Nights at the Red Steinway: Adventures in Jazz Piano, from the Wall Street Journal and Elsewhere

Music journalist Friedwald (Jazz Singing) collects his columns published in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Sun between 2003 and 2024 for this exuberant ode to the great jazz pianists. Beginning in turn-of-the-20th century New Orleans, Friedwald spotlights “founding fathers” like Jelly Roll Morton, who proved that jazz could “be written down, annotated, and played by ensembles of any size,” and the lesser-known Earl “Fatha” Hines. From there, Friedwald moves on to such contemporary up-and-comers as Indonesian “wunderkind” Joey Alexander, who mixes “soul and smarts” in his original compositions. While Friedwald is unafraid to critique sacred cows—he characterizes a middle section of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” as a “meandering placeholder”—he strikes an unapologetically upbeat attitude, celebrating the genre while avoiding controversies related to credit, racism, and sexism. As a result, there are some awkward—and unaddressed—gaps in coverage, including female musicians like Lil Hardin Armstrong and Lovie Austin. Still, jazz devotees willing to overlook those flaws will be charmed by Friedwald’s lyrical prose (“On ‘Rainy Day,’ Monsieur Solal danced around the tune as though he were darting between the raindrops falling outside on Seventh Avenue”), irrepressible enthusiasm, and keen eye for jazz’s rising stars. The result is a cheerful celebration of an uniquely American musical form. (Nov.)