Swingin' on Central Avenue - by Peter Vacher (Hardcover)

About the Book

Through their own words, Vacher tells their story in Los Angeles, offering along the way a close look at the role the black musicians union played in their lives while also taking on jazz historiography's comparative neglect of these West Coast players.

Book Synopsis

Through their own words, Vacher tells their story in Los Angeles, offering along the way a close look at the role the black musicians union played in their lives while also taking on jazz historiography's comparative neglect of these West Coast players.

Review Quotes

The author has rescued a clutch of instrumentalists from obscurity. . . .Vacher has given us a valuable addition to the Central Avenue library, as rich in personal experience as it is broad in range.

A wonderful collection of oral histories by Peter who interviewed 16 musicians who performed in the city's African American neighborhood.

Anyone interested in African-American music in California will find it a worthwhile addition to their shelves.

Anyone who has read Vacher's other books . . . will already be familiar with his quiet erudition and respectful courtesy; Swingin' on Central Avenue is another fine addition to his oral-history oeuvre.

It is an irresistible book, and I speak as someone who finds many books -- after decades of reading -- utterly resistible. Peter Vacher . . . is one of those rare multi-talented writers. . . .Every jazz fancier I know would find something delightfully memorable in these pages. . . .The book is entertaining, powerful, and eye-opening. Peter Vacher has surpassed himself, and that is saying a great deal.

Our man Vacher has done it again . . . he has assembled another expertly-edited oral histories by less renowned musicians.

Peter Vacher's Swingin' on Central Avenue is a marvelous time capsule of a book that takes readers back to the days of taxi dances, barnstorming dance bands, and swank nightclubs with music and floor shows. . . .[T]he book's greatest value is the detailed portrait of the inner workings of the swing music scene in Los Angeles, and the vivid self portraits of the players, most of whom never made any more than regional reputations, who made it the thriving scene that it was.

Swingin' on Central Avenue . . . present[s] a picture of an important jazz community.

Swingin' On Central Avenue is a welcome addition to jazz history for dedicated West Coasters.

The book has a substantial photo section, a comprehensive bibliography, and a decent index. What's not to like?

The interviews with pianist Chester Lane, bassist Billy Hadnott and trombonist John 'Streamline' Ewing resulted in many surprising insights and fascinating details.

The work consists of interviews with sixteen black musicians born between 1898 and 1920 who worked in southern California from the 1920s through the 1980s. While all these players were elderly when interviewed each of them seemed to have retained remarkable memories. The stories are fascinating. . . .Most interesting to me are interviews with Billy Hadnott, Jesse Sailes and John 'Streamline' Ewing because they worked in a variety of settings under diverse leadership. . . .There are some wonderful photos here and a bibliography that will certainly lead you to more reading. Vacher has done this before...and this current volume makes me want to pursue the other works. Recommended.

This book is one which, as soon as you've finished it, you want to go back to the beginning and start again, because the detail on the gigs that people played is extraordinary. . . .Absolutely fascinating.

This fascinating oral history project. . . .[is] a welcome study that goes first-person and behind-the-scenes of a vibrant, colorful jazz community.

About the Author

Peter Vacher has been lecturing and writing about jazz for more than fifty years. He has contributed to a wide variety of publications on both sides of the Atlantic, including the Guardian newspaper. His collaboration with clarinetist Joe Darensbourg on his autobiography inspired his research on African-American jazz in California. He is the author of two books of interviews with American jazz musicians, among them many who performed in Los Angeles.