The bebop era was a period in time where African descendants took European musical instruments and bent them to their well so that these European instruments told the story of African Americans in a uniquely African American voice. In Swing, Hard Bop, Bop & Bebop you will find the musical history of over 60 of the greatest jazz artists of swing and bebop music ever assembled. Here you'll find delicate facts about the lives of these great men and women of jazz; where and when they were born, where they went to school, how they got started playing an instrument or singing, the trials and tribulations of their lives - but more - tributes are also paid to the venues and clubs where bebop was featured; places like Minton's Playhouse where Thelonious Monk was in the house band and where bebop was invented, Birdland, named for Charlie (YardBird) Parker, one of the creators of bebop, and even the Jazz Mobile that brought popular jazz bands to New York City's jazz fans in Harlem free of charge.
About the Author :
Horace Mungin grew up in San Juan Hill, in New York City. It is a neighborhood with a long involvement in the creation, celebration and unconventional embracing of music - jazz music - and Thelonious Monk lived there. The young boys on the basketball court heard Monk and Charlie Rouse rehearsing live some Saturday mornings as their music sailed from Monk's open window at 238 West 63rd Street over to the basketball court around the corner and they often saw jazz musicians in the neighborhood on their way to Monk's crib. Other teens collected baseball cards and kept up on hit/run statistics; Mungin's clique collected jazz facts; what musicians were in town and who was at Birdland, and who was playing Grant's Tomb on the Jazz Mobile. They knew the list of sidemen; they knew who played bass or drums with which major headliner. Mungin has turned that experience and a life-time of collecting jazz music and jazz facts into a series of succinct biographical guides of swing and bebop artists for all jazz fans to savor.
Review :
"Swing, Hard Bop, Bop & Bebop: Biographical Jazz Prose Poems" is a nonfiction music/entertainment book written by Horace Mungin. Mungin is a poet and author, who has written a number of biographical works on jazz artists. As his About the Author page indicates, he grew up in San Juan Hill, an area in New York City, which could be considered the birthplace of jazz in all its incarnations and subtleties. It was not uncommon for children growing up in his neighborhood to hear the sounds of Thelonious Monk and other jazz musicians wafting from overhead as they played in school yards. He and his peers knew intimately and first-hand which musicians were in town, and who would be playing in Birdland. Mungin's introduction sets the stage for the biographical poems that follow. He discusses the beginnings of African-American music in those early work songs of the slave laborers, which evolved into spirituals and often included coded messages about escape routes... Mungin's poems are brilliant, insightful and eloquent. They're also highly accessible and very easy to read. Anyone who hesitates in reading this book because of the dreaded word "poems" should sit down and experience what a poet of Mungin's caliber can actually do. His prose poems flow beautifully, and under his deft touch each of the jazz musicians highlighted comes to life, shares their story and passes the torch on to the next artist. I learned so much reading this book, and I found it was impossible to put down. "Swing, Hard Bop, Bop & Bebop: Biographical Jazz Prose Poems" is an educational experience that would be a grand basis for a series of academic courses on the subject. This illuminating and enlightening work is most highly recommended.
5-star review by Jack Magnus, Readers Favorite LLC
This book is as great a reading for the jazz aficionado as it is for the casual listener! Filled with tib-bits and anecdotes, biographical data and historical facts, this collection of 60 prose poems assembled in 'Swing, Hard Bop, Bop & Bebop' is informational, inspirational and seriously entertaining! Horace Mungin is, at times, a reporter on the scene; at other times, a poet tour guide down memory lane into a special time and place in music history.
These poetic essays provide insights and reflections on many of the icons in the world of music. Mungin's writing is descriptive and often lyrical, sometimes mimicking the solos of the musicians. The essays provide a resource for research as they shine light on the artists, the times, and events and even a few venues (think Jazz mobile and Amateur Night at the Apollo)...
As you read, you will bear witness to interactions and conversations that tickle your funny bone, jerk tears from your heart, provoke a smile or even a belly laugh. Pick up this read and share Horace Mungin's joy and appreciation of the music. As Horace says - "It's the next best thing to being there!
It truly is.
Osei T. Chandler
Producer/Host: Roots Musik Karamu
South Carolina Public Radio
Weekend Host, Jazz works - (Syndicated)
...I, like many musicians of my generation, am too young to have stomped around NYC during the bebop era. Swing, Hard Bop, Bop & Bebop is definitely a testimony of one who loves, respects, and still lives the 'vibe & culture' of the bebop era. Luckily for us, this testimony is expressed and preserved in a way that keeps it conversational. While reading, you'll get an accurate sense of rhythm and flow from someone uniquely influenced by the music, the musicians, the architects and advocates, and vibe & culture of bebop.
Quentin E Baxter (BME, LLC)
Musician/Producer/Educator
