West Coast Jazz

A definitive account of US West Coast jazz from 1945 to 1960 - a brand of new music which stirred both controversy and excitement in equal measure and challenged New York's preeminence in the jazz world.

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Over the last half century, New York's preeminence in the world of jazz has been challenged only once--during the 1950s--when California emerged with a splash on the jazz scene. "West Coast jazz," as it soon became known, was a fresh new sound which stirred both controversy and excitement in equal measure. One thing, however, was certain: never before (or since) had so many jazz musicians from the Coast made such an impact on jazz. Dave Brubeck, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Chet Baker, Eric Dolphy, Paul Desmond, Ornette Coleman, Cal Tjader, Shelly Manne, and numerous others--these figures shaped the jazz of their time and are still powerful influences today. In West Coast Jazz, Ted Gioia provides the definitive account of this rich, evocative music. Drawing on years of research and numerous first-hand interviews, Gioia tells the full story of West Coast jazz, from its early stirrings on Central Avenue--the heart of LA's post-World War II black culture--to its decline after 1960. The decade-long renaissance of West Coast jazz remains one of the great stories of jazz history, and nobody has told it as well as Ted Gioia does here. His love of this music shines on every page.