The Art of the Blues

The Art of the Blues
by Bill Dahl; Art Consultant: Chris James
Chicago; University of Chicago Press
2016: 224 pages (including index)

"The Art of the Blues" is a coffee table sized volume subtitled "A Visual Treasury of Black Music's Golden Age." Released in time for the holidays in 2016, it is visually a marvelous collection of blues (and jazz) ephemera including old song-sheet covers, publicity photos, record company catalogs, 78 and 45 labels, music magazine covers, record album covers and concert photos. Interspersed are brief overviews on a variety of themes relating to the history of blues recordings, specific artists, photographers and record companies and more by long-time blues journalist and scholar Dahl. Dahl also captioned the hundreds of illustrations in this handsomely produced and printed volume. Guitarist Chris James assisted on the selection of the images.

It is not a perfect volume as there are some occasional, minor inaccuracies (unavoidable with the actual range of subjects that Dahl writes about) in the text (Jimmy Rushing was a member of the Blue Devils and recorded with them prior to joining Bennie Moten) and one wishes there was more consistent crediting to photographers or artists of the images included. At the same time, even I, who have been following this music (and reading about it) for decades, learned quite a bit such as about the Hook Brothers photographers (best known for the publicly known Robert Johnson images), along with the companies that made concert and tour posters that are highly prized collectors items today.

Dahl takes us from the days of minstrel shows and cakewalks to great rhythm and blues revues of the 50's and 60's and the three guitar Kings of the Blues. It is quite a wonderful text as well as visual treat. I purchased this and am quite pleased I did. This will be truly a wonderful gift for the blues and jazz lovers on your gift list.

Charles Mingus Speaks

Mingus Speaks
John F Goodman
photos by Sy Johnson
2013: University of California Press

Charles Mingus was one of the singular figures of jazz from the fifties through the seventies. As a bassist, composer, and band-leader, he was a formidable figure and person who left behind some of the most memorable body of compositions and recordings. He was thoughtful, intense, blunt, outspoken, humorous and, sometimes, volatile. John F Goodman was a writer for Playboy who did a number of jazz features for that publication who reviewed Mingus’ 1972 comeback concert and got intimate with him and some of his musical associates. The result is Mingus Speaks from the University of California Press.

Goodman interviewed Mingus a number of times and the conversations on a variety of topics are what this book is centered around including the comeback concert, jazz and his own music, his dealings with musicians and club owners, his personal troubles, the publication of his book Beneath the Underdog, his relationships on women and his viewpoints on issues of race. Goodman supplements these with interviews and commentary from Mingus’ associates including arranger Sy Johnson (also an accomplished photographer whose photos illustrate the book), Sue Mingus, Teo Macero, George Wein, Max Gordon (Gordon’s recollection of dealing with Mingus include when Mingus tore off the Village Vanguard’s front door and punched Jimmy Knepper), Paul Jeffrey,  and Bobby Jones.

We get discussions relating to the recording of artists and Mingus’ preparations for major concerts and the chaos relating to some of them. For example, Johnson notes that somewhat chaotic preparation for the comeback concert at Carnegie Hall as Mingus would be continuing to revise the charts up until the actual performance. Mingus was not a fan of the avant-garde artists like Ornette Coleman (and I note Bradford Marsalis recently made similar comments) asserting they could not play straight stuff. He expressed a similar antipathy to fusion and rock music, being particularly outraged by the declining visibility of jazz on the radio. The interviews and commentary from others round out and provide context for the conversations presented.

Mingus Speaks is an invaluable addition to the literature on Charles Mingus, aand jazz literature in general. Goodman’s assembly of this material fleshes out this larger than life legend while providing insight into his working methods and his life. It is a valuable supplement to Beneath the Underdog and Gene Santoro’s Mingus biography, Myself When I Am Real.

I received my review copy from the publisher.

The Stories of The Chitlin' Circuit and Bettye LaVette

With the holidays approaching, there are plenty of books that might be of interest to those in your lives with interests in blues and jazz. A few days ago I posted a review of Ted Gioia’s The Jazz Standards. Here are a couple more books you might consider giving. 

The Chitlin’ Circuit

Preston Lauterbach’s The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock’N’Roll (New York: Norton) is a fascinating look at the development of the string of clubs and joints that emerged after the fall of the Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) Circuit. Lauterbach’s inspiration to write this book was a story he did on Bobby Rush for Living Blues. In it he introduces us to Sax Kari, a recording artist whose career went back to the 1920s with Butterbeans and Suzie. Kari then introduces us to an Indianopolis nightclub boss and racketeer neamed Denver Furguson and how in the 1930s he helped started what became known as The Chitlin Circuit.

In the early days, the Chicago big band leader, Walter Barnes, was among teh first to have tours arranged for him. Barnes, who recorded ten titles in the 1920s, was also a correspondent for the Chicago Defender, who contributed dispatches from the road in addition to the various stories he contributed on the black entertainment world. Its fascinating to learn his biography as well as his tragic, and heroic death, in the Natchez Fire in 1940 whose impact was still felt when Howlin Wolf recorded a song over a decade ago. Barnes and Ferguson are only some of the intriguing people we meet. Enabling Louis Jordan to tour was one way the Circuit started to develop. We also find the interrelationship between record companies and booking agents as well. 

The Chitlin’ Circuit and the Road to Rock’N’Roll is a book from which I learned much and it is a very lively read. It has been available over a year and if you may have missed it, I do recommend it highly.

Bettye LaVette

David Ritz has assisted another legend from the rhythm and blues world with an autobiography. A Women Like Me from Bettye LaVette (New York: Blue Rider Press). Its a raw and compelling story that LaVette tells of a career marked by ups and downs and a life where she has been literally pimped out as well as had the fortune of being mentored and coming under the wings of those who truly cared her and helped her develop her talents. 

LaVette us from her musical upbringing in Detroit, her various recording efforts in the sixties and seventies with near brushes at stardom and the failure of various motherf******s to keep their word to the past decade or so where her star finally ascended to its rightful place. 

Be warned that the language here is raw and unfiltered and profane but the story rings with the truth of her recordings. This book has soul.

I purchased these books.