Further Information about Jazz

Archive-name: music/bluenote/sources
Version: 1.03
Last-Modified: Sat Feb  6 22:52:01 EST 1993
This posting provides an incomplete list of resources for more information about jazz and blues, gathered from various net.postings. Two companion postings, "FAQ: rec.music.bluenote: Welcome to rec.music.bluenote!" and "FAQ: rec.music.bluenote: frequently asked questions", provide an introduction to the group, and answers to frequently asked questions.

These articles are repeated periodically for the benefit of new readers.

Editorial comments can be found in brackets.

table of contents

A list of magazines about blues and jazz.

BLUES REVUE QUARTERLY

Blues Revue Quarterly is billed as an acoustic and traditional blues digest. An annual subscription goes for $12 and can be sent to Blues Revue Quarterly, Rt. 2 Box 118, West Union, WV 26456, att: Bob Vorel.

CADENCE MAGAZINE

Cadence Building
Redwood, NY 13679
+1 315 287 2852
$25/year
Bill Hery: I think it is by far the best US magazine for reviewing less commercially oriented jazz--from Satchmo to Cecil and everything in between. They have more reviews than the other US mags, and concentrate on non-major labels and imports. Look at the center 30 pages or so for a fine print list of thousands of small label/import jazz recordings they sell at reasonable (but not necessarily great) prices. Also very interesting, in depth interviews with jazz mucians who are not [necessarily] commercial stars.

CODA PUBLICATIONS

Box 87
Station 'J'
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4J 4X8

24-hour phone/fax line for charge card orders: (416) 593-7230
U.S. rates in U.S. funds (6 issues/yr): regular mail: $24, 1st class mail: $27
In Canada: reg. mail: $25.68 (includes GST), 1st class: $29.96
U.K.: (email mcgonig@eeserv.ee.UManitoba.ca for U.K. info.)
Elsewhere: reg. mail: $27 Cdn., air mail: $36.
Payment: M/C, Visa, Int'l money order, or U.S. cheques (for cheques add $0.50
    to cover bank charges)
Gord McGonigal: CODA covers the entire spectrum of "non-commercial" jazz and blues (i.e., about the same as Cadence) including some articles devoted to the Canadian scene. Do not expect glossy production (they generally have about one B/W photo per article). However, do expect quality writing, often on themes not easily found elsewhere. Incidentally, CODA is created by the same folks that bring us Sackville recordings.

DOWNBEAT

Bill: Can be considered to be complementary to Cadence, since they cover a lot of the major labels (which also happen to advertise in DB).

JAZZ CD / JAZZ CASSETTE

Alan Mills: A new magazine has just [10/92] begun publication in Britain; it's called 'Jazz CD' or 'Jazz Cassette' and includes a CD or cassette respectively. The first issue was in September and it will be published monthly by Van Owen Publications Ltd., 17/19 Raynham Road Industrial Estate, Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 5PB, England.

JAZZ JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Alan Mills: Jazz Journal International magazine reviewed over 1000 records in 1991.

JAZZ MAGAZINE (formerly JAZZ FM MAGAZINE)

Mark Allerton: This magazine started in conjunction with Jazz FM, the London based Jazz radio station that started 3 years ago when the last lot of broadcasting licenses were handed out, but has recently disassociated itself from the radio station as it (the station) reformed itself into something rather more mainstream (playing "Blues, Soul and smooth, smooth Jazz" - you get the picture) in order to prevent financial disaster (of their own making.) Anyway, the magazine started out being very conservative, but recently has branched out a bit, interviewing Steve Coleman, Steve Williamson and also being very positive about a lot of new British jazz, so things are looking up. Published by Observer Publications (the same people who publish The Observer sunday newspaper.

JAZZ TIMES

Bill: again, not bad, but they are very conservative. They don't pay much attention to avant garde or fusion, but what they do cover (swing and bebop seem to be their favorites) they do a pretty good job with.

JAZZIZ

Bill: To me, the exact opposite of Cadence. They only cover the most commercial stuff around, and treat everything (reviews, interviews) very superficially.

David Willard: It has columns on all types of music except for 'popular' and 'country and western' music. It does have blues, traditional jazz, comtemporary jazz, new age, folk, Brazilian, voices, and even a little R&B and classical.

LIVING BLUES

Living Blues
C/O Center For the Study Of Southern Folklore
University of Mississippi
A blues magazine focusing on acoustic country/delta blues. Excellent.

