| Description |
xxiii, 328 pages, 12 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Series |
Music in American life
|
|
Music in American life.
|
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references, discography, and index. |
| Summary |
"This biography presents the life and music of the pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981), a talented and versatile jazz artist well versed in most of the emerging styles in jazz's evolution. Williams wrote and arranged for the likes of Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and was a friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and other stars of the bebop scene. Tammy Kernodle draws on extensive interviews, letters, oral histories, and meticulous research, bringing rich biographical detail together with incisive commentary on Williams's music, performances, and recordings. This deeply contextualized portrait chronicles Williams's impoverished upbringing in Pittsburgh, where she began performing publicly at the age of 6, through her harsh life on the road and rise to fame in the 1930s. In later years, Williams's powerful sacred jazz compositions and dedicated support to help rehabilitate jazz musicians struggling with addiction contributed further to her lasting influence as a composer and educator"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Contents |
1. I Dream a World -- 2. Take Me to Froggy Bottom: The Early Musical Years -- 3. From East Liberty (Pittsburgh) to Beale Street (Memphis) to Eighteenth and Vine (Kansas City) -- 4. Until the Real Thing Comes Along: The Andy Kirk Years (1931 -- 42) -- 5. How Do You Keep the Music Playing? -- 6. Love on a Two-Way Street: Barney Josephson and Moe Asch -- 7. Under the Signs of the Zodiac -- 8. Calm before the Storm -- 9. Crossroads -- 10. Long Journey Back Home -- 11. What a Difference a Day Makes -- 12. A Season of Change -- 13. Fruits of One's Labor. |
| Subject |
Williams, Mary Lou, 1910-1981.
|
|
Williams, Mary Lou, 1910-1981. |
|
Pianists -- United States -- Biography.
|
|
Pianists. |
|
United States. |
| Genre/Form |
Biographies.
|
| Subject |
Jazz musicians -- United States -- Biography.
|
|
Jazz musicians. |
|
Composers -- United States -- Biography.
|
|
Composers. |
| Genre/Form |
Biographies.
|
| Other Form: |
Online version: Kernodle, Tammy L., 1969- Soul on soul Urbana : University of Illinois Press, [2020] 9780252052484 (DLC) 2020019224 (OCoLC)1153340319 |
| ISBN |
9780252043604 hardcover |
|
025204360X hardcover |
|
9780252085536 paperback |
|
0252085531 paperback |
|
9780252052484 electronic book |
|
