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English books about jazz music

English books about jazz music

Let us help you find any American or English books about jazz music and the musicians who played it. Please telephone (+31 72 5117151) or write to the address above.

I have permission to represent several independent CD/record labels in England. Among others;
LAKE RECORDS
P.E.K. RECORDS
J.R.K.
AZURE
ROSE RECORDS
LOOSE TIE RECORDS
CALLIGRAPH RECORDS
RAYMER SOUND
LAKE RECORDS is a Company run by Paul and Linda Adams in the North of England, which was (more…)

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Is Bird Dead? -Part Two

Is Bird Dead? (Part Two)

I described my surprise at how seldom I discern the influence of Charlie Parker in the work of the younger generation of jazz musicians. I called attention to the changes in how phrases are shaped by improvisers today, as well as to the different techniques employed in incorporating chromatic “color tones” into their melodic lines. In these, and other improvisational elements, we can hear a dramatic loosening of the almost mesmerizing hold that Bird once exerted on aspiring jazz artists.

Also, it is hard not to notice a pervasive modal mind-set today, even when (and this is the surprising part) the songs themselves aren’t modal. The distinctive interval leaps and patterns that came out of (more…)

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Gypsy jazz Terminology

A brief introduction to Gypsy jazz terminology

Gadje: Romani term for non-Gypsy.
Gitans: Spanish-based Romani.
Grande Bouche: French for ‘large mouth.’ The original Selmer jazz guitar designed by Maccaferri, with a large, D-shaped sound hole. This design is still preferred by rhythm players in jazz Manouche ensembles.
Gypsy jazz: Genre of music evolved after American jazz came to Europe, created by Romani musicians living around Paris in the 1930s, notably Pierre “Baro” Ferret and Django Reinhardt.
Also called Hot Club swing, after Django’s first jazz ensemble, le
Quintette du Hot Club de France.
Jazz Manouche: More widely accepted term for Gypsy jazz, from the French branch of the Romani people, the Manouche.
Petite Bouche: French for ‘small mouth.’ The Selmer acoustic jazz guitar preferred by Django, featuring a small,  oval-shaped sound hole for more intense solo projection. Only around a thousand Selmer petite bouche guitars were ever built.
La pompe: The rhythm technique used by Gypsy guitarists in Hot Club swing music. In English, it means “the pump.”
This distinct pulse allows one or two guitarists to take the place of drums and keyboard in a traditional Hot Club group.
Roma, Romani: Proper name of the ethnic group commonly known as the Gypsies. The Romani people are believed to have been displaced from Northern India around 1,000 A.D.
Selmer: Parisian musical instrument company which produced Django Reinhardt’s favorite guitar, originally designed for Selmer by Italian luthier Mario Maccaferri. Production on these guitars stopped in the early 1950s.
Sinti: Also Cinti. Romani people primarily based in Germany and the Netherlands.
Wegen: Special handcrafted guitar pick  made by Dutch artisan Michael Wegen. Formed from synthetic material resembling natural tortoise shell, this plectrum is universally preferred by jazz Manouche guitarists across the globe.

The answer isn’t that simple. It begins, of course, with a reawakened awareness of Django Reinhardt, who (more…)

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Life at the Gypsy Jazz Camp – “Part One”

When Bill Barnes told me was running off to Gypsy jazz camp, I had visions of rugged but glamorous days spent in caravans and romantic evenings by the campfire listening to inspired string music. The camera pans back to show bow-top trailers and a dark woods in the background.

Okay, I admit it. I grew up near Hollywood, and it probably shaped my impressions of the life of the Romani people. As I later learned, Bill’s Gypsy jazz gathering took place at Smith College, and there wasn’t a single bow-top trailer anywhere in sight. But if it didn’t look like a scene from a movie, the music lived up to the highest expectations.

More interesting, this event is another sign of the remarkable (more…)

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Parker, Kim

Parker, Kim, singer; b. New York City, NY, 22 August 1946. Parker was steeped in jazz from day one, having spent her first seven years on 52nd Street. Yet it was her mother, Chan Parker, who initially introduced Kim to jazz. Chan Parker was a dancer at the time, and always had a passion for jazz. Kim’s grandmother, a former Ziegfeld Girl, hat-checked at the 21 Club and the Cotton Club. As a result, Kim Parker’s earliest friends were musicians, strippers, and doormen. The glamour of 52nd Street, jazz, clubs, and the music as a whole unfortunately, often only remained in the ear of the jazz listener. Having been raised at a time of Bird’s most emotionally difficult period, Kim witnessed it all. Kim was almost age eight when her infant sister, Pree, died of pneumonia.

This event, more than (more…)

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Greg Shapiro- January2001

Jazz: January 2001 Top 25

These are the top 25 releases for the month of January 2001, based on actual tabulated airplay by our 15 jazz DJ’s.

* denotes reissue.

1 – Joe McPhee/Hamid Drake – Emancipation Proclamation – Okka Disk
2 – Scott Rosenberg/Anthony Braxton – Compositions/Improvisations 2000 – Barely Auditable
3 – Matthew Shipp – New Orbit – Thirsty Ear
4 – School Days – (more…)

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The Styles of Jazz

This chart of Jazz Styles is derived from Joachim Berendt’s The Jazz Book. This book is indispensible to any person seeking a comprehensive survey of the history of Jazz. Berendt masterfully covers the evolution of this complex music from several parallel perspectives, helping readers absorb history from more than one direction. This structure also makes the book a pleasure to browse.

I have adapted the map somewhat to include more specifically some genres of music. Please maintain healthy skepticism towards this two-dimensional representation of a thoroughly three-dimensional culture. Some things that are quite important may not be on this map, and (more…)

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