PHONOLOG

People often ask questions along the lines of "How many versions of such-and-such song are there?" In the Phonolog, available in almost any good record store, one can look up any tune and see a listing of the in-print versions of it.

RECORD ROUNDUP

Roundup Records
P.O. Box 154
N. Cambridge Mass
Roy McKelvey: They put out a catalogue about every other month with an interesting selection of Folk, Blues, Bluegrass, Jazz and "World" music. The catalogue is free, and will keep coming if you order something a few times a year (I forget the exact inactivity limit they impose).

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

Straight No Chaser
43B Coronet St.
London N1 6HD
London, England
(available at some Tower Records)
Sue: It's got a variety of short interviews and spotlights on jazz musicians from everywhere. Not very in-depth, but it exposes a lot of musicians that American music media doesn't very often, including a lot of South African, West African, and Latin American jazz musicians.

Mark Allerton: It went bi-monthly a few months back (it was quarterly previously).

I agree in general with the comments above, though I think the slant of the magazine has drifted towards the "Acid Jazz" side of things in recent months. One thing to note about SNC is its rather hip typography, layout and graphics - fans of Talking Loud Record's artwork will like SNC a lot.

WIRE

Bill: This is a new one to me (thanks Sandeep!), and I think it's excellent. Very well written, coverage of interesting and less commercial music over a range of styles. Good feature articles recently on Sun Ra, Don Cherry, Geri Allen, reviews of European performances. From England, so it is a bit expensive [for US readers] ($40 per year).

Mark Allerton: A once great magazine - but sometime last year it decided to stop being a Jazz magazine and go all out for the mainstream (though it's likely it would have folded if it hadn't) - covering Micheal Jackson, Prince and Mozart in subsequent issues. I don't buy this as often as I used to, though it still has a lot of great writing and photography.

A list of books about blues and jazz.

[Bill Rosenblatt (billr@ora.com) has posted a much more complete compilation of books reviews from the net. He and I are working together on getting these lists synchronized. In the meantime, his current version is still available for anonymous FTP; James Plank (jsp@princeton.EDU) has made them available on princeton.edu, in the file pub/jzrvws.Z. -- Mark]

"Advanced Ear Training for Jazz Musicians"

CPP/Belwin. If you want a real challenge.

"Advanced Improvisation"

David Baker. A book about jazz improvisation.

"Big Road Blues"

David Evans. Evans does the most sophisticated work from an ethnographical standpoint.

"Blackwell's Guide to Blues Records"

Paul Oliver, ed. A good source book for buying recordings.

"Deep Blues"

Robert Palmer (not the musician). Excellent history of the development of Delta and Chicago blues by a guy who loves and understands the music and the musicians. It also has an extensive list of recommended recordings for a lot of the old musicians. It is out in a paperback now, (Penguin, maybe?).

"The Essential Jazz Companion"

Ian Carr et al. This is closer to the "Trouser Press" format, but the emphasis is on artists rather than specific recordings (though a good list of recordings is given at the end of each article). They cover just about everybody from Fats Waller to Derek Bailey ... The coverage is a bit more detailed than an introductory book.

Leonard Feather encyclopaedias (of jazz).

"Feels Like Going Home"

Peter Guralnick. Blues.

"The Harmony Illustrated Encyclopedia of Jazz"

Brian Case and Stan Britt, Harmony, 1986. It's not nearly as comprehensive as the title indicates, but it is still useful. Again, it's organized by artist, but the individual recordings aren't described. They only list records, they don't rate or review them.

"How to Play Bebop"

Frangipani Press, a 3 volume series that covers the subject in detail.

"In Search of Robert Johnson."

It's only 83 pages long, including the references, so you can read it on the bus ride home. Well written.

"The Jazz Book: From Ragtime to Fusion and Beyond", Joachim E. Berendt.

 Mark Goldstein: My favorite comprehensive jazz book. I noticed it was updated and re-released in 1992. It used to be published by Lawrence Hill & Co. I like the book because it has sections that discuss jazz historically (i.e., chapter on the 20s, 30s, 40s ...), by instrument (i.e., chapters on trumpeters, drummers, ...), by major musicians, and by group, as well as a couple of others. Each chapter or section can be read independently of the others. This is helpful particularly when you want to check up a particular musician, group, instrument, style, etc.

"Jazz Is"

Nat Hentoff, Limelight.

"The Jazz Life"

Nat Hentoff, DaCapo.

