Industry Vet Jeff Gold's New 'Revelatory' Book 'Sittin' In'' Details Jazz Clubs Of The '40s And '50s

'Sittin' In': Looks At The Great Jazz Clubs.

GRAMMY-winning historian, archivist, author and record executive JEFF GOLD offers a "revelatory" look inside hallowed venues where integration was first practiced in "Sittin' In: Jazz Clubs Of The 1940s And 1950s," which is being published in a lavish, coffee-table edition by HARPER DESIGN on NOVEMBER 17th.

Drawing on an incredible trove of never-before-seen photos and memorabilia, former WARNER BROS. RECORDS EVP/GM GOLD gives us a glimpse at a world  rich in culture, music, dining, fashion, and more. 

In exclusive interviews, SONNY ROLLINS and QUINCY JONES as well as preeminent jazz historian DAN MORGENSTERN give first-person accounts of the clubs that ROLLINS called “a paradisiacal place to be.” Decades before JACKIE ROBINSON broke baseball’s color barrier, jazz clubs were among the first places in JIM CROW AMERICA where Black and white people mixed in audiences and onstage. ROLLINS noted, “Jazz was really where the racial barriers were broken down heavily,” while JONES explained, “Back then, it wasn’t about color in the clubs, it was about how good you can play. Racism would’ve been over in the 1950s if they’d listened to the jazz guys.”

Separate sections consider the jazz histories and clubs of NEW YORK CITY, ATLANTIC CITY, WASHINGTON DC, BOSTON, CLEVELAND, DETROIT, CHICAGO, KANSAS CITY, ST. LOUIS, LOS ANGELES and SAN FRANCISCO. 

The book’s 200 exclusive images include rare club souvenir photographs, some featuring fans posing with legendary musicians such as CHARLIE PARKER, DUKE ELLINGTON, DIZZY GILLESPIE, COUNT BASIE and LOUIS ARMSTRONG -- and even one photo showing clubgoer MARLON BRANDO with fans at NEW YORK’s legendary BIRDLAND. Also included is a wealth of colorful club graphics, from cards, menus, flyers, matchbooks, postcards, and posters as well as supplementary photographs of other top performers and venues of the day.

For more info, go here. 

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