From "Hustlin' Blues" to "Strange Fruit"
African Musical Retentions
in the Evolution of Jazz Singing Style
circa 1920-1945
Dr. Ann G. P. Solberg and Elizabeth McQueary
Funded by the Appalachian College Association, Summer 1997
Annotations, Q-Z
Shapiro, Nat and Nat Hentoff, eds. Jazz Makers: Essays on the Greats of Jazz. New York: Da Capo Press, 1979. A compilation of essays written on the lives and works of 21 male jazz musicians, with the exception of two who were considered too important to be omitted, Bessie Smith and Billie Holiday. Covering such prominent jazz performers as Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller, and Count Basie, this is an excellent source of information on male traditional jazz musicians. The information it gives is detailed and some essays may contain personal opinions about specific jazz performers. Taylor, Frank C. and Gerald Cook Alberta Hunter. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1987. From a background of poverty and little education, Alberta Hunter became involved in the blues, jazz and gospel scene in the twenties. Based on five months worth of personal interviews and even more research, the story of Alberta Hunter, one of the most soulful, energetic African-American singers, comes to life in this biography collaboratively written by a long-time admirer, Frank Taylor, and Alberta's own accompanist, Gerald Cook. A large discography is included. Terkel, Studs. Giants of Jazz. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co., 1975. Not very detailed, but nonetheless informative, this book covers the musical careers of thirteen of the most popular blues and jazz musicians from the twenties to the sixties. Female musicians include Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith, while some male performers include Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Duke Ellington. A discography is included. Travis, Dempsey J. An Autobiography of Black Jazz. Chicago: Urban Research Institute, 1983. This book is divided into two main sections. The first section deals with the history of black music from the early 1900's to the 1950's. The second section is a compilation of autobiographical sketches on several black jazz musicians. Highlighting such artists as Cab Calloway, Dorothy Donegan, Billy Eckstine, Viola Jefferson, Maxine Sullivan and Nancy Wilson, Travis devotes several pages to each musician, bringing them to life with an abundance of photographs. A significant bibliography is included. Ullman, Michael. Jazz Lives: Portraits in Words and Pictures. Washington, DC: New Republic Books, 1980. "These musicians have shared a common problem: how to survive as artists playing jazz, a music that is still appreciated by only a minority of Americans. The essays that follow document the innovative responses of some accomplished musicians to the conditions under which they live" (7). A book compiled of essays written on musicans such as Dizzy Gillespie, Joe Venuti, Dexter Gordon, Betty Carter, Anthony Braxton, and Charles Mingus, the chapters include photographs of each musician. This is not a helpful source for research on African-American women musicians, however, it gives insight into a variety of male performers. A large discography is included.
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