Kansas City Lightning: The Rise And Times of Charlie Parker

Say what you want about Stanley Crouch's opinions on jazz; I've always been impressed with Crouch's writing. "Kansas City Lightning: The Rise And Times of Charlie Parker" is an enthralling read. It's history that reads like fiction. Crouch gives an intimate account of the humble beginnings of Parker, arguably one of the most if not THE most important early figure in jazz. Crouch is so descriptive, you feel like you are actually there in depression era Kansas City. Many books on jazz history can be dull, easily getting bogged down with names and dates. Crouch's presentation draws you in not only to the twists and turns of the life of a troubled genius, but he also helps us understand the foundation on which Parker's genius was built in terms of jazz before bebop: why Kansas City was important in the development of blues and swing in jazz, why musicians like Walter Page, Jay McShann, Count Basie, and Buster Smith were essential to the next step in the development of the music.

Reading about music and musicians can often make one want to put down the books and listen to the music instead. Crouch may assume that the reader is already aware of Parker's musical genius. Crouch's in depth descriptions of the drama of Parker's personal turmoil, whether with drugs or his first wife Rebecca or his yearning to be a great musician beyond Kansas City, will hopefully make the jazz novice seek out recordings and make jazz aficionados revisit Parker's music. I've definitely gained more detailed inspiration for my jazz history classes from this book. "Kansas City Lightning: The Rise And Times of Charlie Parker" will make you look at the transition of jazz from swing to Bebop in a whole new way.

Hanon, Czerny, Johnson

Allyn Johnson

When I lived in Washington, D.C., there were a number of great pianists on the jazz scene: Ruben Brown, Bob Butta, Wade Beach, Lawrence Wheatley, Peter Edelman, Louis Scherr, and many others. When I left D.C. for New York in 1995, I kept hearing about pianist Allyn Johnson. Not only has Johnson made his mark on the D.C. music scene, but he's also Director of Jazz Studies at the University of The District of Columbia. As a musical force, Johnson is a triple threat in that he's a true jazz musician who comes out of the Church, but also has the academic credentials to help pass the torch to the next generation. Johnson is constantly busy as a sideman, but also has a successful group called Divine Order, which features vocals and combines jazz, gospel, classical, and contemporary music.

Although there are already countless jazz and piano books in circulation, I believe that Professor Johnson's forthcoming and humbly titled volume, "Things That I Practice," stands out as an invaluable tool for budding pianists. Indeed, we all love Mark Levine's "The Jazz Piano Book." David Berkman has a forthcoming harmony book that is very exciting. However, in terms of raw piano technique, Johnson's book is a great addition to, or alternative to, the things that many pianists already seem to gravitate towards(Hanon, Czerny, Burgmuller). American Jazz Piano and it's practitioners have historically dealt with the European tradition of their instrument, arguably more so than other jazz instrumentalists.( Look at the list of Jazz pianists who seriously studied classical music: James P Johnson, Fats Waller, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans.......it goes on and on.) However, I am in favor of developing more jazz specific methods of gaining technique. "Things That I Practice" fills that void.

Jazz can include impressive technique, but ultimately, jazz is more about creativity. Johnson agrees. Here is a paragraph from the foreword:

"I've compiled these exercises together in order to inspire and ignite the creative "fire" in my students. Because music is not a sport, but yet a healing art of manipulating sound with regard to time and 
space, I believe the best exercises are the ones that spark the imagination of the artist which in turn results in the creation of beautiful MUSIC. You will notice that I have included pieces I have written that began as some of the exercises included. No exercise should be an end unto itself, but

ultimately used as a means to express the MUSIC that lies inside the heart and internal ear of a musician."

Many of the exercises are written in one key, which already means you can spend a lot of time on just moving the exercises into every key(as jazz musicians must be able to do; ask my jazz improv class about it!). The contrary motion exercises include mixing modes in the hands, which already has piqued my interest. Even more interesting are some of the finger independence and rhythm exercises, which already go beyond the traditional "piano technique" books and more into the 20th and 21st century realm. There is a 5ths exercise which is presented over Wayne Shorter's "Footprints" chord progression, which again is about the always important APPLICATION of any idea. I like how some of the chord voicing exercises are presented in a very logical way. The more logical the concept, the easier it is to start to manipulate it on your own.

The more I look through this book, the more I wish I had more time to practice. In fact, I wish I had had this book when I was really practicing ferociously ( 1991 to 1995). There is a cool section which features ostinato patterns in the left hand; it's just something to work on soloing in the right hand. There is another section on patterns, which gives this advice:

You should get into the habit of practicing patterns six ways:

1. Forward Going Up
2. Forward Going Down
3. Retrograde Going Up
4. Retrograde going Down
5. Alternating Forward/Retrograde Up
6. Alternating Forward/Retrograde Down 
 

"Things That I Practice" has inspired me to try to find some more piano practice time. Indeed, I would have to go on a sabbatical and go hide out in a cabin in the woods(with a Steinway inside) to really get into everything in this book. You can contact Allyn Johnson through his website to order a copy of your own. I wouldn't be surprised if "Things That I Practice" becomes an integral part of the jazz teaching literature in the near future.

You'll Know When You Get There: Herbie Hancock and The Mwandishi Band- by Bob Gluck

One of my Facebook friends is a pianist and professor named Bob Gluck; he's the director of the Electronic Music Studio at the University of Albany. I happened to notice that he had just published a book entitled "You'll Know When You Get There: Herbie Hancock and the Mwandishi Band." I immediately ordered it (I believe it's only available though the University Of Chicago Press) and tried to find some time to read it. Finally, on my recent trip to Moscow, I had some down time on the various long flights and in my hotel between concerts to get through it. I was intrigued that finally, someone would talk about this great period in the career of Herbie Hancock, one of the greatest living jazz musicians. Most people know about the Headhunters,"Rockit", and "Speak Like A Child", as well as his work with Miles Davis. But the Mwandishi band was a pivotal, albeit brief, chapter in jazz history.

I remember when I signed "Sextant" out of the library in the mid 80's. I have to admit, I was interested, but not as moved as I had been by 'Headhunters" or "Thrust". A few years later, I heard a record called "VSOP LIVE"; what I didn't realize until later was that one of the bands featured on this recording, the Herbie Hancock Sextet, was actually the same band on "Sextant". Much later in my life, I went back and heard "Fat Albert Rotunda" and "Crossings". And even later, I was fortunate to get some opportunities to perform with four of the members of Mwandishi: trumpeter Eddie Henderson, drummer Billy Hart, multi-reedist Benny Maupin, and bassist Buster Williams, who I worked with on and off for 10 years and still play with occasionally now.

Herbie Hancock, Buster Williams, Billy Hart

Mwandishi is in some ways a transitional band, much like the earliest Weather Report recordings, or even Chick Corea's first inceptions of Return To Forever. In the last 60's and early 70's, many changes were occurring musically, socially, and politically. The rise of psychedelic Rock, African American Consciousness, the Hippie Movement, and a general anti-establishment in America, made jazz musicians want to change along with the tide. Many jazz musicians were tired of playing standards and swing rhythms and conventional chord changes. Jazz musicians wanted to mix together a multitude of influences, from the Avant Garde to Funk to Rock to Brazilian to Contemporary European Classical Music. Electric Bass, Fender Rhodes Piano, and Electric Synthesizers gave musicians new sound possibilities beyond what acoustic instruments were thought to be capable of. Mwandishi was right in the thick of that.

Gluck's book discusses his initial exposure to this band and it's compelling experimental sound. He talks about the original members and their Swahili names:(Mwandishi means "The Composer") much of Hancock's early career as a classical piano prodigy.through his exposure to jazz, blues and gospel music, and his early career as a young New York sideman and eventually, as the regular pianist with the Miles Davis Quintet. Even during his tenure with Davis, Hancock was doing his own projects, and was developing as a composer and bandleader. Gluck describes the first time Hancock played a Fender Rhodes. Quoting Hancock in Chapter 4:

When I walked into the recording studio to record with Miles one day, I didn't see an acoustic piano.So I asked Miles: "What do you want me to play?" And he pointed at the corner of the room and said, "Play that!" And it was a Fender Rhodes electric piano. In my head, I was thinking: "He wants me to play that toy over there?' I had heard about the Fender Rhodes electric piano from some other musicians, piano players, and they were saying: "It's not an acoustic piano." So I went in with that kind of skepticism, which was kind of negative. But I had never heard it. So I said: "OK." I turned it on and played a chord, and much to my surprise, I liked the sound.

