Riding on a Blue Note: Jazz and American Pop

Gary Giddins, winner of the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award, has a following that includes not only jazz enthusiasts but also pop music fans of every stripe. Writing here in a lyrical and celebratory style all his own, Giddins dazzlingly shows us--among many other things--how performers originally perceived as radical (Bing Crosby, Count Basie, Elvis Presley) became conservative institutions ... how Charlie Parker created a masterpiece from the strain of an inane ditty ... how the Dominoes helped combine church ritual with pop music ... and how Irving Berlin translated a chiaroscuro of Lower East Side minorities into imperishable songs.

About the Author:

Gary Giddins is a columnist for the Village Voice and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award for Visions of Jazz. He is also the author of a biography of Bing Crosby. His work has won numerous prizes, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, five ASCAP-Deems Taylor awards, and an American Book Award. He lives in New York City.