Black Beauty, White Heat: A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz, 1920-1950

by Frank Driggs, Harris Lewine

An essential part of every aficionado's library, Black Beauty White Heat brings back innumerable memories of jazz's early days. With more than 600 photographs, advertisements and record labels, the book presents the years of 1920–1950—the decades of the greatest ferment and spread of jazz. Black Beauty White Heat will be a focal point of endless discussion about the origins of jazz for years to come.

Genres: Music, Photography, History

360 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1982

Reviews

[Curmudgeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An indispensable photographic reference book for jazz's early years. The chapters of the book are divided by era as well as by location, which can occasionally cause some minor confusion if you are looking up a particular artist or band and are not sure where to look first, but overall it is very well-organized and informative, and contains great reproductions of many photographs that are hard to come by elsewhere. I actually own two copies of this book because I spent so much time looking at my first copy that I broke the book's spine. (If there is one bad thing I have to say about this book, it is that the paperback tends to fall apart rather easily...)

[Blaine Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best compendium of historical jazz photos and memorabilia on the planet. Fantastic collection of photos from every imaginable source. Immerse yourself in the world of jazz by living in thousands of black and white photos of everyone from Bunny Barrigan and King Oliver to Art Blakey and John Coltrane.

[Phil Overeem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful photos and text documenting the first half-century of jazz. I have followed jazz fairly passionately for 25 years and hadn't seen many of the best pictures anywhere else. A true labor of love.