Conversations in Jazz: The Ralph J. Gleason Interviews

by Ralph J. Gleason, Toby Gleason (Editor), Ted Gioia (Foreword by)

Overview

An extraordinary collection of revealing, personal interviews with fourteen jazz music legends

During his nearly forty years as a music journalist, Ralph J. Gleason recorded many in-depth interviews with some of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. These informal sessions, conducted mostly in Gleason’s Berkeley, California, home, have never been transcribed and published in full until now.
 
This remarkable volume, a must-read for any jazz fan, serious musician, or musicologist, reveals fascinating, little-known details about these gifted artists, their lives, their personas, and, of course, their music. Bill Evans discusses his battle with severe depression, while John Coltrane talks about McCoy Tyner's integral role in shaping the sound of the Coltrane quartet, praising the pianist enthusiastically. Included also are interviews with Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Rollins, Quincy Jones, Jon Hendricks, and the immortal Duke Ellington, plus seven more of the most notable names in twentieth-century jazz.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300255232
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	09/08/2020
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	281,697
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Ralph J. Gleason (1917–1975) was cofounder of Rolling Stone magazine and the author of numerous articles and three highly regarded books on music and musicians. Toby Gleason is a veteran jazz radio producer, programmer, and host, and a former assistant editor at Rolling Stone.

Editorial Reviews

"Fresh and defining anthologies of the writer."—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone

"[A] treasure trove of previously unavailable interviews by a premier journalist who unfailingly asked perceptive and probing questions."—Library Journal

"For fans of jazz from the mid-twentieth century, these interviews will prove fascinating."—Booklist

"A godsend to folks like me who already know and admire [Gleason’s] work—and a standard setter for those who should know him."—Felix Contreras, NPR Books

"One of the happier publishing surprises of the year."—Jeff Simon, Buffalo News

"A fine start to what should be a shelf of books on Gleason and his achievement."—Beyond Chron

"Two important new collections . . . both make for absorbing and instructive reading, in quite different ways."—Nate Chinen, Jazz Times

"Time and again Gleason helps an artist explain his essence at a crucial point in his career, capturing a very important moment in time."—Downbeat

“[Gleason’s] cultural moment is very much alive in [this] work.”—Ron Slate, On the Seawall

“Ralph Gleason had a masterfully succinct interviewing style, and he elicited the candid thoughts of his subjects whose responses create a time capsule of a fascinating moment in jazz. This book is a portal into the mystic and insular world of jazz musicians and their interest in both tradition and innovation. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious about how the music is understood by the people who play it.”—Lenny Pickett

"Louis Armstrong once declared: 'What we play is life.' For his part, Ralph J. Gleason venerated and joyfully embraced the music of life and the musicians who played it, and the the memorable interviews that he conducted with the extraordinary jazz creators featured in this book are themselves revelatory conversation-performances that illuminate with wit, depth, love, and insight the life and soul of music itself."—Jonathan Cott

"I’ve been digging Ralph Gleason’s dialogues in jazz since before I was born! My father and Ralph were still teenagers when John Hammond brought the first Lester Young recordings to them in a dorm room. So the discussions began. I heard some later ones on their original broadcasts, but the interviews in this book come from a private stash—at home—somewhat as it started 80 years ago."—Phil Schaap

"Ralph Gleason brought jazz into countless American living rooms during the 1960s through his TV series, 'Jazz Casual.' Yet the one-on-one discussions in his own Berkeley living room—tape recorder rolling, Gleason and one or another of jazz’s greats sitting in overstuffed leather chairs—tell deeper stories. Here, framed with a wise and light touch by Ted Gioia, we get windows into personal worlds: John Coltrane on the cusp of a breakthrough; Sonny Rollins entering a period of reclusion; 'Philly' Joe Jones sharing drumming tradecraft and history; Duke Ellington explaining why, in music as in life, problems are opportunities."—Larry Blumenfeld

"What a great opportunity to eavesdrop on these conversations with some of my musical heroes. Trane, Duke, Sonny. Are you kidding?"—Steve Elson

