Jazz Piano Readers - An Unabashed Plug

 © Copyright ® Steven Cerra, copyright protected; all rights reserved.

The 2020s - marks the 100th anniversary of a number of milestone developments in Jazz: New Orleans Jazz in the form of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, the Original Dixieland Jazz Band and Joe Oliver’s group featuring Louis Armstrong coming “up the Mississippi River” and bringing its style of music to Kansas City, Chicago and ultimately to New York, the beginning of Duke Ellington’s residency at New York City’s Cotton Club.

But with a few exceptions [e.g.: Earl Hines’ work on some of Pops’ recordings], the piano was on the outside looking in.

However, just before and especially after World War II [1939-1945], the piano’s role in Jazz made up for lost time by assuming a huge presence in the music.

The big bands, in which the instrument could barely be heard, were on the wane as the Swing Era came to a close after the close of the war. In the small combos that came of age in the Bebop and Modern Jazz eras of the 1940s and 50s, the piano became a mainstay assuming a pivotal role as both a featured instrument and as an accompanist to the front-line horns.

In many of the supper clubs and small clubs that replaced the ballrooms which featured the large dance bands, pianists were also featured in trios with bass and drums and these piano-based rhythm sections also served to accompany the legions of male and female Jazz vocalists who became the name attractions that drew audiences into these venues.

By the late 1950s into the 1960s and 70s, many of the most popular Jazz groups were led by Jazz pianists including Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett.

The Jazz Piano Readers Volumes 1, 2, 3 are loosely chronological anthologies and each contains an eclectic selection of articles, interviews and commentaries - some of which are very rare - about Jazz pianists whose music I’ve enjoyed over the years.

There’s the operative term - enjoyment.

And there’s plenty about Piano Jazz to enjoy as the combined three volumes contain 136 chapters and over 1,100 pages for your reading enjoyment.

With everyone so busy these days, most of the chapters can be read in 15-20 minutes.

Now that the initial costs of publication for the series have been met, 50% of all royalties will be donated to the local high school and community college district to help purchase musical instruments for individual students. I have also donated $500 to the Gerry and Franca Mulligan Foundation and a full drum kit to the Jazz big band at local community college from the proceeds.

Each volume is available as a paperback for $24.99, an audio book for $14.99 and an eBook for $9.99 exclusively at Amazon.com. Just enter my name in the search box under “Books.”

You can locate the Table of Contents for each volume by scrolling the sidebar [right hand column] of the JazzProfiles blog.

Thank you for your support.