The Copacetic Library of Jazz
Biography, Autobiography,
and other works focusing on a single artist
Louis Armstrong In His Own Words:
Selected Writings
by Louis Armstrong
edited and with an introduction by Thomas Brothers
All Louis, with original orthography intact. Awesome!
1999 • Oxford University Press • 255 pages
retail price - $14.95 copacetic price - $7.47 ¡HALF-PRICE!
The Louis Armstrong Companion
edited by Joshua Berrett
Includes writings and letters by Louis himself, along with critical appreciations and anecdotes from jazz compatriots. Good resource.
1999 • Schirmer Books • 300 pages
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.50Louis Armstrong: An Extraordinary Life
by Laurence Bergreen
The latest full treatment bio of Louis.
1997 • Broadway Books • 564 pages
retail price - $16.00 copacetic price - $14.40
Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong
by Gary Giddins
revised and with a new introduction
Giddins, one of the most articulate and edifying of contemporary writers on jazz, applies his skills to an appreciation of the life and work of Louis Armstrong.
1988, 2001 • Da Capo Press • 193 pages
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.50
Treat It Gentle: An Autobiography
by Sidney Bechet
"The most moving and valuable of all jazz biographies." -- Nat Hentoff
1960 (2002 edition) • Da Capo Press • 245 pages
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $7.50 ¡HALF-PRICE!
Coltrane: Chasin' the Trane
by J.C. Thomas
Drawn on the recollections of those who knew him; with 16 pages of photographs and what they claim to be a "complete" discography, a claim which it is probably best to take with a grain of salt, condsidering the prodigiousness of Coltrane's output.
1975 (2000 edition) • Da Capo Press • 252 pages
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $7.50 ¡HALF-PRICE!
Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams
The Early Years: 1903 - 1940
by Gary Giddins
The first volume in what will doubtless be the definitive biography of Bing Crosby; by one of the most accomplished and respected contemporary writers on jazz.
2001 • Little, Brown • 728 pages hardcover
retail price - $30.00 copacetic price - $10.00 ¡2/3 OFF - DEAL!Music Is My Mistress
by Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
Duke's autobiography. Includes a thirty page list of his compositions.
1973 (2000 edition) • Da Capo Press • 523 pages
retail price - $17.50 copacetic price - $15.75The World of Duke Ellington
by Stanley Dance
with a forward by Duke Ellington
One of the great Jazz bios.
1970 (2000 edition) • Da Capo Press • 311 pages
retail price - $18.00 copacetic price - $9.00 ¡HALF-PRICE!
The Duke Ellington Reader
edited by Mark Tucker
The best single volume resource on the life and work of Duke Ellington, this volumes collects personal reminiscences, record and concert reviews, interviews, critical views and more. Divided into specific eras and themes, the Reader covers the entirety of Ellington's career.
1993 • Oxford University Press • 536 pages
retail price - $17.95 copacetic price - $16.15
Groovin' High: The Life of Dizzy Gillespie
by Alyn Shipton
The first full biography of Dizzy. Voted "Book of the Year" by Jazz Times, and winner of the 2000 ARSC award for best research in recorded sound.
1999 • Oxford University Press • 422 pages
retail price - $16.95 copacetic price - $8.47 ¡HALF-PRICE!
Mingus: A Critical Biography
by Brian Priestley
Includes 16 pages of photos, 20 pages of Mingus compositions in musical notation form and a discography.
1983 (2000 edition) • Da Capo Press • 308 pages
retail price - $17.50 copacetic price - $8.75 ¡HALF-PRICE!High Times Hard Times
by Anita O'Day with George Eells
Anita's life makes for a great story and her autobiography is a great read. Includes a very impressive sixty page discography.