From the Publisher

The experience of reading this book is more akin to eavesdropping on private conversations: indeed you almost feel as if you’re in the room with Gleason as he gets into a discussion with Jones over the pitfalls of being a bandleader, and listens to Coltrane meditate on what motivates him in his exploration of sound.”—Charles Waring, Record Collector

Record Collector - Charles Waring

Time and again Gleason helps an artist explain his essence at a crucial point in his career, capturing a very important moment in time.”—Downbeat

Downbeat

Two important new collections . . . both make for absorbing and instructive reading, in quite different ways.”—Nate Chinen, Jazz Times

Jazz Times - Nate Chinen

A fine start to what should be a shelf of books on Gleason and his achievement.”—Beyond Chron

Beyond Chron

Fresh and defining anthologies of the writer.”—Will Hermes, Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone - Will Hermes

The kind of righteous combination of sociocultural theory and radical politics that, today, you might find on Mark Fisher’s K-punk blog, or in the odd article Ben Watson is able to sneak past editors. In 1970, Gleason wrote “If there is no way to change this world without killing half of us, then fuck it. I’ll do my best to have a ball and go out swinging.” The world still needs changing. We still need writing like this.”—Daniel Spicer, The Wire

The Wire - Daniel Spicer

One of the happier publishing surprises of the year.”—Jeff Simon, Buffalo News

Buffalo News - Jeff Simon

A godsend to folks like me who already know and admire [Gleason’s] work — and a standard setter for those who should know him.”—Felix Contreras, NPR Books

NPR Books - Felix Contreras

For fans of jazz from the mid-twentieth century, these interviews will prove fascinating.”—Booklist

Booklist

Reading Conversations in Jazz is like digging up a chest full of buried treasure—fourteen previously unpublished, at times startlingly frank interviews with some of the greatest jazz musicians of the twentieth century, conducted by one of the most gifted journalists ever to write about jazz. This is an important, immensely readable book.”—Terry Teachout, author of Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong and Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington

Terry Teachout

What a great opportunity to eavesdrop on these conversations with some of my musical heroes. Trane, Duke, Sonny. Are you kidding?”—Steve Elson

Steve Elson

Louis Armstrong once declared: ‘What we play is life.’ For his part, Ralph J. Gleason venerated and joyfully embraced the music of life and the musicians who played it, and the the memorable interviews that he conducted with the extraordinary jazz creators featured in this book are themselves revelatory conversation-performances that illuminate with wit, depth, love, and insight the life and soul of music itself.”—Jonathan Cott

Jonathan Cott

Ralph Gleason had a masterfully succinct interviewing style, and he elicited the candid thoughts of his subjects whose responses create a time capsule of a fascinating moment in jazz. This book is a portal into the mystic and insular world of jazz musicians and their interest in both tradition and innovation. I recommend this book to anyone who is curious about how the music is understood by the people who play it.”—Lenny Pickett

Lenny Pickett

05/15/2016
This title collects 14 unpublished interviews of jazz luminaries conducted between 1959 and 1961 by music journalist Gleason (1917–75), providing contextual material for his writings. Several cast new light on their subjects, such as revelatory discussions with pianist Les McCann, the often-neglected hard-bop drummer Philly Jo Jones, bassist Percy Heath of the Modern Jazz Quartet (MJQ), bebop pioneer and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, and pianist Bill Evans. Exchanges with vibes player Milt Jackson, saxophone giant Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, and members of the MJQ—pianist John Lewis and drummer Connie Kay—offer fascinating tidbits of new information. Dialogs with saxophonist John Coltrane, hard-bop pianist Horace Silver, singer Jon Hendricks and band leader, composer, and producer Quincy Jones provide valuable background into jazz culture. VERDICT Music fans and some general readers will welcome this treasure trove of previously unavailable interviews by a premier journalist who unfailingly asked perceptive and probing questions.—David P. Szatmary, emeritus, Univ. of Washington, Seattle

Library Journal