In 1960, photographer William Claxton and noted musicologist Joachim Berendt traveled the United States hot on the trail of jazz. Through music halls and marching bands, side streets and subways, they sought to document this living, breathing, beating musical phenomenon that enraptured America across social, economic, and racial lines. The result of Claxton and Berendt's collaboration was Jazzlife, much sought after by collectors and now revived in this fresh TASCHEN volume. From coast to coast, from unknown street performers to legends of the genre, this defining jazz journey explores just what made up this most original of American art forms. In New Orleans and New York, in St. Louis, Biloxi, Jackson, and beyond, Claxton's rapturous yet tender images and accompanying texts examine jazz's regional diversity as much as its pervasive vitality and soul. They show the music makers and the many spaces and people this music touched, from funeral parades to concert stages, from an elderly trumpet player to kids who hung from windows to catch a glimpse of a passing band. With images of Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters, Gabor Szabo, Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and many more, this is as much a compelling slice of history as it is a loving personal tribute.

Music / PhilosophyThe World Is Sound - Nada Brahma" Berendt's groundbreaking work is a fascinating exploration of the importance of music, sound, and vibration for spiritual development . . . a valuable sourcebook for every serious student of consciousness."--Stanisav Grot, M.D., author of Beyond Death: The Gates of Consciousness" In a majestic sweep (Berendt) takes the reader through the macro- and microcosm, from the "harmony of the spheres" to the songs of dolphins and whales . . . "--From the foreword by Fritjof Capra, author of The Tao of Physics and The Turning PointScientists have only recently learned that the particles of an oxygen atom vibrate in a major key and that blades of grass 'sing." Europe's foremost jazz producer takes the reader on an exhilarating journey through Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America, exploring the musical traditions of diverse cultures and reaffirming what the ancients have always known--the world is sound, rhythm, and vibration. Berendt's book is alive with his experiences--living in Bali, studying at a Zen monastery in Kyoto, and encountering budding jazz stars in Indonesia, Japan, Europe, and the United States. Drawing from his friendships with composers and performers as well as his knowledge of new physics and Tantra, cybernetics, Sufism, and the works of Hermann Hesse, he reveals the importance of sound in shaping cultural and spiritual life worldwide.A tribute to the work of many of the greatest figures of our age--including Hans Kayser, Jean Gebser, Sufi Hazrat lnayat Khan, musicians John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar--Berendt's book suggests that hearing, rather than seeing, is the key to a more spiritual experience of consciousness. Hisdiscussion of sound in relation to mathematics, logic, sacred geometry, myth, and sexuality is practical as well as theoretical, offering readers a variety of techniques for developing the ear as an organ of spiritual perception.Born in Berlin in 1922, Joachim-Ernst Berendt is author of more than twenty books, among them the highly acclaimed and widely translated reference work, The Jazz Book. He helped found the Sudwestfunk, one of Germany's most popular radio stations, and has produced numerous concerts, radio programs, and records. He has also directed many international festivals and received various awards, including the Cultural Award of Poland, In The World is Sound, Berendt guides us through the uncharted regions of the unconscious to a vision of harmony.