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1988 winner of the ASCAP Deems-Taylor award

Table of Contents

ONE
Central Avenue Breakdown 
TWO
The Bird in the Basket 
THREE
The Chase 
FOUR
Dave Brubeck and Modern Jazz in San Francisco 
FIVE
The San Francisco Scene in the 195os 
SIX
Central Avenue Survivors 
SEVEN
Big Bands out West 
EIGHT
City of Glass 
NINE
Chet Baker and the Pianoless Quartet 
TEN
From the Lighthouse 
ELEVEN
A Ring-tail Monkey 
TWELVE
Martians Go Home 
THIRTEEN
The Anti-drummer 
FOURTEEN
Straight Life  
FIFTEEN
LA Hard Bop 
SIXTEEN
Something Else!   
SEVENTEEN
West Coast Jazz: Final Considerations 
POSTSCRIPT:
A Stroll Through California Jazz Nightspots 
APPENDIX:
Fifty Representative West Coast Jazz Recordings 1945-1960 
Notes 
Index 

About the Author

Ted Gioia, one of the founders of Stanford University's Jazz Studies program, is also the author of The History of Jazz (1997) and The Imperfect Art: Reflections on Jazz and Modern Culture (1988; winner of the ASCAP Deems-Taylor award). He has made recordings as a jazz pianist and has produced recordings of the work of younger west coast musicians.

Reviews

"A book that desperately needed to be written and has turned out to be a surprise landmark and masterpiece."--Bruce and Joel Klauber, "Jazziz