The View from Within: Jazz Writings, 1948-1987

An early co-editor of Record Changer and a leading producer of jazz recordsespecially with Riverside during the 1950sbrings together his writings of the past 40 years: interviews with Pee Wee Russell and Joe Sullivan, reviews of celebrity autobiographies and jazz novels, biographies and evaluations of Armstrong, Morton, Parker and Tatum, and ``thoughtful pieces'' on jazz writing. There is also a section on what a record producer actually does to make a living (a basic account of how jazz records are planned and achieved), and two defenses of Lenny Bruce. Here, too, are comprehensive surveys, revised from liner notes, of the work of major jazz musicians with whom Keepnews was associated: Cannonball and Nat Ad derley, Bill Evans, Johnny Griffin, Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery, Sonny Rollins and McCoy Tyner. An outstanding collection. (September)