1981, 1989 (2003 edition) • Limelight Editions • 376 pages
retail price - $18.00 copacetic price - $16.20
Historical, Cultural and General
and other general studies of jazz
Jazz Anecdotes
by Bill Crow
A book to savor. This book collects a treasure trove of classic jazz anecdotes, setting down between two covers a great big tasty slice of the oral story telling tradition of the world of jazz. Here you will find stories related by jazz musicians about themselves, other musicians, their friends in the jazz commmunity, and more. On the road, on the air, in the studio, at the clubs and more -- this book covers it all, and it's fully indexed to boot! No book better captures the flavor of the golden era of jazz.
1990 • Oxford University Press • 350 pages
retail price - $15.00 copacetic price - $13.50
The Masters of BeBop: A Listener's Guide
by Ira Gitler
updated and expanded, witih a new forward by Stanley Crouch
1966, 1983, 2001 • Da Capo Press • 306 pages
retail price - $16.00 copacetic price - $8.00 ¡HALF-PRICE!
Drummin' Men: The Heartbeat of Jazz - The Swing Years
by Burt Korall
Based on interviews with the drummers themselves, Drummin' Men provides a great look at the swing drummers, especially Gene Krupa.
1990, 2002 • Oxford University Press • 381 pages
retail price - $18.95 copacetic price - $9.47 ¡HALF-PRICE!Really the Blues
by Mezz Mezzrow and Bernard Wolfe
introduction by Barry Gifford and new afterword by Bernard Wolfe
Our personal favorite book on the world of jazz, Really the Blues provides, in our opinion at least, a crucial link between the African-American world of jazz and the European-American world of hepcats, beatniks, and the counter-cultural flourishing of the 1960s that followed in their wake. A true joy to read, it recounts the life and times of Milton "Mezz" Mezzrow as he became born again in the new world of jazz. And, as if that's not enough, it contains the definitive glossary of hipster slang.
1946 (1990 edition) • A Citadel Press Book • 404 pages
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - $17.95Stomping the Blues
by Albert Murray
A classic text covering the origins, growth, first flowering and subsequent significance of jazz and the blues, which, for the purposes of this book at least, Murray considers as inextricably entwined. Jam packed with fabulous photos and great graphics from the era it covers, Stomping the Blues is a book that belongs in every jazz aficionado's library.
1976 (2000 - 25th Anniversary - Edition) • Da Capo Press • 264 pages
retail price - $16.00 copacetic price - $14.40
A New History of Jazz
by Alyn Shipton
This mammoth tome takes a sharp, fresh new look at the history of jazz. Brimming with insightful connections previously overlooked, and written in a lively and accessible prose that never fails to respect the reader's intelligence, A New History of Jazz brings a new level of historical research to jazz scholarship. Winner of the 2001 Jazz Journalists Award for Best Book on Jazz.
2001 • Continuum Books • 965 pages
retail price - $24.95 copacetic price - $22.45
Jazz Reference
BeBop: The Essential Listening Companion
by Scott Yanow
Profiles of everyone and anyone who was involved in making jazz music during the BeBop years. While focusing primarily on those figures most associated with BeBop -- Parker, Gillespie, Monk, et al -- Yanow also takes a look at theose bebop inflected recordings done by others not obviously associated with the movement. 1600 recordings reviewed and rated.
2000 • Third Ear (Miller Freeman Books) • 391 pages (oversize)
retail price - $19.95 copacetic price - out of stockSwing: The Essential Listening Companion
by Scott Yanow
Profiles of everyone and anyone who was involved in making jazz music during the Swing years. This one pretty much covers all the bases. The book's thematic organization is somewhat idiosyncratic, but it all makes sense, and it's fully indexed, so you can always easily find whomever you're looking for. A great resource. 1500 recordings reviewed and rated.
2000 • Third Ear (Miller Freeman Books) • 514 pages (oversize)
retail price - $22.95 copacetic price - out of stock
And while we're talking jazz, don't forget to check out:
•>The Proper Box series
•>The Proper Pairs
•>Jazzmania!
Copacetic Commodities
prices and availability current as of 10 June 2005
