Jazz music biography books
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From History to Biographies, Here Are the Best Books About Jazz
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This week marks the 107th birthday of Billie Holiday. The jazz legend, who died in 1959, was the subject subject of Lee Daniels’ Hulu Originals film, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, which inspired new and longtime jazz enthusiasts to learn more about the musical geniuses behind their favorite records. Some of the best books about jazz don’t just chronicle the genre’s history in the 20th century and beyond — they also pull back the curtain on the legends who built the musical style and the oft-heartbreaking stories that fueled their every note and melody.
Whether you’re lean towards East or West Coast styles, bebop, ragtime, or avant-garde sounds, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite jazz books that will deepen your appreciation of iconic musicians and encourage you to pick up new albums (or rediscover old favorites). In no particular order, check out our top picks below, from must-read autobiographies to photography-packed coffe
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List of jazz biographies
This is a list of English language book-length biographies and autobiographies of notable jazz musicians. The list is alphabetical by subject. Within subject, books are listed alphabetically by author. A list of related works contains books of related interest that do not meet the criteria for the main list: biographical collections, interview collections, and so on. This list is alphabetical by author.
Main list
[edit]Allen, Red (1906/08–1967)
- Chilton, John. Ride, Red, Ride: The Life of Henry "Red" Allen. New York: Cassell, 1999.
Armstrong, Louis (1901–1971)
- Armstrong, Louis. Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans. New York: Da Capo Press, 1954.
- Bergreen, Laurence. Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life. New York: Broadway Books, 1997.
- Teachout, Terry. Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009.
Baker, Chet (1929–1988)
- Gavin, James. Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
Barber, Chris (1930)
- Barber, Chris and Alyn Shipton. Jazz Me Blues. Equinox Publishing Ltd, 2014
Barker, Danny (1909–1994)
- Barker, Danny and Alyn Shipton. A Life in Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 1986.
Basie, Count (1904–1984)