Synopses & Reviews
Though the Blue Devils were on the scene in various forms from 1923 to 1933, the legacy of this fascinating jazz band has been largely overlooked. Together they were a seminal band and individuals who played with themincluding trumpeter Oran Hot Lips” Page, saxophonist Lester Prez” Young, bandleader Count Basie, and writer Ralph Ellison (when he was a teenager)went on to become celebrated artists of the twentieth century. Now, utilizing personal interviews, government records, and lively newspaper accounts of various performances, cultural historian Douglas Henry Daniels explains the importance of the band to both the individual musicians and the larger American cultural landscape.
Daniels gives the Blue Devils their rightful place in jazz history by putting into perspective the role of Oklahoma City as an urban jazz center, proving that jazz writing can be extremely effective when it concentrates on the interplay between community history and musicians lives.” Joseph McLaren, author of Langston Hughes: Folk Dramatist in the Protest Tradition
By selecting one of the most unforgettable bands and by writing about it thoroughly, Douglas Daniels has given usironicallythe best general book ever written about jazz history and culture.” Cecil Brown, author of Stagolee Shot Billy
Douglas Henry Daniels is professor of black studies and history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is the author of Lester Leaps In and Pioneer Urbanites: A Social and Cultural History of Black San Francisco. He lives in Santa Barbara.
Review
"Daniels fills a distinct gap in jazz scholarship with this chronicle of the group's ten-year existence."
Review
"Groundbreaking… masterfully crafted… Daniels pioneers in exploring the lesser-known roots of many noteworthy jazz artists."
Review
"A sterling tribute to a group that certainly should be heading to the Jazz Hall of Fame."
Review
Daniels fills a distinct gap in jazz scholarship with this chronicle of the groups ten-year existence.” Library Journal
Groundbreaking
masterfully crafted
Daniels pioneers in exploring the lesser-known roots of many noteworthy jazz artists.” Multicultural Review
A sterling tribute to a group that certainly should be heading to the Jazz Hall of Fame.”
Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
The Blue Devils have received very little attention from jazz historians, though the band members and the writer Ralph Ellison (who sometimes sat in with them) spoke with conviction about their sterling musicianship and their legendary ability to defeat all competitors in battles of the bands. In a literal sense, the band survived for ten years, from its founding in 1923 to its demise in 1933. In a figurative sense, the band continued for more than half a century because, as members Jimmy Rushing, Lester Prez Young, Oran Hot Lips Page, and Count Basie became jazz legends, their apprenticeship in the Blue Devils authenticated them as genuine jazzmen, real troupers ready to play for any and all occasions.
Chronicling the ten years the band was officially together, Douglas Daniels provides a corrective to most accounts of musical groups. He delves into the potent social and cultural history of the Depression to show its influence on the groups founding as well as on the players careers. This meticulously researched history of an iconic jazz band rescues them from undeserved obscurity and clears away the fog of neglect.
Praise for Douglas Danielss Lester Leaps In:
Douglas Daniels has written a provocative book, presenting Lester Young in a novel, even controversial light while opening new avenues of possible investigation into one of the most tantalizingly enigmatic of all historic jazz figures.
-- Richard M. Sudhalter, Los Angeles Times
Synopsis
The Blue Devils have received very little attention from jazz historians, though the band members and the writer Ralph Ellison (who sometimes sat in with them) spoke with conviction about their sterling musicianship and their legendary ability to defeat all competitors in battles of the bands. Chronicling the ten years the band was officially together, Douglas Daniels delves into the potent social and cultural history of the 1920s and the Depression to show the era's influence on the group's founding as well as on the players' careers.
About the Author
Douglas Henry Daniels is a professor of black studies and history at the University of California at Santa Barbara. He is the author of Lester Leaps In and Pioneer Urbanites: A Social and Cultural History of Black San Francisco. He lives in Santa Barbara.