1st Edition

Jazz and Death Reception, Rituals, and Representations

By Walter van de Leur Copyright 2023
200 Pages 15 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

200 Pages 15 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

200 Pages 15 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Jazz and Death: Reception, Rituals, and Representations critically examines the myriad and complex interactions between jazz and death, from the New Orleans "jazz funeral" to jazz in heaven or hell, final recordings, jazz monuments, and the music’s own presumed death. It looks at how fans, critics, journalists, historians, writers, the media, and musicians have narrated, mythologized, and... Read more

Introduction: Jazz and Death

1. When I Die, You Better Second Line: The New Orleans "Jazz Funeral"

2. The Devil’s Music: Jazz in Hell

3. Louis and the Angels: Jazz in Heaven

4. Swan Songs: Final Concerts and Last Recordings

5. The Long Fall: The Death of Chet Baker

6. Nine Naked Muses: Memorializing Ellington

7. Funky Odors: Is Jazz Itself Dead?

Biography

Walter van de Leur is Professor of Jazz and Improvised Music in the Department of Musicology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on behalf of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he is a Research Coordinator and docent.

“In contrasting the hugely different reactions in Europe and America to both Baker's music and his death, the author lays bare the crudity of jazz politics, while championing the historical value of local histories for the greater nuance they can provide.”

—Ian Patterson, All About Jazz