Bird: The Legend of Charlie Parker
Here again we get a view of the connection between musical brilliance (or any artistic brilliance, really) and personal dysfunction, drug addiction, and questionable moral character. And if you want to get a look at all the darker corners of a man’s mind and personality ask his ex-wife. Charlie Parker was not an easy man...
Downbeat: The Great Jazz Interviews
Does anything really need to be said about this book other than the title? It’s the great jazz magazine DownBeat, and interviews of – well, everyone! Established in 1934 in Chicago, DownBeat came to be called the “Bible of Jazz.” This collection of interview is in honor of the magazine’s 75th anniversary (2009) and contains...