Table of Contents

You've come a long way - baby, halcyon days; remembering the Hickory House; the fabulous Joe Morello; Joe Morello - with a light touch; perils of Paul - a portrait of desperate Desmond; into the sun : an affectionate sketch of Mary Lou Williams - Just swinging; Jake Hanna and Benny Goodman - from the inside the sideman's view; Bill Evans - genius; looking to the future - Ron McClure and Eddie Gomez; Dudley (Moore) - serious music from a colossus of comedy; the untold story of the international sweethearts of rhythm; Alec Wilder - the compleat composer.

Promotional Information

Updated edition of jazz pianist and radio host Marian McPartland's tribute to legendary musicians.

Reviews

ADVANCE PRAISE "Marian McPartland is as wittily incisive a writer-memoirist as she is a pianist and radio sage. The new postscripts enhance a jazz classic -- portraits of an era, from the other side of the footlights." -- Gary Giddins, author of Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams "I wonder if Marian McPartland fully realizes what an elegant prose stylist she is. But then, it's only natural that her choices with language should be no less sensitive or discriminating than those she makes at the keyboard. In the truest sense these word portraits are McPartland compositions and remain among my most treasured music reading. What a joy to have an expanded and updated edition." -- Richard M. Sudhalter, author of Stardust Melody: The Life and Music of Hoagy Carmichael "Marian McPartland has always been one of my favorite pianists, and this book shows that she is every bit as good a writer as she is a musician." -- Dave Brubeck "She has done her studying from the inside: as one of the few working jazz musicians to write about the music with any frequency, she offers a perspective on the men and women who play jazz for a living that seldom finds its way into print." -- New York Times "Marian McPartland is that rare combination, a first rank jazz musician who also can write about her music, its milieu and musicians... [She] writes with wit, acumen, and vivacity." -- San Diego Union-Tribune