A Biography of Billy Strayhorn by David Hajdu
HARDBACK 

Billy Strayhorn (1915-67) was one of the greatest composers in the history of American music, the creator of a body of work that includes such standards as "Take the 'A' Train." Yet all his life Strayhorn was overshadowed by his friend and collaborator Duke Ellington, with whom he worked for three decades as the Ellington Orchestra's ace songwriter and arranger. A "definitive" corrective (USA Today) to decades of patchwork scholarship and journalism about this giant of jazz, Lush Life is a vibrant and absorbing account of the "lush life" Strayhorn and other jazz musicians led in Harlem and Paris. While composing some of the most gorgeous American music of this century, Strayhorn labored under a complex agreement whereby Ellington took the bows for his work; until his life was tragically cut short by cancer and alcohol abuse, the small, shy black composer carried himself with singular style and grace as one of the few jazzmen to be openly homosexual. Lush Life has sparked an enthusiastic revival of interest in Billy Strayhorn's work. It is already acknowledged as a jazz classic.

AMAZON REVIEW
Billy Strayhorn's contribution to the work of Duke Ellington is immeasurable--at last he is given his full due in David Hajdu's perceptive and insightful portrait of this largely unsung genius of 20th century music. Hajdu's sensitive biography, derived from countless interviews with friends, family and fellow musicians, reveals Strayhorn as a complex, creative individual who preferred to stay discreetly in Ellington's shadow throughout much of his life. It also provides a telling portrait of a man who lived his life as a gay African-American musician completely out in the open during a time in this country when it was both difficult and dangerous to do so. 
- Timothy Schaffner

Jazz in the Bittersweet Blues of Life
by Wynton Marsalis & Craig Vigeland  HARDBACK

The thrill of sitting in a club or concert hall hearing jazz being made is familiar to most fans. But what if you could immerse yourself in the world of the musician, where creating and performing is a profound task, and yet as routine as breathing? When writer Carl Vigeland was invited to tour with Wynton Marsalis and his septet, he was able to do just that. Vigeland's acute observations sweep us into their world as he becomes virtually part of the band. At the same time, Marsalis offers intimate meditations on home, family, creation, and performance--written in the cadence of his inimitable voice. Set on the stage, in the studio, and in great cities and small towns around the world, this richly textured narrative explores how the music is made in America today.

AMAZON REVIEW
Picked up Marsalis + Vigeland's work and just couldn't put it down! From descriptions of events, to understanding the personal struggles of band members, Jazz in the bittersweet blues of life fully expresses the goings on of the Wynton Marsalis Septet. Above all, I found Marsalis's commentaries on life, love, and music striking chords within my soul, and left me pleading for more. 
- David M Waitzman

Soloists and Sidemen: American Jazz Stories by Peter Vacher
PAPERBACK

The American jazz musicians who crossed racial and class divisions to tour and record with the great jazz stars all have their stories to tell. Peter Vacher captures their authentic voices, from survivors of the big bands of the 1930s and 40s to modern soloists in many styles.

These books are part of a library donation by Dan Connolly.  All books are used but in almost new condition.