From Birdland to Broadway: Scenes from a Jazz Life

by Bill Crow

Book Overview

In the 1950s, New York City's Birdland was the center of the world of modern jazz--and a revelation to Bill Crow, a wet-behind-the-ears twenty-two-year-old from Washington State. Located on Broadway between 52nd and 53rd streets, the club named for the incomparable Charlie "Bird" Parker boasted lifesize photo murals of modern jazzmen like Dizzy Gillespie, Lennie Tristano, and, of course, Bird himself, looming large against jet black walls. Exotic...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195085507
• ISBN13: 9780195085501
• Release Date: September 1993
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating account of jazz life in the 50s

I was never gripped by Bill Crow as a bass player. As an author and story writer however, his books are one of the most engaging I have come across amongst the plethora of writings that exist on the development of this great art form.Bill Crow has a natural gift for narration.He tells you all straight from the heart, of the lives and travails of musicians who one has heard so much but never got close to.His anecdotes brings them closer; as if they were living and breathing right next to you.And all, with a constant undercurrent of humour. He seeks no sympathy and there is no deprecation.Yet, one is saddened, sometimes angered, at the circumstances of the time. I ended up loving even more, all those musicians whose names are now etched in memory. I bought more copies of the book for my friends once I was done.

Great Tales

An anecdotal biography from the author of "Jazz Anecdotes". Easy to read and fascinating.