Clearly the rest was history; if not for Hancock (and maybe Chick Corea), many of us would never have been interested in playing the Fender Rhodes.(Truth be told, my first gigs as a pianist were actually on Rhodes. I've always loved the sound. Never liked carrying them, though.)And although this is an example of Davis making an executive decision as a bandleader, the prevailing wisdom, mentioned several times in the book, is that Miles Davis rarely told his sidemen how to play. He preferred to let them thrive in their own way. Naturally, Hancock would "lead" Mwandishi in a similar fashion, which is why it was, at least musically, more of a collective.

Gluck goes on to talk about some influential albums which led Hancock in the Mwandishi direction; his participation on Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay", Joe Henderson's "Power To The People", and Hancock's own "Fat Albert Rotunda" , and to some extent Hancock's "The Prisoner" were links in the chain. Hancock was also beginning to tour his sextet in the late 60's, with a not yet permanent line up. When the personnel of Henderson, Hart, Maupin, Williams, trombonist Julian Priester, and synthesist Patrick Gleeson( as well as their sound engineer Billy Bonner, whom they called Fundi), the Mwandishi band, no playing for some very enthusiastic audiences, became a real family, on stage and off. The music was funky but free, using odd meter ostinatos and sound effects. The music was so intimately creative that it became impossible to have subs in the band: everyone was a vital member. And Gluck is fortunate that all of the members of the band are still around to give first hand history of the time period.

Bob Gluck

Gluck has a lot of technical analysis of the band's few yet classic recordings, which might go over your head if you aren't a trained musician, or have never heard this music. I found myself trying to listen along to the recordings as I read; after all, the music is the music.(I've included a few youtube links below to some of the relevant music.) However, that being said, I think fans or those who are curious about the deeper history of Jazz Fusion and Herbie Hancock will get a kick out of this book. I've included youtube links to some of the relevant music. I highly recommend this book and kudos to Gluck for his thorough research, and for finally talking about this somewhat forgotten period in jazz history.

Book Review: The War of Art

As I was leaving my office yesterday, I ran into my esteemed colleague, Professor Darrell Grant.(His office is right next to mine!) Grant lent me this great book called The War Of Art (Break Through The Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles) by Steven Pressfield. I've read my fair share of self-help books(The Road Less Traveled by M.Scott Peck, The Richest Man In Babylon, countless diet and exercise books...), even those which deal with creativity( Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner, The Inner Game Of Music, The Artist's Way....). Pressfield's book is unique in that he writes with a writer's flair for language. The chapters are short and to the point, and each chapter is like a mini-zen lesson in how to be a successful artist. Mind you, in Pressfield's view, which is also my view, the successful artist creates and realizes his visions, although financial compensation is always secondary(unfortunately true, but true artists tend to love the satisfaction of self expression and integrity more than fancy cars and lavish homes. Hey, what do I know, I'm a music teacher by day!).

author Steven Pressfield

The War Of Art is in three books: Book One is about Resistance. This is anything that keeps you from being creative, and creativity takes a lot of work. So many of us put off our own creativity as long as possible, and make excuse after excuse. I have a friend (who will be nameless) who was frustrated by his lack of success on the New York jazz scene. I said to him, "Why don't you form your own band? Take advantage of all the bad-ass cats in New York and do a recording? Write some music?"

"Well, I don't really have any music written?"

"Why Not?"

"Well......I need to get a really good keyboard first, before I write any music....."

You can buy a midi keyboard for 100 dollars, hook it up to Garage Band, and write some music TODAY. This guy was letting 100 dollars stand in his way of living up to his potential. Now, believe me, I make excuses, too. Pressfield's lessons are a reminder of what it takes to be an artist, or really to accomplish anything. It takes overcoming the many forms of Resistance. Excuses and distractions are forms of Resistance. Even close friends can be resistance.

Book Two is called Combating Resistance: Turning Pro. This book deals with the differences in attitude between a professional and an amateur. It has nothing to do with whether you are paid or not for your art. It has to do with perseverance and dedication; showing up every day, through rain and snow, sickness and health. It's not about momentary glories and immediate gratification. It's about slogging it out for YEARS, as Pressfield can truly profess to as a struggling screenwriter. I admire the fact that Pressfield can be so candid about his failures, and how he stuck with it because he believed in what he was doing.

Book Three is called Beyond Resistance:Higher Realm, which concerns even more philosophical aspects of Art, such as The Magic Of Keeping Going, Fear, the Ego, Hierarchical versus Territorial thinking, etc... Another musician friend of mine, drummer Matt Jorgensen, told me his view of the jazz scene these days:" You don't worry about making money, you just keep making music, keep putting out recordings....just keep doing it as long as you can." I think that embodies much of Pressfield's philosophy: you keep at it because that's all you can do. It's a War, and in War, you don't surrender. You keep fighting.

I plan on studying this book further. I think I'll order a copy for myself!

The Music Lesson: Victor Wooten's Ephiphany...In Book Form

"Boy, do I have a lot to learn!"

One of the reasons I like teaching is purely selfish: oftentimes, I learn more from my students than they seem to learn from me. And so, one of my students was recently talking about a book by the great electric bassist Victor Wooten entitled The Music Lesson. I made a mental note to look for this book. Well, as luck would have it, I wandered into Tom Lee Music in Vancouver this past weekend and The Music Lesson was sitting in of the sheet music bins. Buen Fortuna! I spent portions of my weekend reading the book.

It's a quick read, but I don't think it's only for musicians. Wooten is a good writer of prose:it's very clear and entertaining, and at times humorous. At the heart of the book is a philosophy of music that can help young(and old) musicians. But unlike books like The Inner Game of Music or Effortless Mastery, this book is a parable, or a story which teaches a lesson. It's almost as if Wooten has written The Alchemist for music. (And for the record, I read The Alchemist-sure, I bought it in the airport bookstore-but I wasn't really impressed. Maybe Oprah should be talking about Wooten's book!)

The story is essential a dream. Wooten speaks from an imaginary version of himself as a young bassist living in Nashville, who is trying to improve as a musician. One rainy day, while Wooten is drowsy from practicing, a mysterious man named Michael enters his apartment. Michael is "....a strange man, unlike any other music teacher I've ever had...he appeared to be part Native American, and part...something else." Michael is full of wisdom, musical and otherwise. He is a free spirit; perhaps this is representative of how "free" we should all feel when we are playing music.

Michael basically gives Victor sage advice on how to be a better musician instantly. One of the first things Michael teaches is that he has "nothing" to teach, that the student must learn for himself. As a primarily self taught jazz pianist, but also as a conservatory grad and a music teacher, this idea really hit home for me. This is a great way to approach learning: you can't understand any concept unless you literally "teach it to yourself". Even if someone "shows" it to you, the understanding has to come from you. No one can "make you" learn anything. So we are all essentially self-taught musicians.

Michael has some great ideas about the "elements" of music. "Many musicians like yourself struggle because you are not familiar enough with all the elements. You rely mostly on one or two of them when you play." Michael explains how most of us spend so much time with notes. Notes include "harmony, melody, re-harmonization,scales, modes, chords, key signatures..." and so forth. Then, he discusses the other nine elements: articulation, technique, feel, dynamics, rhythm, tone, phrasing, space, and listening. Michael's assertion is that we as music students and teachers spend too much time on one element, notes, at the expense of the nine others. Indeed, there are many who can "play the notes", but I believe that those who are truly great are the ones who address the other elements well. Why would you want to watch an actor who merely "knows the words"?

Another great pearl of wisdom is the notion of "practicing" music. Michael relates it to how you develop your language as a child. "Notice you did not develop your speaking technique through diligent practice, at least not the type of practice you are familiar with. Your parents didn't lock you in a room and make you work on it three hours a day, and they didn't make you take lessons. You learned to speak it through a natural process. Musicians could benefit from looking at this process." This is akin to "learning on the bandstand," as opposed to "practicing three hours a day."

The young Wooten meets some other prophetic characters on his journey. Eventually, Wooten sort of "becomes" Michael, and becomes a keeper of the flame of wisdom. I think this is part of maturity as a person:when you realize that you are your own teacher, you develop the confidence to make your own way. "There are no shoulds or shouldn'ts. There are only choices. What you choose next is up to you. No one can tell you what that is. You have been shown all you need to know." I think so many of us are afraid to make the choices. This book might encourage us to leave the fear behind.


I find myself talking philosophy with my students often. And many of my trumpet teachers would talk philosophy often in the lessons. Sometimes, talking was more helpful than playing.  I think The Music Lesson is a revelatory philosophical wake-up call for any musician out there wanting to be inspired.

Pastorius,Milkowski,and Rosenwinkel: Not A Law Firm

My son Liam, giving me some lessons

First of all, my apologies to fans of jazztruth. Ever since my wife and 9-month old son have arrived in Winnipeg, I have, shall we say, had other things to attend to besides the state of the jazz world. And keep in mind I am teaching full time at the University of Manitoba and the fall semester has just begun. All that, plus minor gum surgery, has kept me from updating my precious blog. However,  I assure you I have a plethora of ideas and recorded interviews waiting in the wings. So don't despair, gentle readers: I will post as much as physically possible. Even if it means just posting pictures of my son banging on his toy xylophone every week! And yes, my son can already play Coltrane's solo on Giant Steps, but not up to tempo. Plus, he usually needs a diaper change afterwards. (I'm sure you've been in the same situation after you've played Giant Steps.)

Some of my previous posts have been quite lengthy and verbose. This time, I thought I would just give you the highlights of what I have been checking out. I admit, it can be hard to stay focused in this youtube- itunes-futuristic-information-superhighway kind of world we live in. Not to mention my students are always reminding me of some album or musician that I haven't listened to in a while, or perhaps some prog rock band that I need to check out. So at times, I find I'm all over the map when it comes to my "research". But here are a couple of things that I found some time to focus on more this week.

Jaco Pastorius

Jaco Pastorius is and was thought of by many (including himself, R.I.P) as " The World's Greatest Bass Player." I think without question he should be regarded as an important innovator of the electric bass and an icon in jazz fusion. He is frequently compared to bebop sage Charlie Parker,  not only because he revolutionized the bass technically and conceptually (as did  Parker with the alto saxophone), but he also had a tormented, drug addicted personal life which led to his demise much too early. His short burst of life is well documented by Bill Milkowski, one of my favorite music journalists, in Jaco: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius. This book came out about 15 years ago; I had read parts of it before, but I finally got to read the whole thing cover to cover. It's a fantastic read (I read it in about a day, which is a good sign regarding whether I like a book or not. Let's just say I have NOT finished Paris Hilton's Confessions Of An Heiress, although I plan on sitting down to read it as soon as HELL FREEZES OVER!).

author Bill Milkowski

Many times, I couldn't help but wonder if anyone ever considered writing a screenplay based on this compelling biography. Milkowski writes not only as a knowledgeable, experienced journalist and music lover, but he was actually friends with Pastorius, which gives the book a very intimate mood. (I also enjoy reading about the musicians and haunts of the New York Jazz scene in the mid 1980's, a good ten years before I moved to the city.)  The consensus, especially from those who were interviewed by Milkowski, seems to be that Pastorius was a colorful character, to say the least; indeed, colorful characters bring their share of positives and negatives. Jaco, at the height of his power, was a musical god, with huge success as a solo artist and a member of legendary fusion band Weather Report. At his lowest, he was panhandling, sleeping on basketball courts and hanging out with the bums and drug addicts on West 4th Street.

While the brutal, honest portrayal of Jaco's substance abuse and mental illness is sad and unflattering (and I am aware, controversial to some), it doesn't diminish Jaco's greatness or importance: I came away from the book inspired to search for my own innovations, and to channel my own inner Jaco, so to speak. I also can't help but think that if Jaco had come up more recently, maybe he wouldn't have been as tempted by drugs or alcohol; since musicians are generally living healthier lives these days-not to mention that there is much more awareness of mental illness like Jaco's. (My own experience with people with these kinds of conditions is that they tend to self medicate if they are undiagnosed.)

Milkowski's final paragraph, regarding which song he thought of first after Jaco's untimely death, is particularly touching to me; Three Views Of A Secret is, for Milkowski is " the one song that best captures the complexity of Jaco's character and the depth of his soul. In the course of six minutes,[this tune] reveals more about Jaco's character than any other piece he ever wrote. It's as if he had composed his own requiem." I've been a fan of that piece for a long time, and I actually play a solo piano arrangement of it. (I recorded it on my second Criss Cross release, Past Present Future.) I believe it has many emotional layers, and composing like that elevates Jaco from merely a bass prodigy up higher to the level of true artist.

Moving on: speaking of true artists, the great jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has a new CD out entitled Our Secret World. If you are already a fan of Rosenwinkel, you will delight in hearing this virtuoso composer and improviser in a surprising context: in front of a big band. The Orquestra Jazz De Matosinhos (OJM) from Portugal does a fine job in backing Rosenwinkel, and the arrangements definitely do justice to the original compositions. The sound is quite lush and modern-highly appropriate for this cross section of Rosenwinkel's music. While some might lament the lack of small group interaction, I compare it to Herbie Hancock's Speak Like A Child or Inventions and Dimensions; albums which seem to truly feature Herbie and his writing more than any other players. If you are a first time Rosenwinkel listener, hopefully this enjoyable collection will inspire you to investigate his many earlier recordings.

Who was the best? Duke Ellington, or Jimmie Lunceford?

Many of you know that I have recently joined the faculty of the Jazz Department at the University of Manitoba. A few weeks before I began the semester, director Steve Kirby asked me if I would consider teaching jazz history. I agreed to do it, a bit hesitant at first, because I have never done that and I'm certainly not a historian. However, I figured it would be a great learning experience, and that has surely been the case. I think the Manitoban students and I got a lot out of the work we did this past year. Nevertheless, my intention is to become a better history teacher, so I am trying to go back and do some research. And by research, I mean reading other people's research!

I recently ordered two books from Amazon and I highly recommend both of them: "Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington" by John Edward Hasse, and "Rhythm Is Our Business: Jimmie Lunceford and the Harlem Express" by Eddy Determeyer. I find it fascinating that Duke Ellington has remained in our consciousness, and we can celebrate him as one of America's great composers and one of the most important figures in Jazz; however, bandleader Jimmie Lunceford is a totally different story: Most people, including many jazz musicians, have never even heard of him, and he is considered an obscure figure. Yet during the late swing era, Jimmie Lunceford and the Harlem Express were considered by many to be better than the Duke Ellington Orchestra! Funny how history looks from 60 years in the distance.

The Hasse book is an in-depth look into Ellington's entire career as a pianist, composer, bandleader, and icon. It's an entertaining read, but also it's well researched material and there is always a section in each chapter which links each period of Ellington's career with relevant recordings. ( I believe the study of music history is irrelevant if you can't come away with a sound in your head.)

I was inspired by the book for two reasons. First of all, Duke Ellington had to deal with intense racism, even when he was a very popular artist. (Can you imagine if Kanye West was not allowed to check into a hotel in the city in which he was performing? This was the depth of racism in the 30's and 40's.) Yet he never seemed  bitter: he always remained regal and dignified, and was able to remain optimistic under the worst of circumstances.

Secondly, the idea that a living legend and jazz icon went through many career struggles, from his first initially unsuccessful move from his birthplace of Washington, D.C. to Harlem and back, to the post-swing era where Ellington, by then a household name, struggled to keep his band working. This is a lesson for anybody, yours truly included, that ever has doubts about one's purpose in life. For Ellington, the music was the most important thing; he kept his band paid so that he could hear his music played on a regular basis. Although one can't help but wonder how thrilled Ellington would have been to have lived to see our modern day music notation and music sequencing software! Ellington spent many hours staying up late writing manuscripts; today he could play musical ideas on a midi keyboard and have Sibelius play back his ideas instantly! Although the alto sax patch on Sibelius would be a pale substitution for having the singing sound of  Johnny Hodges at your disposal.

"Beyond Category" is essential if you are teaching jazz history, or trying to teach yourself jazz history, or if you are just a fan and enjoy a good music biography. (Although I realize that there are many books on Ellington available, including the recent " Duke Ellington's America" by Harvey G. Cohen, which is supposed to be excellent. ) The Hasse book has a plethora of detailed information about band members, Ellington's compositional successes and failures, his relationship with Irving Mills, exactly when and where he toured, and even a breakdown of his professional finances. There are great anecdotes which give one a window into Duke's personality; some giving him a down to earth quality, others making him seem all the more larger-than-life. For example, producer Irving Townsend said of Ellington, " In our years of recording together, I've known Duke to arrive an hour early, two hours late, and at every point between those two extremes. I have never known him to arrive anywhere at the wrong moment."

