Overview

In the 1930s swing music was everywhere--on radio, recordings, and in the great ballrooms, hotels, theatres, and clubs. Perhaps at no other time were drummers more central to the sound and spirit of jazz. Benny Goodman showcased Gene Krupa. Jimmy Dorsey featured Ray McKinley. Artie Shaw helped make Buddy Rich a star while Count Basie riffed with the innovative Jo Jones. Drummers were at the core of this music; as Jo Jones said, ""The drummer is the key--the heartbeat of jazz."" An oral history told by the drummers, other musicians, and industry figures, Drummin' Men is also Burt Korall's memoir of more than fifty years in jazz. Personal and moving, the book is a celebration of the music of the time and the men who made it. Meet Chick Webb, small, fragile-looking, a hunchback from childhood, whose explosive drumming style thrilled and amazed; Gene Krupa, the great showman and pacemaker; Ray McKinley, whose rhythmic charm, light touch, and musical approach provided a great example for countless others, and the many more that populate this story. Based on interviews with a collection of the most important jazzmen, Drummin' Men offers an inside view of the swing years that cannot be found anywhere else.

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9780195157628

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Reviews

[The author's] breezy prose and insight into the quintessentially American lives of his subjects make Drummin' Men well worth reading. --The New York Times Book Review A brilliant account of a very important period in the history of American music. --Max Roach A splendid achievement. --Artie Shaw A book that illuminates not only the pantheon of jazz drummers in classical jazz but also makes clear the very essence of the jazz spirit. --Nat Hentoff

A book that illuminates not only the pantheon of jazz drummers in classical jazz but also makes clear the very essence of the jazz spirit. * Nat Hentoff * A splendid achievement. * Artie Shaw * A brilliant account of a very important period in the history of American music. * Max Roach * [The author's] breezy prose and insight into the quintessentially American lives of his subjects make Drummin' Men well worth reading. * The New York Times Book Review *

[The author's] breezy prose and insight into the quintessentially American lives of his subjects make Drummin' Men well worth reading. --The New York Times Book Review<br> A brilliant account of a very important period in the history of American music. --Max Roach<br> A splendid achievement. --Artie Shaw<br> A book that illuminates not only the pantheon of jazz drummers in classical jazz but also makes clear the very essence of the jazz spirit. --Nat Hentoff<br>

Author Information

Burt Korall is a music industry veteran, jazz authority and former drummer who has been the director of the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop for almost fifteen years. Also a music critic, record producer, editor, broadcaster, and journalist, his articles have appeared in The New York Times, New York Daily News, The New York Post, Saturday Review, The Village Voice, Down Beat, Playboy, and International Musician. He is the author of Drummin' Men: The Bebop Years (OUP 2002) and co-author of The Jazz Word. He lives in Mount Vernon, New York.

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