Sideman: The Long Gig Of W. O. Smith, A Memoir

Smith, W. O.

ISBN 10: 1558531327 / ISBN 13: 9781558531321

Published by Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville, 1991

About this Item

Introduction by Dizzy Gillespie. Historical account of early jazz by one who participated in it--"the connection between the early New Orleans jazzmen and modern jazz took place right before my eyes ". A nice clean, tight and unmarked book with no interior or exterior markings. Tiny bit of edgewear with short tear to top of dust jacket, else it is also in nice condition. ; B&W Illustrations; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 319 pages.

Seller Inventory # 10671

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Sideman: The Long Gig Of W. O. Smith, A Memoir
• Publisher: Rutledge Hill Press, Nashville
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1558531327
• ISBN 13: 9781558531321
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

From dust jacket "In this wry, moving memoir completed shortly before his death, one of jazz's great sidemen, W.O. Smith, explores the terrain of modern jazz music through the eyes of one who rubbed shoulders with the legends. WRiting about the black intelligentsia of the 1930s and 40s, particularly in Philadelphia and New York City, as well as life on the road during the big band era, this virtuoso of the string bass discusses the influence of such jazz greats as DUke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Frankie Fairfax, Coleman Hawkins, Fats Waller, Nat 'King' Cole, and Bessie Smith...."

Reviews

In this unassuming autobiography, the noted bass player, who died this year at the age of 74, tells of his early days in the black ghettos of Philadelphia and New York. His account recalls family and friends; his music studies at New York University, the University of Texas and the University of Iowa (where he received a Ph.D.); his 30 years as a teacher at Tennessee State University; and his longtime membership in the Nashville Symphony. Though he witnessed the genesis of modern jazz and performed with most of its important exponents, Smith writes modestly of his accomplishments; he was a team player who had no ambition to star as a soloist. Always interested in helping other musicians get ahead, he was most proud of founding a community music school in Nashville to provide young people with the same opportunities that he had enjoyed. Smith's story, like his life, is straightforward and unpretentious. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This autobiography chronicles the life of the recently deceased jazz bassist. Smith describes his introduction to jazz in Philadelphia, his brief stints with jazz giants Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonious Monk, and Charlie Parker, and his impressions of the early 1940s New York jazz scene. Sideman primarily deals with the academic career of Smith, who earned a Ph.D. in music and taught at a number of institutions including Tennessee State University in Nashville, where he performed with the Nashville Symphony and established the Community School. Engaging, personal, and witty, his account provides testament of a noted music educator and offers an interesting, though somewhat limited, glimpse of the jazz life, especially during the early 1940s in New York. Recommended for libraries and scholars with a music focus.
- David Szatmary, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.