It was none other than Louis Armstrong who said, "These people who make the restrictions, they don't know nothing about music. It's no crime for cats of any color to get together and blow." "You can't know what it means to be black in the United States--in any field," Dizzy Gillespie once said, but Gillespie vigorously objected to the proposition that only black people could play jazz. "If you accept that premise, well then what you're saying is that maybe black people can only play jazz. And black people, like anyone else, can be anything they want to be."
In Cats of Any Color, Gene Lees, the acclaimed author of three previous collections of essays on jazz and popular music, takes a long overdue look at the shocking pervasiveness of racism in jazz's past and present--both the white racism that long ghettoized the music and generations of talented black musicians, and what Lees maintains is an increasingly virulent reverse racism aimed at white jazz musicians. In candid interviews, living jazz legends, critics, and composers step forward and share their thoughts on how racism has affected their lives. Dave Brubeck, part Modoc Indian, discusses native Americans' contribution to jazz and the deeply ingrained racism that for a time made it all but impossible for jazz groups with black and white players to book tours and television appearances. Horace Silver looks back on his long career, including the first time he ever heard jazz played live. Blacks were not not allowed into the pavilion in Connecticut where Jimmie Lunceford's band was
performing, so the ten-year-old Silver listened and watched through the wooden slats surrounding the pavilion. "And oh man! That was it!" Silver recalls. Red Rodney recalls his early days with Charlie "Bird" Parker, and pianist and composer Cedar Walton tells of the time Duke Ellington played at the army base at Ford Dix and allowed the young enlisted Walton to sit in. Tracing the jazz world's shifting attitude towards race, many of the stories Lees tells are inspiring--Brubeck cancelling 23 out of 25 concert dates in the South rather than replace black bass player Eugene Wright, or Silver insisting that while he strives to provide his fellow black musicians opportunities, "I just want the best musicans I can get. I don't give a damn if they're pink or polka dot." Others are profoundly disturbing--Lees' first encounter with Oscar Peterson, after a Canadian barber flatly refused to cut Peterson's hair, or Wynton Marsalis on television claiming that blacks have been held back for so many
years because the music business is controlled by "people who read the Torah and stuff."
From the old shantytowns of Louisville, to the streets of South Central L.A., to the up-to-the-minute controversies surrounding Marsalis's jazz program at Lincoln Center, and the Jazz Masters awards given by the NEA, Cats of Any Color confronts racism head-on. At its heart is a passionate plea to recognize jazz not as the sole property of any one group, but as an art form celebrating the human spirit--not just for the protection of individual musicians, but for the preservation of the music itself.
Industry Reviews
"Lees is the glowing jewel of jazz for his understanding of it, for his writing about it, and for his lyrics, which are always perfect for the music."--Dizzy Gillespie
"I feel so strongly about the importance of this book that if I had time I would gladly go to people's houses, take them by the wrist, and lead them to the nearest bookstore....It is a truly important social document."--Steve Allen
"Lees...takes pains to show that he knows his history."--Jersey Jazz
"Those who have experienced the joys of jazz or are interested in exploring the ramifications of racism on creative expression will find much to think about in these reflections on a life in which, ultimately, nothing really matters except the music."--KLIATT
"[The book] examines racial issues that have plagued this music's world. Today, the author argues, jazz suffers from reverse racism."--he New York Times Book REview New & Noteworthy Paperback
"Let me get straight to the point: Gene Lees is the best writer on the topic of jazz in the world today."--Glen Woodcock, The Toronto Sun
"Another sterling collection of essays by one of our best jazz critics....Lees has long been one of those handful of social and arts critics who say what needs to be said. Essential reading for any serious jazz fan or student of American culture."--Kirkus Reviews
"These ten pieces....vary in quality from the very good to the blindingly brilliant."--Dave Gelly, author of Lester Young
"Gene Lees is the glowing jewel of jazz for his understanding of it, for his writing about it, and for his lyrics, which are always perfect for the music"--Dizzy Gillespie
"I feel so strongly about the importance of this book that if I had time I would gladly go to people's houses, take them by the wrist, and lead them to the nearest bookstore. Cats of Any Color would be important if it dealt only with the grand and glorious art-form of jazz itself. But there is much more to this book. It is a truly important social document."--Steve Allen
"Lees' essays...are enjoyable and informative to read....Lees is right. Racism is wrong whoever is advocating it. His book will add to the debate and hopefully alter some of the more polarized positions."--Winnipeg Free Press
"Lees' book-which will surely be one of the most talked-about jazz books of the year-should prompt a good bit of reflection."--Crescendo
"A thought-provoking look at the contemporary jazz world."--Publishers Weekly
"Written by a real authority who also happens to be a gifted writer, this book is recommended for all music libraries."--Library Journal
"Sure to be the year's most-discussed jazz volume, due to its hard-hitting commentary on racism and reverse-racism. Whether or not one agrees with all of Lees' points, the issues he raises must not be ignored."--New York Post
"A beautifully written celebration of jazz. Gene Lees' passion for the music is matched by his interviewing prowess, which elicits wonderful facts and images."--The Philadelphia Tribune
"The first book to address comprehensively the very sensitive subject of racism in jazz....It makes for fascinating reading."--The Times-Picayune
"[A] fascinating new book....The book is full of incredible insights and history that will be of interest to all musicians....Gene Lees deals with the explosive issues that are increasingly divinding jazz in a judicious, balanced manner. Lees's sensitive and beautifully written plea to recognize jazz not as the sole property of any one group but as an art form that celebrates the human spirit is bound to stir up controversy and strong emotion in all who read
it. Please, get this book and read it."--Bob Cranshaw, Allegro
"[Lees] certainly knows how to do the task he sets himself very well."--Booklist
"An outstanding book and I highly recommend it."--Jazz Connection-World Jazz Network
"Thoughtful and sensitive....Lee's book may represent the first steps towards healing....He takes a very direct (though not necessarily confrontational) approach to the topic,,,,His writing is measured, thorough, and extremely comprehensive....Cats of Any Color makes for spanking-good reading in a world that seems preoccupied with more grumbling and negative imagery than anything else. Lees, whose already impressive credentials include three
ASCAP-Deems Taylor awards for writing about jazz, draws from his extensive experience to examine this topic--and there is probably no other single wirter today who could have created these stimulating essays with more
skill or insight....While Lees demonstrates how complex the problem is, it is his ablility to place jazz in a postitive and promising perspective that provides me with such pleasure in reading this book."--Jazz Educators Journal