Truly, Duke Ellington is remember because he was part of the history from the beginning, and wrote so many great tunes, and also wrote many concert works on a grand scale. He was quite prolific and also was fortunate to be active for so many years, up until his death in 1974. Jimmie Lunceford  was not so lucky: The cause of his death in 1947 is disputed, even by band members who were there at the time. But many people believe he was poisoned by a racist restaurant owner. Eddy Determeyer's book delves into this mystery and others; as I stated earlier, Lunceford is not currently a household name, yet his band The Harlem Express was thought to be more swinging and more entertaining that the Ellington band or any other band of the swing era, breaking attendance records everywhere.

"Rhythm Is Our Business: Jimmie Lunceford and the Harlem Express"is essentially  a love letter and a reminiscence of a great but forgotten band and it's beloved leader, cut down in the prime of his life. Similar to the Ellington book, it discusses racism of the day as well as examining the life of the musicians who toured constantly under varied conditions. There is early biographical information on Lunceford: his middle-class upbringing in Denver, in a musical family, his days at Fisk University, his brief affair with W.E.B. DuBois' daughter, and the beginning of his band ( originally called the Chickasaw Syncopators). At a certain point, the book seems to focus as much on the sidemen and arrangers of the band; drummer Jimmy Crawford, alto saxophonist Willie Smith, and trumpeter and arranger Sy Oliver. An important milestone ocurred when Oliver left Lunceford to join Tommy Dorsey's band. This event sparks a discussion of the fact that swing music was cultivated by many black artists like Fletcher Henderson, Ellington, and Lunceford, while white bands like Dorsey and Benny Goodman received more acclaim-and had better working conditions throughout the racist 30's and 40's.

Jimmie Lunceford was a taskmaster, not just in terms of musical accuracy ( he was also one of the first jazz educators in history) but with showmanship: The members of the Harlem Express might change outfits two or three times during a performance, and shows included visual stunts such as the trumpet section throwing their trumpets up in the air, catching them, and playing high notes without missing a beat.If you are curious, there is some footage of the band on youtube from a short feature film from the 30's. (The band is also featured in a film called "Blues In The Night" from the 40's , which I ordered from Amazon but have not watched yet..." The controversy with that film is that the Lunceford band was known for impeccable attire, yet in the film they were " dressed in rags", according to one fan of the band.)

The book is entertaining and it's a fascinating look into the Swing Era. But why is Lunceford's legacy so non-existent compared to Ellington's? I believe some of it has to do with his premature death. I also think that it is more common than we realize for artists who are famous for a time to be relegated to the so-called storage closet of history, after the fame dust settles (Look at all the one hit wonders of the 80's, for example). Determeyer thinks some of it is because the Lunceford Orchestra was not as well documented as they could have been- that their recordings did not measure up to the live experience. Also, they had hit songs, but most were not written or arranged by the bandleader. Lunceford is looked at in retrospect as a great director, but he wasn't outstanding on any instrument (although he was a skilled multi-instrumentalist) and was not anywhere nearly as prolific a composer as someone like Ellington.

I was motivated by the book to buy some recordings of the Lunceford Orchestra. There's a great recording of " Rose Room" which shows a lot of virtuosity by the trumpet section, an outstanding stride intro from pianist Eddie Wilcox, and the tune well demonstrates what they referred to as the "Lunceford Bounce"-which influenced many of the swing bands. There is a great compilation you can download on Itunes called " Harlem Shout" which has a lot of the hits of the band, including " For Dancers Only", " Blues In The Night", and " 'Taint What You Do".

On a personal note, I used to teach at Juilliard, and trumpet great Joe Wilder, who was a member of one of the last bands of Lunceford, used to sit next to me on the panel for the auditions. I wished I had taken the opportunity to ask him about playing with Jimmie Lunceford. (Maybe I'll try to get an interview with him at some point!)