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Jazz writer Whitney Balliett has famously described jazz as the sound of surprise. With 18 books to his name and countless pieces for The New Yorker, Balliett is one of the most important jazz writers of our time. |
Born in April 17, 1926, in New York, Balliett grew up more interested in books and poetry than music. He admits to writing some "terrible poetry" as a youngster -- his first forays into writing. Jazz first caught his ear while in school at Exeter.
His new found fascination with the music led him to take up the drums and he regularly joined a few of his school friends to play some of the jazz tunes they had heard on records. Balliett describes the jam sessions as driven more by "imagination and impulse" than talent and practice.
Balliett attended Cornell University and it was there that he wrote his first jazz piece, a review of an Ellington concert for the college paper. More jazz pieces followed and Balliett found steady publication in the Saturday Review from 1953 to 1957. William Shawn, editor of The New Yorker, read one of his pieces and asked Balliett to write a jazz column for his magazine. This began a 40-plus year career that featured Balliett's stylistic and impressionistic reviews of concerts and recording reviews, as well as portraits and profiles of important jazz artists.
Balliett is also credited with coming up with the idea for the landmark CBS television show Sound of Jazz. He also served as an advisor to the program, which featured the likes of Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster.
In addition to his New Yorker features, Balliett has written American Musicians, volumes I and II, Dinosaurs in the Morning and The Sound of Surprise. His latest book, New York Voices, goes beyond jazz and features portraits of prominent individuals on the New York arts scene including club owners Barney Josephson and Max Gordon, comedian Jackie Mason and painter Jon Scheuler.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
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Set List for Whitney Balliett on Piano Jazz:"Hey Jude" (Lennon, McCartney)
"Squeeze Me" (Ellington, Gaines)
"Singin' The Blues" (Conrad, Lewis, Robinson, Young)
"Everything I've Got" (Hart, Rodgers)
"Clothed Woman" (Ellington)
"Portrait of Whitney Balliett" (McPartland)
"Inner Circle" (Wilder)
"Lady Bird" (Dameron)
His new found fascination with the music led him to take up the drums and he regularly joined a few of his school friends to play some of the jazz tunes they had heard on records. Balliett describes the jam sessions as driven more by "imagination and impulse" than talent and practice.
Balliett attended Cornell University and it was there that he wrote his first jazz piece, a review of an Ellington concert for the college paper. More jazz pieces followed and Balliett found steady publication in the Saturday Review from 1953 to 1957. William Shawn, editor of The New Yorker, read one of his pieces and asked Balliett to write a jazz column for his magazine. This began a 40-plus year career that featured Balliett's stylistic and impressionistic reviews of concerts and recording reviews, as well as portraits and profiles of important jazz artists.
Balliett is also credited with coming up with the idea for the landmark CBS television show Sound of Jazz. He also served as an advisor to the program, which featured the likes of Count Basie, Billie Holiday, Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster.
In addition to his New Yorker features, Balliett has written American Musicians, volumes I and II, Dinosaurs in the Morning and The Sound of Surprise. His latest book, New York Voices, goes beyond jazz and features portraits of prominent individuals on the New York arts scene including club owners Barney Josephson and Max Gordon, comedian Jackie Mason and painter Jon Scheuler.
Check out this week's Piano Jazz Shorts: the Piano Jazz podcast.
Subscribe!
Set List for Whitney Balliett on Piano Jazz: