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West Coast Jazz - Modern Jazz in California, 1945-1960 (Paperback, Revised Ed)
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West Coast Jazz - Modern Jazz in California, 1945-1960 (Paperback, Revised Ed)
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From the Preface by Ted Gioia:All of these musicians fought their
way back over the next decade, and their success in re-establishing
themselves as important artists was perhaps the first signal,
initially unrecognized as such, that a re-evaluation of the earlier
West Coast scene was under way. Less fortunate than these few were
West Coasters such as Sonny Criss, Harold Land, Curtis Counce, Carl
Perkins, Lennie Niehaus, Roy Porter, Teddy Edwards, Gerald Wilson,
and those others whose careers languished without achieving either
a later revival or even an early brief taste of fame. Certainly
some West Coast jazz players have been awarded a central place in
jazz history, but invariably they have been those who, like Charles
Mingus or Eric Dolphy, left California for Manhattan. Those who
stayed behind were, for the most part, left behind. The time has
come for a critical re-evaluation of this body of work. With more
than forty years of perspective--since modern jazz came to
California-we can perhaps now begin to make sense of the rich array
of music presented there during those glory years. But to do so, we
need to start almost from scratch. We need to throw away the
stereotypes of West Coast jazz, reject the simplifications,
catchphrases, and pigeonholings that have only confused the issue.
So many discussions of the music have begun by asking, "What was
West Coast jazz?"--as if some simple definition would answer all
our questions. And when no simple answer emerged--how could it when
the same critics asking the question could hardly agree on a
definition of jazz itself?--this failure was brandished as grounds
for dismissing the whole subject. My approach is different. I start
with the music itself, the musicians themselves, the geography and
social situation, the clubs and the culture. I tried to learn what
they have to tell us, rather than regurgitate the dubious critical
consensus of the last generation. Was West Coast jazz the last
regional style or merely a marketing fad? Was there really ever any
such thing as West Coast jazz? If so, was it better or worse than
East Coast jazz? Such questions are not without merit, but they
provide a poor start for a serious historical inquiry. I ask
readers hoping for quick and easy answers to approach this work
with an open mind and a modicum of patience. Generalizations will
emerge; broader considerations will become increasingly clear; but
only as we approach the close of this complex story, after we have
let the music emerge in all its richness and diversity. By starting
with some theory of West Coast jazz, we run the risk of seeing only
what fits into our theory. Too many accounts of the music have
fallen into just this trap. Instead, we need to see things with
fresh eyes, hear the music again with fresh ears.
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