{"product_id":"west-coast-jazz-modern-jazz-in-california-19451960","title":"West Coast Jazz: Modern Jazz in California  1945-1960","description":"\u003cp\u003eOver the last half-century  New Yorks pre-eminence in the world of jazz has been challenged only once--during the 1950s--when California emerged with a splash on the jazz scene. \"West Coast jazz \" as it soon became known  was a fresh new sound which stirred both controversy and excitement in equal measure. One thing  however  was certain: never before (or since) had so many jazz musicians from the Coast made such an impact on jazz. Dave Brubeck  Dexter Gordon  Art Pepper  Chet Baker  Eric Dolphy  Paul Desmond  Ornette Coleman  Cal Tjader  Shelly Manne  and numerous others--these figures shaped the jazz of their time and are still powerful influences today. In West Coast Jazz  Ted Gioia provides the definitive account of this rich  evocative music. Drawing on years of research and numerous first-hand interviews  Gioia tells the full story of West Coast jazz  from its early stirrings after World War II to its decline after 1960. He traces its growth from its origins on Central Avenue  the heart of LAs post-war black culture  \"an elongated Harlem set down by the Pacific \" where hotels such as the Dunbar (where Jack Johnson opened a nightclub) and nightspots such as the Club Alabam and The Downbeat attracted the likes of Duke Ellington  Louis Armstrong  and any number of visiting jazz luminaries. He describes one of the pivotal moments in the genesis of West Coast jazz  the night Dizzy and Bird opened at Billy Bergs Vine Street club  a legendary performance that sparked Californias love affair with jazz. And he traces its blossoming at the Blackhawk  the Lighthouse  Bop City  the Haig and a host of other legendary California nightspots. Along the way  Gioia not only provides colorful portraits of leading jazz figures--such as Dexter Gordon  a stoop to his walk  carrying his tenor in a sack under his arm--and thoughtful commentary on their music  but he also discusses many unsung figures as well. Perhaps most important  though  is his lengthy look at Dave Brubeck  which is by far the best biography ever written of this influential musician. West Coast jazz gradually declined as the 1950s gave way to the rock-dominated 60s  but this decade-long renaissance remains one of the great stories of jazz history  and nobody has told it as well as Ted Gioia does here. His love of this music shines on every page.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44964024746037,"sku":"ByrdShop_0195063104","price":89.14,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780195063103.jpg?v=1770445810","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/west-coast-jazz-modern-jazz-in-california-19451960","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}