Jazz Masters: Setting the Record Straight

The Jazz Masters: Setting the Record Straight features twenty-one conversations with musicians with at least fifty years of professional experience, reflecting seventeen hundred years of paying dues. Five interviewees have received the National Endowment for the Arts prestigious Jazz Masters Fellowship, and the rest are veteran performers willing to share their experiences and knowledge. The interviews cover issues of race, performance, and jazz's rich legacies, and are invaluable primary material for scholars and musicians.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 01 November 2021
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

The Jazz Masters: Setting the Record Straight is a captivating collection of twenty-one in-depth conversations with musicians who have amassed a minimum of fifty years of professional experience, with several reaching as high as seventy-five. These diverse voices, spanning seventeen hundred years of dedication and dues-paying, resonate with both casual fans and ardent jazz enthusiasts alike. Carefully and minimally edited by Peter Zimmerman to maintain the authenticity of the musicians' words, the interviews retain their original essence.

Five of the interviewees, namely Dick Hyman, Jimmy Owens, Sonny Rollins, Clark Terry, and Yusef Lateef, have been honored with the prestigious Jazz Masters Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, further emphasizing their significance and exceptional talent. While not officially designated as masters, the remaining musicians are seasoned performers who are eager to share their invaluable experiences and knowledge.

The artists featured in the book encompass a wide age range, from their early seventies to mid-nineties. Some began their careers during the era of segregation, while others emerged during the tumultuous struggle for civil rights. Regardless of their starting points, all the musicians interviewed grapple with profound issues related to race, performance, and the rich legacy of jazz. In addition to their musical pursuits, many have ventured into composing, arranging, teaching, historical research, studio work, session playing, producing, advocating for musicians, authoring, column writing, poetry, and various forms of artistic expression.

The interviews in The Jazz Masters serve as a priceless primary resource for scholars and offer inspiration to musicians who draw inspiration from the stories and unique approaches of these veteran musicians.

Weight: 522g
Dimension: 155 x 233 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496837431