Oh, didn't he ramble the life story of Lee Collins, as told to Mary Collins / edited by Frank J. Gillis and John W. Miner.
| Author/creator | Collins, Lee |
| Other author | Collins, Mary (Mary Spriggs) |
| Other author | Gillis, Frank, editor. |
| Other author | Miner, John W., editor. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | [Urbana] : [University of Illinois Press], [1974] |
| Description | xv, 159 pages : illustrations ; 27 cm. + 1 audio disc (analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 7 in.) |
| Subjects |
| Series | Music in American life Music in American life. ^A223005 |
| Contents | Foreword / by Danny Barker -- Foreword / by Art Hodes -- New Orleans... the early years -- New Orleans--the twenties -- The musicians -- Chicago -- Europe, 1951 -- Europe, 1954 -- Epilogue. |
| Contents | Accompanying LP disc. Side 1. Panama (Club Hangover, San Francisco (station KCBS), August 1, 1953); Nobody knows you when you're down and out (Lee Collins, solo vocal, March 1948) -- Side 2. Ain't gonna' give nobody none o' my jellyroll (Gaffer's Lounge, Chicago, July 7, 1951). |
| Abstract | Jazz trumpeter Lee Collins (1901-60) "made a powerful noise," writes Art Hodes, who played with Collins in Chicago. And Collins's colorful life story (illustrated with numerous photographs) provides new insights into the formative years of jazz in New Orleans and jazz in Chicago after 1930. King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong (whom he replaced in the King Oliver band in 1924) are only a few of the kings of New Orleans jazz Collins knew and played with in his early years. He describes the loose, happy life in New Orleans, where he played in marching bands, on advertising wagons, in funeral processions, and in cutting contests in the streets. He talks about teenage gangs, jealous girlfriends, pimps and madams, and all the playing, drinking, and carousing that were a part of the 1920s jazz scene. He gives a rundown of the good New Orleans musicians of the time who worked on Rampart Street and got a start in places like the Red Onion, where "you could cut the funk with a knife." When he settled in Chicago (in 1929) Collins first worked in spots like King Tut's Tomb, the Paradise Club, and the Ship on North Clark Street. Chicago's Victory Club achieved an international reputation as a result of his playing there from 1945 to 1953. Collins hosted such jazz greats as Bunk Johnson, Louis Armstrong, and Miff Mole there, and he taught many young musicians the New Orleans style. Collins traveled to Paris, Barcelona, and other European cities with Mezz Mezzrow in 1951, and he depicts the life of a jazz musician on tour. (A Swiss critic wrote, "when Lee starts riding you are in for the treat of your life.") He also tells of the increasing difficulties caused by his deteriorating health. The volume has forewords by Danny Barker and Art Hodes, musicians who played with Collins, and a discography by Brian Rust, the premier jazz discographer. A soundsheet of three previously unreleased pieces accompanies the book, including a short Collins vocal of "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out." |
| Local note | JOYNER MUSIC LIBRARY--Includes soundsheet disc (analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 7 in.) inserted in sleeve attached to back fly leaf. |
| Local note | Little-94779--305131032262S |
| Local note | Little-94778--3051310569774 |
| General note | Accompanying disc is a soundsheet. |
| Bibliography note | Includes discography (pages 141-147) and bibliography (pages 149-150). |
| Biographical note | Frank J. Gills is associate director of the Archives of Traditional Music at Indiana University, and president of the Society for Ethnomusicology. He is an accomplished jazz musician. John Miner is chief of the Oshkosh bureau of the Post-Crescent and a long-time jazz enthusiast. |
| LCCN | 73085485 |
| ISBN | 0252002342 |
| Stock number | $10.00 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Closed Stacks - Ask at Circulation Desk | ML419.C64 A3 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |