A rare collection of more than 200 full-color and black-and-white
souvenir photographs and memorabilia that bring to life the renowned
jazz nightclubs of the 1940s and 1950s, compiled by Grammy Award-winning
record executive and music historian Jeff Gold and featuring exclusive
interviews with Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Robin Givhan, Jason Moran,
and Dan Morgenstern.
In the two decades before the Civil Rights movement, jazz nightclubs
were among the first places that opened their doors to both Black and
white performers and club goers in Jim Crow America. In this
extraordinary collection, Jeff Gold looks back at this explosive moment
in the history of Jazz and American culture, and the spaces at the
center of artistic and social change.
Sittin' In is a visual history of jazz clubs during these crucial
decades when some of the greatest names in in the genre--Billie Holiday,
Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Louis
Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, and many others--were headlining acts across
the country. In many of the clubs, Black and white musicians played
together and more significantly, people of all races gathered together
to enjoy an evening's entertainment. House photographers roamed the
floor and for a dollar, took picture of patrons that were developed on
site and could be taken home in a keepsake folder with the club's name
and logo.
Sittin' In tells the story of the most popular club in these cities
through striking images, first-hand anecdotes, true tales about the
musicians who performed their unforgettable shows, notes on important
music recorded live there, and more. All of this is supplemented by
colorful club memorabilia, including posters, handbills, menus, branded
matchbooks, and more. Inside you'll also find exclusive, in-depth
interviews conducted specifically for this book with the legendary
Quincy Jones; jazz great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins; Pulitzer
Prize-winning fashion critic Robin Givhan; jazz musician and creative
director of the Kennedy Center, Jason Moran; and jazz critic Dan
Morgenstern.
Gold surveys America's jazz scene and its intersection with racism
during segregation, focusing on three crucial regions: the East Coast
(New York, Atlantic City, Boston, Washington, D.C.); the Midwest
(Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City); and the West
Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco).
This collection of ephemeral snapshots tells the story of an era that
helped transform American life, beginning the move from traditional
Dixieland jazz to bebop, from conservatism to the push for personal
freedom.
