The View From Within: Jazz Writings, 1948-1987

The View from Within: Jazz Writings, 1948-1987

Orrin Keepnews has a rare double perspective on jazz. He has been writing about this music for four decades, and for almost that long he has been one of its most active and highly regarded record producers. He has won three Grammy Awards (one as producer, and two for album notes), was founder of two legendary jazz labels of the '50s and '60s (Riverside and Milestone), was managing editor of The Record Changer magazine, and has written countless album notes as well as articles for Down Beat, Saturday Review, and Keyboard. He has worked in the studio with and written about such jazz giants as McCoy Tyner, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, and Thelonious Monk.
Chronicling this double life, The View from Within brings together a wide range of writings, including early interviews and commentary for The Record Changer; biographical sketches of Jelly Roll Morton, Art Tatum, and Charlie Parker; album notes, essays, and booklets (including the two Grammy winners); and discerning appreciations of such artists as Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, and Johnny Griffin. Keepnews writes with special warmth about Thelonious Monk, whom he calls "quite possibly the most important artist I have been associated with." There is also a fine tribute to Lenny Bruce (as well as a scathing review of a Bruce biography), and an intriguing chapter entitled "What I Do For A Living," which includes several pieces that tackle the tricky job of describing exactly what a record producer does. Each chapter is preceded by an introductory section establishing its background and context.
What emerges is a vivid portrait of jazz in the years since the war and, equally important, the evolution of a jazz sensibility, tracing the author's transformation from a young jazz traditionalist into an active supporter and indeed one of the leading forces in modern jazz.