Jazz Fiction. A short introduction

November 12, 2012 Jive-talk Admin

The term jazz fiction – and “Jazz Literature” to cover the broader field – used here is applied to works of fiction (novels, novellas, short fiction) that either deal with jazz characters (like musicians) or use the mechanisms, techniques and specifications of the music known as jazz (and is referred to as writing with jazz). “Jazz Literature” then would also include liner notes, discographies, articels from jazz magazines, billboard articles, jazz research papers and jazz (auto)biographies.

The following short lists are part of the bibliography of my study Jazz und seine Musiker im Roman. Vernacular and Sophisticated, where some combined effort from all the classified fields below is represented. Since I deal with “all things jazz” while referring to bibliographies, poetry, fiction and jazz history you may want to read it.

You can find the complete lists in the annex there, covering 40+ pages altogether and listing hundreds of articles, reviews, dissertations, and of course many more jazz novels and more jazz fiction.

The selection featured here is but a short overview. Some novels are dealt with in my study.

Anthologies
Albert, Richard N., (ed.) From Blues to Bop. A Collection of Jazz Fiction. New York: Doubleday, 1990.
Breton, Marcela, (ed.) Hot & Cool. Jazz Short Stories. London: Bloomsbury, 1990.
Cerulli, Dom, Burt Korall, und Mort Nassatir, (ed.) The Jazz Word. New York: DaCapo, 1960.
Feinstein, Sascha and David Rife, (eds.) The Jazz Fiction Anthology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2009.
Feinstein, Sascha and Yusef Komunyakaa, (eds.) The Jazz Poetry Anthology. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1991.
Feinstein, Sascha and Yusef Komunyakaa, (eds.) The Second Set: The Jazz Poetry Anthology Volume II. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996.
Harvey, Charles, (ed.) Jazz Parody (Anthology of Jazz Fiction). London: Spearman, 1948.
Lange, Art and Nathaniel Mackey, (eds.) Moments Notice. Jazz in Poetry and Prose. Coffee House Press, Minneapolis, 1993.
Parker, Chris, (ed.) B Flat, Bebop, Scat. London: Quartet, 1986.
Young, Kevin, (ed.) Jazz Poems. New York: Everyman’s, 2006.

Bibliographies
There are also some bibliographies specializing in jazz research in collection research materials:
Albert, Richard N. An Annotated Bibliography of Jazz Fiction and Jazz Fiction Criticism. London: Greenwood Press, 1992.
Kennington, Donald. The Literature of Jazz. A Critical Guide. London: The Library Association, 1970.
Meadows, Eddie S. Jazz Research and Performance Materials. A Selected Annotated Bibliography. New York: Garland, 1995.
Rife, David. Jazz Fiction. A History and Comprehensive Readers Guide. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2008.

Novels
In some of the following novels the reference to jazz is high, i.e. patterns, structure or the plot have a high affinity towards the music. Whereas other titles only refer to jazz in a few situations or partially in structure. Still, most titles on this list below could be called jazz fiction – depending on your point of view and your own jazz criteria. This short – and incomplete – selection features those titles still available, sometimes only as used copies. For an extensive list of jazz novels check out David Rife’s book.

Barnes, Harper. Blue Monday
Fisher, Rudolph. The Conjure-Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby (Penguin Modern Classics)
Goldsher, Alan. Jam
Hill, Richard. Riding Solo With the Golden Horde: A Novel
Holmes, John Clellon. Go
Huddle, David. Tenorman: A Novella
Kelley, William Melvin. A Drop of Patience: A Novel
Kerouac, Jack. On the Road: The Original Scroll
Mackey, Nathaniel. From a Broken Bottle Traces of Perfume Still Emanate. Volumes 1-3
McKay, Claude. Banjo
McKay, Claude. Home to Harlem
Mezzrow, Milton „Mezz” and Bernard Wolfe. Really the Blues
Moody, Bill. Looking for Chet Baker (Evan Horne Mysteries)
Morrison, Toni. Jazz
Murray, Albert. The Magic Keys
Zabor, Rafi. The Bear Comes Home

General texts on Jazz
I also recommend some titles for the general understanding of jazz (and closely related blues) and its role in American culture, American art and African-American aesthetics; furthermore, some texts below enlarge on the connection between jazz and literature. This short list contains a number of classic titles together with some new ones. The selection is just an excerpt and fortunately over recent years many more texts deal with the subject.

So please check my book review section right here, to find out about new releases from the field of jazz research.

Ake, David. Jazz Cultures (Roth Family Foundation Music in America Book)
Appel, Alfred, Jr. Jazz Modernism: From Ellington and Armstrong to Matisse and Joyce
Borshuk, Michael. Swinging the Vernacular: Jazz and African American Modernist Literature
Cataliotti, Robert H. The Songs Became the Stories: The Music in African American Fiction, 1970-2005 (African-American Literature and Culture)
Collier, Graham. Jazz: The American Theme Song
Dinerstein, Joel. Swinging the Machine: Modernity, Technology, and African American Culture Between the World Wars
Ellison, Ralph. Shadow and Act
Feinstein, Sascha, (ed.). Ask Me Now: Conversations on Jazz & Literature
Gabbard, Krin, (ed.) Jazz Among the Discourses
Grandt, Jürgen E. Kinds of Blue: The Jazz Aesthetic in African American Narrative
Jost, Ekkehard. Sozialgeschichte des Jazz (German)
Keil, Charles. Urban Blues
Leonard, Neil. Jazz: Myth and Religion
Lopes, Paul. The Rise of a Jazz Art World
Meltzer, David, (ed.) Writing Jazz
Monson, Ingrid. Saying Something: Jazz Improvisation and Interaction (Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology)
Murray, Albert. Stomping the Blues
O’Meally, Robert G., (ed.) The Jazz Cadence of American Culture
Peretti, Burton W. Jazz in American Culture
Townsend, Peter. Jazz in American Culture

I am glad if you enjoyed browsing this section. Good luck to you tracking down those titles. For the most part this should be rather easy; and if in the course of your “good hunting” you develop an urge for “more of the same, please…”, well, very good then, I may feel satisfied then.

Share this: