2024-02-14
An examination of the lives of three kings of jazz and their impact on American society.
Tye, the bestselling author of biographies of Satchel Paige, Joseph McCarthy, and others, embarks on his first voyage into music history. In a single volume, he has essentially produced fairly substantial biographies of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington, contemporaries who became three of the most decorated and celebrated musicians in American history. The author capably delineates their struggles with, and impact on, the often harrowing and sometimes violent complexities and shifting dynamics of American race relations during the first half of the 20th century. The most striking aspect of the book is the astonishing amount of research Tye conducted, the sometimes overwhelming yield of which clears up myths that the golden trio themselves often perpetuated regarding their upbringings, their turbulent personal lives, and the technical evolution of their music. The author takes a fascinating look at the religious backgrounds and beliefs of Armstrong, Basie, and Ellington, who were the most prominent frontmen of the music that fanatics and public figures long blamed and targeted for societal degradation. Tye also explores the friendly but fierce professional rivalry among the three. The author’s vivid style brings readers front and center into the myriad of clubs and studios where Armstrong, Basie, and Ellington played, as well as the social vibe of the cities and towns where their music left an indelible mark. This thoroughly enjoyable musical journey is succinctly titled, yet the scope of Tye's research demonstrates why and how Armstrong, Basie, and Ellington transcended jazz and even music itself to establish themselves in American culture forevermore in words that a young Ellington employed to describe himself: "beyond category." For Ellington, “it wasn’t a contradiction to be an artist as well as a showman.”
A delightful read.
Tye brings his subjects to life as both forces of social change and three-dimensional human beings who lived and breathed their art, from Ellington’s soulful, 'Shakespearian' arrangements to Armstrong’s 'heart as big as Earth' and Basie’s 'Buddha-like' temperament. It’s a vibrant ode to a legendary trio and the 'rip-roaring harmonies' that made them great.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Tye has an easy way of telling a story, a knack for characterization and a pacing that feels right . . . Through the marvel of their music, these jazzmen live forever." — Wall Street Journal
“Like the best music created by Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Count Basie, The Jazzmen SWINGS. As Tye makes clear, their story is the story of America in the twentieth century.” — RICKY RICCARDI, Grammy Award–winning author of What a Wonderful World and Heart Full of Rhythm
“The Jazzmen begins with colorful people and flows to rich history so beautifully it is musical.” — JUAN WILLIAMS, author of Eyes on the Prize
“Proud and important history, beautifully told.” — DEVAL PATRICK, former governor of Massachusetts, assistant attorney general for civil rights under Bill Clinton
“The Jazzmen reveals how these three musicians, when they express themselves through their instruments, become magical.” — MERCEDES ELLINGTON, dancer, choreographer, and Duke’s granddaughter
“Larry Tye has written a masterpiece. These three are not only the most important people in American music, but they changed the whole world in their individual ways.” — WENDELL BRUNIOUS, New Orleans bandleader and trumpeter
“The Jazzmen tells an uplifting and unifying story that is especially important now, when times are so fractured.” — SONNY ROLLINS, Grammy Award–winning tenor saxophonist
“Entertaining and engrossing, and a warm invitation to an essential part of American history.” — TRACY KIDDER, Pulitzer Prize–winning author
“I thought I was already well-informed about these jazz heroes, but Larry Tye reveals so much more about their musical journeys and personal experiences. It’s like meeting them all over again. I couldn’t put it down.” — GARY BURTON, Grammy Award–winning jazz vibraphonist
“Tye has found that there are new things to say about The Three Musketeers of Jazz. Read, learn, and enjoy.” — DAN MORGENSTERN, jazz author, historian, editor, educator, and former director of the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies
