Bøker av Stuart Nicholson

Stuart Nicholson's biography of Ella Fitzgerald is considered a classic in jazz literature. Drawing on original documents, interviews, and new information, Nicholson draws a complete picture of Fitzgerald's professional and personal life. Along with Billie Holiday, she virtually defined the female voice in jazz, and countless others followed in her wake and acknowledged her enormous influence. Beginning as a singer with the Chick Webb band, Fitzgerald scored her first hits with jazzy novelties, and proved her mettle when Webb suddenly died and she found herself the band's de facto leader. When the big band era ended after World War II, she remade herself as a popular balladeer, recording a famous series of "Songbooks" that helped establish the classic American song repertory. Through the ups-and-downs of her romantic life, Fitzgerald proved a strong survivor, weathering changes in musical taste and stules to become an American icon who transcended genre.Fitzgerald rarely gave interviews on personal subjects, and discussed her life in only the most general terms. Even her birth date was widely misreported until Nicholson unearthed her original birth certificate. Through painstaking research and personal interviews, Stuart Nicholson offers the first full picture of this singer's life and times.

Is Jazz Dead? examines the state of jazz in America at the turn of the 21st century. Stuart Nicholson's thought-provoking book offers an analysis of the American scene, how it came to be so stagnant, and what it can do to create a new level of creativity. This book dares to ask the question on all jazz fan's minds: Can jazz survive as a living medium? And, if so, how?