Jazz Biographies
Use at least two of these for your biography research project.
Click
here to listen to jazz music (linked with permission).
Louis
Armstrong 1901-1971
Louis Armstrong, King of Jazz by Wendie C. Olds
NJ: Enslow Publishers, 1999.
Did you know that Louis Armstrong could blow more high C notes than any swing
band trumpeter in the world in the 1920's? He is considered the most influential
jazz musician of his time--and not just for those high C notes. Learn about his
life from childhood days in New Orleans to his first break in the music industry
in Chicago and then on to New York City. Plenty of photos make reading this
fact-filled biography a pleasure.
If I Only Had a Horn, Young Louis Armstrong by Roxanne Orgill
NY: Houghton Mifflin, 1997.
Louis Armstrong grew up in a city known for music, New Orleans. One New Year's
Eve he got into trouble and was sent to the Waifs' Home for Boys. It was here
that he learned to play the horn, and the rest of his story is history. Louis
Armstrong became the "King of Jazz." Learn all about his childhood in this
picture book biography, and be sure to read Wendie C. Olds' biography as well to
complete the story.
Duke Ellington 1899-1974
Duke Ellington by James Lincoln Collier
NY: Macmillan, 1991.
Duke Ellington's name is synonymous with jazz. He is considered one of the
greatest composer's of American music. Oddly, Duke Ellington did not like the
term, "jazz." He preferred to call the music he wrote "the music of my
people." Although this biography is long, it's packed with details of Duke's
childhood and youth. He was not a "born genius" but was encouraged by his
parents to make something of himself, and he did! Discover the secret of his
success in this book (Hint it had to do with his mother!).
Duke Ellington by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
NY: Hyperion, 1998.
"Duke's Creole Love Call was spicier than a pot of jambalaya. His Mood
Indigo was a musical stream that swelled over the airwaves" so writes Andrea Pinkney,
the author of this wonderful picture book biography as she describes the lively tones of Ellington's music. Her rich descriptions
of the life of this great Amercian jazz composer make this a spectacular picture
book biography. The beautiful illustrations by her husband, Brian Pinkney, add
to her writing--swirling color radiates from jazz horns and the piano keys seem
to move on the pages creating a visual sound for Duke's "soul sweet music."
Ella
Fitzgerald 1918-
Ella Fitzgerald by Bud Kliment
NY: Chelsea House, 1998.
In this detailed biography, you'll discover how Ella Fitzgerald was discovered
as a singer in her teen years and went on to become the greatest voice in the
history of jazz. She was friends with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, but
she also sang bebop jazz in her later years. As author, Bud Kliment, notes:
"Representing the entire tradition of jazz, Fitzgerald continually kept the fire
in the music alive."
Ella Fitzgerald, the tale of a vocal virtuouso by Andrea Davis Pinkney and
Brian Pinkney
NY: Hyperion, 2002
This is a short "must-read." Writer and illustrator team Andrea and Brian
Pinkney add another beautiful book to what may be a growing picture book
biography collection on jazz artists. Find out why Ella Fitzgerald was called
"The Queen of Scat" in this swinging story that also incorporates a "real" cool
cat. Experience the sights and sounds of the jazz clubs where Ella came to fame
in New York.
George
Gershwin
1898-1937
Introducing Gershwin by Roland Vernon
London: Belitha Press Limited, 1996.
Take a visual tour of Gershwin's life in this pictorial biography. Each
double-page spread reconstructs a chapter of his life, from his childhood in the
Lower East Side to his rise to fame in Tin Pan Alley and beyond to the Concert
Hall and Broadway. Gershwin was a talented pianist, and a celebrity in New
York's music world in the 1920's and 1930's. His music embraced jazz, and Ella
Fitzgerald often sang his tunes.
George Gershwin, American Composer by Catherine Reef
Greensboro, NC: Morgan Reynolds, Inc., 2000
Although Gershwin did not write only jazz tunes, most of his work incorporates
jazz bands and jazz singers. Rhapsody in Blue is one of his most famous pieces,
and you'll find out why in this interesting biography. If you are curious about
jazz, New York City, and musicals, George Gershwin is a good choice for your
biography project. In this book, you'll learn a lot about his childhood,
including his piano teachers, and how he was inspired to create music with
popular appeal.
Miles Davis
1926-1991
Miles Davis by Ron Frankl
NY: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996.
Miles Davis was an intense person and a talented trumpet player. His legacy has
inspired many younger musicians, including Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. Did
you know that Miles Davis attended Julliard in New York City and played
classical music before turning entirely to jazz? He also became something of a
rock musician in the 60's and 70's. This biography has plenty of interesting
stories about a phenomenal musician, and the complementary photographs reveal
Miles Davis's personal qualities as well as stage persona.
Thelonious Monk
1917-1982
Mysterious Thelonious by Chris Raschka
NY: Orchard Books, 1997 .
A colorful journey that explores the music of a master jazz pianist. Monk was
known for his eccentric style, and this biography conveys what gave his music
that special something, the signature style, of the mystical, marvelous, Thelonious Monk.
Be sure to read about him in Jazz, My Music, My People as well for
more details about his music. This book is so beautiful, it will give new
meaning to his music and the idea that "jazz is the music of freedom."
Wynton
Marsalis 1961 -
Wynton Marsalis, Gifted Trumpet Player by Craig Awmiller
NY: Children's Press, 1996.
"'Music comes to you at strange times,' Wynton says, 'but you have to be
ready to catch it, because if you don't she may be gone for good.'" Find quotes
like this throughout this delightful, and short, biography about Wynton
Marsalis. He was not a born musician, but became one through lots of practice
and dedication to music. He comes from a musical family, and nowadays plays with
his brothers at times, or his father, Ellis Marsalis. He has become an
inspiration to many young musicians. Be sure to read Wynton Marsalis on Music
as well.
John Coltrane
1926-1967
John Coltrane, A Sound Supreme by John Selfridge
NY: Franklin Watts, 1999.
John Coltrane practiced the saxaphone several hours each night
after his schoolwork was done and before going to bed. That's how he became a
great musician. Today, his music is unique for the spiritual and
emotional tones it communicates to listeners. One of his later pieces is called,
"Meditations." In this engaging biography, you'll discover what it was like to
live in New York in the 1950's and 1960's and experience the "jazz scene"
through pictures of the clubs and the celebrated musicians. This is a beautiful
biography, and worth
Collective Biography
Jazz, My Music, My People by Morgan Monceaux
NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.
You must use this book as your second biography resource if you are
looking at the life of a jazz musician. Morgan Monceaux has catalogued 41
musicians that shaped jazz music in the past 100 years. Each short biography is
tied into one of Monceaux's personal stories--when he first heard the music of a
particular jazz artist and what he liked about it, or if he knew the featured
artist personally. Each portrait of an artist brings you close to the spirit of
the music: Miles Davis is the "breaker of rules", John Coltrane a "prophet in
jazz" and be sure to take a look at the forward to this book by Wynton Marsalis
as well, it says a lot about the history of jazz.
Related Video
Jazz by Ken Burns, see: www.pbs.org/jazz
Other jazz picture book biographies by Chris Raschka--Charlie Parker Plays BeBop, NY: Orchard, 1992. John Coltrane's Giant Steps, NY: Atheneum, 2002.