There were but four major galaxies in the early jazz universe, and three of them--New Orleans, Chicago, and New York--have been well documented in print. But there has never been a serious history of the fourth, Kansas City, until now. In this colorful history, Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix range from ragtime to bebop and from Bennie Moten to Charlie Parker to capture the golden age of Kansas City jazz. Readers will find a colorful portrait of old Kaycee itself, back then a neon riot of bars, gambling dens and taxi dance halls, all ruled over by Boss Tom Pendergast, who had transformed a dusty cowtown into the Paris of the Plains. We see how this wide-open, gin-soaked town gave birth to a music that was more basic and more viscerally exciting than other styles of jazz, its singers belting out a rough-and-tumble urban style of blues, its piano players pounding out a style later known as "boogie-woogie." We visit the great landmarks, like the Reno Club, the "Biggest Little Club in the World," where Lester Young and Count Basie made jazz history, and Charlie Parker began his musical education in the alley out back. And of course the authors illuminate the lives of the great musicians who made Kansas City swing, with colorful profiles of jazz figures such as Mary Lou Williams, Big Joe Turner, Jimmy Rushing, and Andy Kirk and his "Clouds of Joy." Here is the definitive account of the raw, hard-driving style that put Kansas City on the musical map. It is a must read for everyone who loves jazz or American music history.

Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop--A History

Arts & Photography

Driggs, Frank

Haddix, Chuck

Music

Oxford University Press

There were four major galaxies in the early jazz universe, and three of them--New Orleans, Chicago, and New York--have been well documented in print. But there has never been a serious history of the fourth, Kansas City, until now. In this colorful history, Frank Driggs and Chuck Haddix capture the golden age of Kansas City jazz, and bring us a colorful portrait of old Kaycee itself, back then a neon riot of bars, bambling dens, and taxi dance halls, all ruled over by Boss Tom Pendergast, who had transformed a dusty cowtown into the Paris of the Plains. The authors show how this wide-open, gin-soaked town gave birth to a music that was more basic and more viscerally exciting than other styles of jazz, its singers belting out a rough-and-tumble urban style of blues, its piano players pounding out a style later known as "boogie-woogie." We visit the great landmarks, like the Reno Club, the "Biggest Little Club in the World," where Lester Young and Count Basie made jazz history, and Charlie Parker began his musical education in the alley out back. The lives of the great musicians who made Kansas City swing are illuminated, with colorful profiles of jazz figures such as Mary Lou Williams, Big Joe Turner, Jimmy Rushing, and Andy Kirk and his "Clouds of Joy." Kansas City Jazz is the definitive account of the raw, hard-driving style that put Kansas City on the musical map. It is a must read for everyone who loves jazz or American music history.

An essential part of every aficionado's library, Black Beauty White Heat brings back innumerable memories of jazz's early days. With more than 600 photographs, advertisements and record labels, the book presents the years of 1920–1950—the decades of the greatest ferment and spread of jazz. Black Beauty White Heat will be a focal point of endless discussion about the origins of jazz for years to come.

Black Beauty, White Heat: A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz, 1920-1950

Biographies & Memoirs

Lewine, Harris

Arts & Literature

Da Capo Press

An outline of the development of jazz is accompanied by photographs of musicians ranging from Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet to Charlie Parker and Miles Davis

William Morrow & Co.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Driggs, Frank. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Driggs, Frank

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Driggs, Frank. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop--A History

Kansas City Jazz: From Ragtime to Bebop--A History

Black Beauty, White Heat: A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz, 1920-1950

Black Beauty, White Heat: A Pictorial History of Classic Jazz, 1920-1950