Favorite Jazz guitarist book

[Rbmcneil]

I am currently reading World on a String by John Pizzarelli, it is a great book. What other books are out there on Jazz guitarist that you would recommend?

[AllanAllen]

George Benson's Autobiography was good. It's not jazz but Scotty and Elvis was good and it's not about guitar but Time is Tight by Booker T Jones was also very good.

[nyc chaz]

The Johnny Smith bio Moonlight in Vermont is a great book.I wish someone would do a Joe Pass bio. Not a jazz guitarist but the Steve Lukather book The Gospel According to Luke is a great read.

[alltunes]

The recent biography on guitarist Bill Frisell was a good read. Comprehensive indeed.

[AllanAllen]

The Johnny Smith bio Moonlight in Vermont is a great book.I wish someone would do a Joe Pass bio. Not a jazz guitarist but the Steve Lukather book The Gospel According to Luke is a great read.

I've been wondering about the Johnny Smith book. Glad to hear it's good.

[wintermoon]

Don't buy the Barney Kessel book, it's written by his bitter wife and reflects her attitude.
I read it and got rid of it.

[nyc chaz]

Don't buy the Barney Kessel book, it's written by his bitter wife and reflects her attitude.
I read it and got rid of it.

I hate when people write negative things about someone after they pass without them being able to refute what is said.The worst was Stan Kenton's daugther making accusations after he was gone.

[Cunamara]

The Johnny Smith book is interesting and informative. It is not a critical assessment of JS in any way. Other than apparently drinking quite a bit while living in New York in his playing days, which seems to have been par for the course for that entire generation of musicians, there does not seem to have been a dark side to the man. Few people have ever made negative or critical statements about him that I've ever heard (there is a secondhand story of Jimmy D'Aquisto doing so) and most people seem to praise him as a consummate gentleman, as well as a consummate guitarist.

I think the best written biography I have ever read is Robin DG Kelley's book about Thelonious Monk. It could be a textbook in a college class about writing biographies. Far too many musical biographies seem to resort to doctoral style dissertations about recordings and musical ventures to pad out a 100 page book into a 300 page book. I don't find that particularly useful; I have ears and can listen to the albums myself.

"Rhythm Man" by Steve Jordan is a very interesting and entertaining read. Peter Lietch's autobiography "Off The Books" is also a fascinating read. Barbara Franklin's book about Ted Greene is quite revealing, focusing on him as a person rather than analyzing his music. As mentioned above, I would certainly appreciate a biography of Joe Pass and also of Jim Hall.

[David B]

About a jazz guitarist? Peter Leitch's excellent autobiography 'Off the Books'.

About any musician? Robin DG Kelley's 'Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original'.

[daveg]

Barney Kessel

by Maurice Summerfield.

DG

[daveg]

Lenny Breau

by Ron Forbes-Roberts

DG

[Litterick]

I quoted from The Guitar in Jazz in another thread. I would recommend it to anyone. As the blurb says, "In a series of essays by some of jazz's leading historians and critics, the volume traces the impressive evolution of jazz guitar playing, from the pioneering styles of Nick Lucas and Eddie Lang through the recent innovations of such contemporary masters as Jim Hall and Ralph Towner."

The Guitar in Jazz, edited by Jim Sallis (Lincoln, University of Nebraska Press, 1996).

[deacon Mark]

The Johnny Smith book is interesting and informative. It is not a critical assessment of JS in any way. Other than apparently drinking quite a bit while living in New York in his playing days, which seems to have been par for the course for that entire generation of musicians, there does not seem to have been a dark side to the man. Few people have ever made negative or critical statements about him that I've ever heard (there is a secondhand story of Jimmy D'Aquisto doing so) and most people seem to praise him as a consummate gentleman, as well as a consummate guitarist.

I think the best written biography I have ever read is Robin DG Kelley's book about Thelonious Monk. It could be a textbook in a college class about writing biographies. Far too many musical biographies seem to resort to doctoral style dissertations about recordings and musical ventures to pad out a 100 page book into a 300 page book. I don't find that particularly useful; I have ears and can listen to the albums myself.

"Rhythm Man" by Steve Jordan is a very interesting and entertaining read. Peter Lietch's autobiography "Off The Books" is also a fascinating read. Barbara Franklin's book about Ted Greene is quite revealing, focusing on him as a person rather than analyzing his music. As mentioned above, I would certainly appreciate a biography of Joe Pass and also of Jim Hall.

Johnny was a first class act I know. That said the time I visited his store I believe it was a Saturday, he admitted the night before he had more than he needed of beer. I say that as one who loves great beer but only in small quantities. My father was an alcoholic ruined career as a studio guitarist and jazz guitarist. I have one or two beers at dinner and never more..ever. I have a low tolerance for it. My guess Johnny did not have a problem but like his beer. He managed to go 91 years young.

[Joe Carlson]

Not really about a specific guitarist or an autobiography, but a collection of interviews. He asks many of the same questions to each guitarist, so you can compare and contrast their answers.

Amazon.com

I've probably read this book cover to cover 3 times over the years, pages are dogeared and full of notes in the margins. Great book!