Jazz in New Orleans provides accurate information about, and an insightful interpretation of, jazz in New Orleans from the end of World War II through 1970. Suhor, relying on his experiences as a listener, a working jazz drummer, and writer in New Orleans during this period, has done a great service to lovers of New Orleans music by filling in some gaping holes in postwar jazz history and cutting through many of the myths and misconceptions that have taken hold over the years. Skillfully combining his personal experiences and historical research, the author writes with both authority and immediacy. The text, rich in previously unpublished anecdotes and New Orleans lore, is divided into three sections, each with an overview essay followed by pertinent articles Suhor wrote for national and local journals—including Down Beat and New Orleans Magazine. Section One, "Jazz and the Establishment," focuses on cultural and institutional settings in which jazz was first battered, then nurtured. It deals with the reluctance of power brokers and the custodians of culture in New Orleans to accept jazz as art until the music proved itself elsewhere and was easily recognizable as a marketable commodity. Section Two, "Traditional and Dixieland Jazz," highlights the music and the musicians who were central to early jazz styles in New Orleans between 1947 and 1953. Section Three, "An Invisible Generation," will help dispel the stubborn myth that almost no one was playing be-bop or other modern jazz styles in New Orleans before the current generation of young artists appeared in the 1980s.
Charles Suhor was born in New Orleans and raised in the Ninth Ward. He is a prolific writer in both jazz journalism (Down Beat, New Orleans magazine) and education. He is currently a freelance consultant, writer, speaker, and musician in Montgomery, Alabama.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Timeline Charts Chapter 2 Foreword, Dan Morgenstern Chapter 3 Preface Chapter 4 Acknowledgments Chapter 5 1 Discovering Myths, Reclaiming the Past Part 6 Section I. Jazz and the Establishment: From Flouting to Flaunting Chapter 7 Timeline Chart 1: Commercial and Cultural Victories for Traditional and Dixieland Jazz Chapter 8 2 Jazz and the New Orleans Press Chapter 9 3 The New Orleans Jazz Club: From Ragtime to Riches Chapter 10 4 Hello, Central, Give Me Doctor Jazz: Edmond Souchon Chapter 11 5 The Jazz Museum Chapter 12 6 The Jazz Archive at Tulane Chapter 13 7 The Stage Band Movement at Loyola— Or, How to Start a Revolution While Really Trying Not To Chapter 14 8 Jazzfest 1968: Review Chapter 15 9 Jazzfest 1969: Preview Chapter 16 10 Jazzfest 1969: Review Chapter 17 11 New Orleans Farewell: Louis Armstrong Part 18 Section II. "Revivals" Beaucoup: Traditional, Dixieland, and Revivalist Jazz Chapter 19 Timeline Chart 2: Highlights of the Popular Revival in New Orleans, 1947-1953 Chapter 20 12 The Dukes of Dixieland: A Jazz Odyssey Chapter 21 13 Pete Fountain Chapter 22 14 Al Hirt in Perspective Chapter 23 15 Armand Hug: The Making of a Legend Chapter 24 16 Raymond Burke and Art Hodes in Concert: Review Chapter 25 17 Preservatiion Hall: New Orleans Rebirth Chapter 26 18 The Last Rites of a Jazzman: George Lewis Chapter 27 19 A Festival for a Funeral? Chapter 28 20 New Orleans Jazz—With a Foreign Accent Part 29 Section III. An Invisible Generation: Early Modern Jazz Artists Chapter 30 Timeline Chart 3: Highlights of Early Modern Jazz in New Orleans, 1945-1970 Chapter 31 21 New Jazz in the Cradle, Part 1 Chapter 32 22 New Jazz in the Cradle, Part 2 Chapter 33 23 The Problems of Modern Jazz in New Orleans Chapter 34 24 Jazz Off Bourbon Street Chapter 35 25 Buddy Prima Trio: Review Chapter 36 26 Modern Jazz Pioneers in New Orleans: A Symposium Chapter 37 Appendix 1. The Jazz Scene: Four Cross Sections Chapter 38 Appendix 2. Early Modern Jazz Musicians in New Orleans, 1945-1960 Chapter 39 Bibliography Chapter 40 Index Chapter 41 About the Author
