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Swing To Bop: An Oral History of the Transition in Jazz in the 1940s
This book willserve as the basic work on the rise and development of bop in jazz. Engendered by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, bebop, now known as bop, quickly became the most powerful musical force in modern jazz. Today it is still the main musical language of jazz musicians. Over a
ten-year period, Ira Gitler interviewed more than 50 of the seminal figures in jazz history to preserve for posterity their recollections of how jazz moved from the big band era in the late '30s and '40s into the modern jazz period. The musicians interviewed recreate not only their own experiences
but also evoke the legendary figures of bop who where so influential in its development but were never recorded, people like Clyde Hart and Freddie Webster.
Swing to Bop shows how the music first established itself in jam sessions in Harlem and then spread to New York's famed 52nd Street and beyond. Separate chapters describe how young musicians in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit became swept up in the movement. Along with the
music and the personalities who made it, the book vividly recreates the atmosphere of the country in the '30s and '40 traveling on the ballroom theather curcuit; racial attitudes and interaction; extra-musical pastimes; the relationship to World War II; and the influence of drugs. Thus Swing to
Bop reveals not only how the music evolved but the environment in which it flourished and what effect in turn the music had on that environment and the music to follow.
About the Author
Ira Gitler is the author of Jazz Masters of the '40s and The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies. He was previously Professor of Jazz History at City College of New York and Associate Editor of Downbeat.
ten-year period, Ira Gitler interviewed more than 50 of the seminal figures in jazz history to preserve for posterity their recollections of how jazz moved from the big band era in the late '30s and '40s into the modern jazz period. The musicians interviewed recreate not only their own experiences
but also evoke the legendary figures of bop who where so influential in its development but were never recorded, people like Clyde Hart and Freddie Webster.
Swing to Bop shows how the music first established itself in jam sessions in Harlem and then spread to New York's famed 52nd Street and beyond. Separate chapters describe how young musicians in major cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit became swept up in the movement. Along with the
music and the personalities who made it, the book vividly recreates the atmosphere of the country in the '30s and '40 traveling on the ballroom theather curcuit; racial attitudes and interaction; extra-musical pastimes; the relationship to World War II; and the influence of drugs. Thus Swing to
Bop reveals not only how the music evolved but the environment in which it flourished and what effect in turn the music had on that environment and the music to follow.
About the Author
Ira Gitler is the author of Jazz Masters of the '40s and The Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Seventies. He was previously Professor of Jazz History at City College of New York and Associate Editor of Downbeat.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 25, 2008
~ Fantastic first hand accounts!
January 19, 2023
Great book detailing how jazz transformed from the swing era to bop. The book is all interviews conducted by Ira where he speaks to many jazz legends describing their experiences during this time, Ira does a great job weaving parts of the interviews together into a steady progression of people who played with the same bands, in practically chronological order. This book also doesn't hold back the hardships players faced during this time, jim crow, racism, and how drug use plagued the jazz world are all topics covered. It was also fascinating to learn more about some of these swing bands and the stories behind them. It's one thing to read what happened in a textbook, it's another kind of connection to read interviews of people who were there and learning about what was (and wasn't) included in textbooks. Only negative of the book is that the text looks kinda old-timey or not blurry but kind of less clear if that makes sense, but it didn't detract anything from the books contents. Great read!
August 31, 2021
Admittedly not a ton of takeaways from this. You've got to know the names of all the original bebop players to keep up, and even then it's mostly just musicians name dropping each other without too much direction or insight. Interesting enough if you're a bebop fan, but there's likely nothing here you haven't heard about or read already.
I did enjoy the couple pages that talked about Mary Lou Williams and her relationship with Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell.
Every oral history has the potential to come up short if the interviews don't give the author what they need to construct a clear and engaging narrative, so I'd say it's simply a pitfall of the format.
I did enjoy the couple pages that talked about Mary Lou Williams and her relationship with Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell.
Every oral history has the potential to come up short if the interviews don't give the author what they need to construct a clear and engaging narrative, so I'd say it's simply a pitfall of the format.
August 25, 2024
Very entertaining oral history of the period from Swing to Bop. A wonderful mixture of anecdotes, and tragic, informative & humorous stories from a wide variety of musicians. This gives a true glimpse into the lifestyle of the musicians.
Much of it, of course, focuses on Bird & Diz, but much more.
Much of it, of course, focuses on Bird & Diz, but much more.
April 5, 2020
99% interview snippets with musicians of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Interesting look at life in the jazz trenches of that time.
December 5, 2014
Oral histories of what it was like to be on both sides of a musical revolution. Ira Gitler does a great job of assembling the first hand accounts into an enjoyable narrative.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews