search citypaper.net
  


OK, Here's The Situation
Prodigal rocker Christopher Tucker is back with a brand-new invention.
-A.D. Amorosi

CD Reviews
-Nicole Pensiero, Mary Armstrong and A.D. Amorosi

Sage Francis
-Elisa Ludwig

The Raveonettes
-A.D. Amorosi

Gang Starr
-Paul Burress

Wu Man
-Peter Burwasser

Carissa's Wierd
-Patrick Rapa

Vienna Philharmonic
-Peter Burwasser

February 27-March 5, 2003

the gig

thegig

A few years ago a British historian named Simon Winchester earned a spot on bestseller lists for The Professor and the Madman (HarperCollins), which detailed the painstaking efforts that birthed the vaunted Oxford English Dictionary. What catapulted Winchester's tale beyond the realm of the bibliophile was its inherent drama: Much of the OED, after all, was cobbled together by an institutionalized murderer over the course of nearly 70 years. This should tell us something about the process of encyclopedic compilation.

In jazz, the most august reference guide in print is probably the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (Grove's Dictionaries Inc.), a two-volume plinth originally edited by Barry Kernfeld and published in 1988. Its second printing, in 2001, spanned three volumes, some 3,000 pages and roughly 7,750 entries (mostly biographical). But with a price tag of $550, it's a serious commitment, even for those who make jazz their life's work. (Grove does offer subscriptions to their online database; a 24-hour free trial is available at www.grovemusic.com.)

For decades, another standard-bearer in the reference field was Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of Jazz (Da Capo). In 1999 Ira Gitler published a sequel, The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oxford), erected upon Feather's foundations. At a hefty yet compact 718 pages, Gitler's book serves as a handy resource: Its entries are concise and clear, conveying what appears to be a just-the-facts-ma'am objectivity. In the months following its issue, however, The Biographical Encyclopedia came under fire for scattered factual inaccuracies and glaring omissions. (How a purportedly comprehensive who's-who published in the late '90s can fail to list John Zorn is a confounding mystery at best.)

What has been mostly missing from the process, since Feather finished collecting musicians' forms in the mid-'50s, is the voice of players themselves. Who better to chronicle a life than the one who has lived it? With this in mind, it comes as good news that Lewis Porter, author of John Coltrane: His Life and Music (Univ. of Michigan) and a prominent jazz scholar at Rutgers, has been commissioned to edit a new jazz encyclopedia for Routledge. And until April 1, 2003, he's accepting submissions from, as he puts it, "ALL currently active jazz musicians, young and old, from the local players to the Œbig names,' in every style and in EVERY country."

If you are, or know, a musician who should be included in this most recent survey, e-mail your entry to Porter at lrpjazz@aol.com. In your note, include the following: 1) a current bio (full birth name, exact date and place of birth, instrument, mentors, awards); 2) a brief family history; 3) documented performances (TV, CDs, radio, film); 4) a bibliography (articles, profiles, reviews); and 5) permanent contact information (for listing in the book). For more detailed specs, see Porter's website: www.altrisuoni.com/ artist.php?op=View&id=75.

-- Respond to this article in our Forums -- click to jump there
Recent Comments
Web Exclusives
Daedelus
Mon., Feb. 22, 8 p.m., $10, with Nosaj Thing and Jogger, Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 215-291-4919, kungfunecktie.com.
Fever Pitch
One Philly dance troupe lets imagination carry it to the farthest corners of reality.


search restaurants by name
search by neighborhood
Search
search by cuisine
title
theater

Search
search for:
within:   of  
more jobs
(use zip or city, state)
Search
"Great vision without great people is irrelevant."
—Jim Collins, Author,
"Good to Great"
In Partnership with JobCircle
start date / /  select date
end date / /  select date
category
keyword
Search Buy Concert Tickets
Category:
Keywords: Search

Search Real Estate

ALL | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN

or

LOCATION:

ADVERTISEMENT
GODMAN ENZO ferrari, WE SAY JEWS ARE FRIENDS OF MUSLIMSBECAUSE HASRATH ALI WORKED WITH JEWS the holy quran with out rasool a khuda and his family, the book is only worth a car magzine on
SURPRISE!: Urban artists love Obama
`GODMAN ENZO WANTS TO WISH BELATED GREETINGS TO 'F.B.I' HAPPY BIRTHDAY FBI YOU ARE 60YEARS ON MARCH 14TH OF 2010YEAR, FBI YOU ARE BORN IN THE MONTH OF ` »
Koozies online on
REVIEW: Miro Dance Theatre, 1/30, Painted Bride
`It seem a combination of India and English!` »
baidu on
Eternal Teenager: RIP John Hughes, 1950-2009
`It was something for everyone. Even in Ferris Bueller` »
dmac on
NOW SEE THIS: Al Bundy shakes it to Major Lazer
`Molly, will you help me make a shot-by-shot remake of this scene?` »
Jesse D on
SXSW Day 2: The Labelmakers
`Kill Rock Stars, Merge, and Sub Pop showcases all on the same day. That is just awesome!` »
GODMAN ENZO ferrari, WE SAY JEWS ARE FRIENDS OF MUSLIMSBECAUSE HASRATH ALI WORKED WITH JEWS the holy quran with out rasool a khuda and his family, the book is only worth a car magzine on
SURPRISE!: Urban artists love Obama
`GODMAN ENZO WANTS TO THE THANK PHILADELPHIA'S CITY PAPER FOR GIVING US A CHANCE TO WRITE WHAT WE FELT, SOME VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE NORMAL COMMENTS RATHER ` »
Vincent Vanroro on
Blahg Humbug
`Maybe we should just offer critiques of the artblahg loser's work instead of pretending we don't know who he is. You can call me VINCENT and I'm just ` »
BC17603 on
BIG UPS: Local designers lovin' on their hometown
`And when you head west to Lancaster, be sure to check out BUiLDiNG CHARACTER, Downtown Lancaster's Creative Outlet with 30+ vendors selling architectural ` »