There are a fair number of jazz musicians who wrote autobiographies (often “as told to”) including Rex Stewart, Eddie Condon, Louis Armstrong, and Charles Mingus. Many musicians have written technique books and a few have active blogs. However, there are very few musicians who have written scholarly history books, built on extensive research. One might count Ted Gioia, Gunther Schuller, and Richard Sudhalter among the most notable of that group.
However, there is another musician with solid jazz credentials who has written a number of impressive books on jazz and compiled and annotated massive amounts of American music. He is Allen Lowe: saxophonist, composer and music historian. Although his name is not well known, his contribution is notable.
His books include:
1996: American Pop: From Minstrel to Mojo On Record 1893-1956, a look at the big picture of American popular music from the period of early pop and jazz to Elvis.
2000: That Devlin’ Tune: A Jazz History 1900-1950 which is a detailed look at the pre-history of jazz.
2005: Really the Blues? A Horizontal Chronicle of the Vertical Blues, 1893-1959, which covers nearly all blue styles of the American vernacular, from gospel quartets to show music, minstrelsy, country and hillbilly music, and jazz.
2007: God Didn’t Like It: Electric Hillbillies, Singing Preachers, and the Beginning of Rock and Roll, 1950-1970.
2019:
