Book
Ain't but a few of us : black music writers tell their story
Publication Information
Durham : Duke University Press, 2022.
Physical Description
312 pages ; 23 cm
Summary
"Despite the fact that most of jazz's major innovators and performers have been African American, the overwhelming majority of jazz journalists, critics, and authors have been and continue to be white men. No major mainstream jazz publication has ever had a Black editor or publisher. Ain't But a Few of Us presents over two dozen candid dialogues with Black jazz critics and journalists ranging from Greg Tate, Farah Jasmine Griffin, and Robin D. G. Kelly to Tammy Kernodle, Ron Welburn, and John Murph. They discuss the obstacles to access for Black jazz journalists, outline how they contend with the world of jazz writing dominated by white men, and point out that these racial disparities are not confined to jazz and hamper their efforts at writing about other music genres as well. Ain't But a Few of Us also includes an anthology section, which reprints classic essays and articles from Black writers and musicians like LeRoi Jones, Archie Shepp, A.B. Spellman, Herbie Nichols, Greg Tate, and others. Contributors. Eric Arnold, Bridget Arnwine, Angelika Beener, Playthell Benjamin, Herb Boyd, Bill Brower, Jo Ann Cheatham, Karen Chilton, Janine Coveney, Anthony Dean-Harris, Jordannah Elizabeth, Lofton Emenari III, Bill Francis, Farah Jasmine Griffin, Jim Harrison, Haybert Houston, Eugene Holley Jr., Robin James, Willard Jenkins, Martin Johnson, Robin D. G. Kelley, Tammy Kernodle, Steve Monroe, Rahsaan Clark Morris, John Murph, Don Palmer, Guthrie Ramsey, Ron Scott, Gene Seymour, A. B. Spellman, Greg Tate, Greg Thomas, Robin Washington, Hollie West, Kelvin Williams, Ron Welburn, Ron Wynn"--
Notes
Includes index.
Contents
- Roundtable / The Authors / Black Jazz Magazine Editors and Publishers / Black Dispatch Contributors / Magazine Freelancers / Newspaper Writers and Columnists / The New Breed (Online) / Anthology: Classics
- On Jazz and Race
- Additional Ain't But a Few of Us Contributors
- Black Musician-Writers.