Both are recollections of jazz experiences had by Hentoff, stories of his relationship with some of jazz's most respected players, and anecdotes told by jazz musicians to Hentoff. Again, good to get a feel for what's behind the music.

"Jazz Masters of the XXs"

(where XX is 30, 40, 50, ...), DaCapo Press. A more in depth look at the musicians who were exponents of the styles of jazz popular during those periods. (Actually, Da Capo has a whole series of books on jazz and blues).

"Lost_Highways"

Peter Guralnick. Blues.

"Lydian-Chromatic Approach"

George Russell. An influential book on jazz theory. At one time it was available from Jamey Aebersold for $32.

"The Meaning of the Blues"

Paul Oliver. Examines the social and cultural aspects of Black America in the first half of the century as expressed through blues lyrics.

"Method For Piano Improvisation"

Dan Haerle. Useful, even for non-pianists. It originally came in three volumes, but is generally sold as a single unit as "Complete MFPI". It contains the most useful information from his "Scales" and "Keyboard Voicings" books, plus a lot of information actual improvisation. Although the book concentrates on issues that seem fairly piano-specific, such as voicing techniques (actually, guitarists can benefit directly from this as well), a horn player can learn about harmony by knowing how the pianist approaches it. The scale and improvisation material is, of course, generic.

"The One Hundred one Best Jazz Albums: A History of Jazz on Records"

Len Lyons, 1980. Publisher: Morrow, ISBN 0-688-08720-5 (paper), ISBN 0-688-03720-8.

"Patterns for Jazz"

Jerry Coker, Jimmy Casale, Gary Campbell and Jerry Greene. It's split up into sections by harmonic structure. Mostly they give you a pattern ... which you're supposed to "get under your fingers" to expand your improvisational vocabulary. Usually the pattern is given in one or two keys, and you're expected to transpose it to the other 10 or 11, which is probably the most useful part of the book (do NOT write the things out, or you miss the whole point.) There's something in the concept of using these things as the major source of improvisational ideas that several folks don't like. It should be used in combination with other tools (transcription of REAL solos, playing with other people, and so forth).

"Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide"

John Swenson, editor, Random House, 1985. Not bad, though some think they rate a lot of things too highly. They give recordings ratings on a five-star scale, plus at least a brief comment on each musician or group. It suffers from having multiple contributors, some of whom vary in quality.

"Study in Fourths"

Walter Bishop Jr. A jazz theory book. There is an Aebersold VHS tape that Bishop did, as well.

A list of festivals of blues and jazz.

THE BIRMINGHAM [ALABAMA] JAM

[I'm trying to get more definitive information about this, billed as a jazz, blues, and gospel festival, which happened 9/18-20/92.]

CHICAGO BLUES FEST

John Manley: 1991's Chicago Blues Fest was the weekend of June 14-16. The list of scheduled performers is finalized around April. To get more info or to put yourself on the info mailing list, call +1 312 744 4000 in the US and ask for the Mayor's Office for Special Events. [Number correct as of 10/92].

MEMPHIS BEALE ST. MUSIC FESTIVAL

The 1992 Memphis Beale St. Music Festival was held on Friday, May 1, through Sunday, May 3. The schedule was printed in the Commercial Appeal, the local newspaper. It is held right on the banks of the Mississippi with three different stages spread out over a pretty long area. In addition to the music at the festival, there are plenty of bands to be seen at all the clubs in town. [contact information needed -- Mark]

NEW ORLEANS JAZZ AND HERITAGE FESTIVAL

Bruce Steinberg: call the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival office at +1 504 522 4786 (it's listed like that in N.O. information if you lose it or it changes), and ask them to send you the complete schedule. [Number is correct as of 11/92].

The festival always starts the last weekend in April and ends the Sunday of the first weekend in May.

Larry Owen: In general tickets for the evening concerts range from $22.50 to $32.50 (I didn't get the fairgrounds ticket prices, but I would expect them to still be around $9.00/day - one of the really great bargains left on the planet, if you can stand the crowds).

Kevin Long: There are about seven stages running simultaneously, and they're well-isolated sound-wise. The music begins precisely on time and runs according to schedule. It's a bitch to get hotel accomodations.

To charge tickets by phone to Visa or MasterCard, for for ticket information, call Maison Blanche/Ticketmaster: +1 504 888 8181 or +1 800 535 5151 outside Louisiana. [Numbers not yet checked -- Mark]

Jazz and blues on the radio and TV.

Alan Mills: two programmes on BBC radio: 'The Best of Jazz' and 'Jazz Record Requests' normally feature this kind of music.

A list of museums about blues and jazz.

MISSISSIPPI DELTA BLUES MUSEUM

Willie Williams writes: There is a Mississippi Delta Blues Museum located in the public library in Clarksdale, MS. I was there in '87 during a trip from my wife's family's home in Montgomery, Alabama to the Jazz Heritage Festival in New Orleans. We did watch a wonderful video there of Furry Lewis, Sam Chapman, and others. (Tip for blues fans: catch the film Mississippi Masala, which is terrific in all, and has some fun sequences with Sam Chapman -- the last of the original delta bluesmen).

But, as another poster points out, don't have great expectations for this place. Unless it's had a windfall, it has modest resources. I liked its big map of where the greats lived. It's pretty amazing how many titans came out of such a small area. We didn't stop at the Stovall Plantation (Muddy Waters) or the Dockery Plantation (home of Henry Sloan, Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, Willie Brown, Jake Martin, and others).

SMITHSONIAN COLLECTION OF CLASSIC JAZZ

	Division of Performing Arts
	Smithsonian Institution
	Washington, D.C. 20560
For a good look at early jazz all the way through the sixties/seventies, this set of recordings is a good choice. Recommended by multiple sources.

Other information about blues and jazz accessible via Usenet.

Many periodic and informational postings show up in the moderated newsgroup rec.music.info, including concert listings, and even pointers to more musical resources. Each is "tagged" by a leading keyword in the Subject: line [an excellent convention that I wish others would pick up!] These keywords including CONCERT, CHART, DISCOGRAPHY, FAQ, INFO, MAILINGLIST, RELEASE, and REC.MUSIC.INFO (for administrivia). Many sites also archive these postings.

[hyper-editor's note: rec.music.info is archived at the music archives at cs.uwp.edu:/pub/music/info/rec.music.info, but unfortunately, the file names are apparently article numbers. If I figure out a way to link to these specific files, I'll do it, but until then, you're better off using a newsreader to find them]

An essential few postings would include:

The rec.music.bluenote FAQs are also now cross-posted to rec.music.info and news.answers.

Marc Sabatella (marc@hpmonk.fc.hp.com) has written a jazz improvisation primer, available via anonymous FTP from ftp.njit.edu in /pub/jazz-primer. It is a beginning to intermediate "how to play jazz" text, and it covers a broad range of topics from history to theory to "how to structure a jam session".

Bill Hery also maintains lists of jazz clubs, record stores, and so forth. The subject lines are (more or less):

They are posted irregularly to rec.music.bluenote, and are also available via anonymous FTP on ftp.njit.edu:/pub/rmb-lists [not /pb as the previous version of this FAQ claimed -- mcl]

Bill Rosenblatt (billr@ora.com) had posted a compilation of reviews of jazz books. See above in "book" section for reference. They can also be found on ftp.njit.edu under /pub/rmb-lists. [I have a copy of these, but haven't had time to integrate them into this FAQ, sigh -- Mark]

Brian White (brw@njit.edu) administers the anonymous FTP service on ftp.njit.edu mentioned above. A complete summary available as of 12/92 is as follows:

The relevant directories are (when logged in as "anonymous"): /pub/images - GIFS, Sunrasters, and X bitmaps of jazz and blues artists (with guys like Beefheart and Van Morrison thrown in). /pub/jazz-primer - Marc Sabatella's jazz improvisation primer. /pub/rmb-lists - Bill's Hery's lists; Bill Rosenblatt's list All the above directories have READMEs in them. He states that he is looking for anything else that might be *appropriate*, i.e., not rock stuff, as there are enough sites for that genre already.

David Datta (datta@cs.uwp.edu) maintains a set of music archives. [Soon, I'll include more information -- Mark] [I'll try to have a more descriptive paragraph on FTP, archives, and MBAS for the next revision. -- Mark]

As far as I know, no archive site for rec.music.bluenote postings themselves, is in existence.

Contributions to rec.music.bluenote FAQs.

The following net.folks have contributed to this posting: This posting, like much of Usenet, is maintained on a purely volunteer basis. I welcome reactions, additions, and corrections via email at linimon@nominil.lonesome.com.

This resource is maintained by Joe Germuska

Jazz Producer, WNUR-FM

j-germuska@nwu.edu