Up from the Cradle of Jazz

Up from the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II is a book by Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose and Tad Jones. It chronicles the history of New Orleans music, primarily rhythm and blues, and its evolution post-World War II. It was first published in 1986. An expanded second edition was published in 2009.

Up from the Cradle of Jazz

2nd edition cover
Author	Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose, Tad Jones
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	New Orleans music history
Genre	Music history, musicology
Published	1986, 2009
Publisher	University of Georgia Press
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Pages	285 (first edition) 373 (second edition)
ISBN	978-0-8203-0853-1
OCLC	263157308

Synopsis

In early 20th century New Orleans was a cultural melting pot and had a vibrant music scene. This gave way to the development of jazz by African-American musicians of the city, a genre which incorporated multiple influences.[1] The emergence of new musical genres continued in New Orleans, and by 1950s rhythm and blues had gained a foothold as an established style.[1][2]

The book chronicles the course of music evolution in New Orleans post-World War II from jazz to primarily rhythm and blues as well as rock and roll and avant-garde jazz.[1][3] It presents a historical accounting along with cultural influences that morphed the New Orleans sound, such as Mardi Gras Indians, Caribbean influences, musical families, generational continuity, iconic individuals, clubs and recording studios.[1][4] The first edition published in 1986 consists of nineteen chapters categorized under four headings:[5]

• Origins of New Orleans rhythm-and-blues
• The flush years, 1954–1963
• Struggling out of the sixties
• The Caribbean connection

A second edition published in 2009 has additional content, including the Hurricane Katrina devastation and subsequent efforts to restore the music community.[4][6] The book is not all encompassing in term of genres, and transformations in traditional jazz, Dixieland and gospel are intentionally left out by the authors.[1]

Reception

Gary Giddins of The Village Voice wrote, the authors "show how subsequent generations of New Orleans musicians helped spark the postwar phenomena of rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, and even avant-garde jazz," and said the book "makes a worthy contribution in demystifying the still vibrant music of New Orleans."[1] Kenan Torrans of The Washington Times wrote, the "personal interviews" and "interwoven stories of various New Orleans neighborhoods, nightclubs, bars and other historic music venues (...) give the reader a very real sense of life in the Big Easy."[7] In the Journal of American Studies, Andrew Clark wrote, the book pays "tribute to the variety and durability of music as the city's historic language and bi-racial culture," and called the presentation an "oral record".[8]

References

1. Gary Giddins (December 21, 1986). "Up from the Cradle of Jazz: New Orleans Music Since World War II". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
2. Jason Berry (April 17, 1988). "Cool Jazz, Hot Jambalaya In New Orleans". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
3. Mark McKnight (Spring 1988). "Researching New Orleans Rhythm and Blues" (PDF). Black Music Research Journal. 8 (1): 122. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
4. Maria C. Montoya (September 2, 2009). "Jason Berry expands on New Orleans music history primer in a reissue of Up from the Cradle of Jazz". The Times-Picayune. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
5. Jason Berry; Jonathan Foose; Tad Jones (1986). Up from the Cradle of Jazz. University of Georgia Press. pp. vii–viii. ISBN 9780820308531. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
6. Kevin Allman (September 14, 2009). "Aural History: A revision of Up from the Cradle of Jazz". Gambit, bestofneworleans.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
7. Kenan Torrans (July 17, 2010). "Book Review: Up from the Cradle of Jazz". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
8. Andrew Clark (April 1988). "Reviews: Jason Berry, Jonathan Foose, Tad Jones, Up from the Cradle of Jazz". Journal of American Studies. 22 (1): 115–116. Archived from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.