Superstride: A Biography and Discography of Johnny Guarnieri by Derek Coller

On mentioning Johnny Guarnieri (1917-1985) to a doctoral student who was writing a dissertation on a jazz topic, I was only moderately surprised when the student responded, “Who’s that?”. The surprise was only moderate because I had come across this reaction before, and Derek Coller, the book’s author, implicitly acknowledges that Guarnieri has fallen into relative obscurity. He reports that jazz pianist Dick Wellstood, when booking pianists for Hanratty’s, a major jazz venue in New York in the 1980s, was shocked to learn that many customers had never heard of Guarnieri. Among giants of jazz piano, Guarnieri must be among the least remembered. This book, in telling Guarnieri’s story and highlighting his accomplishments, may become a factor in reversing his undeserved obscurity. He stemmed from generations of musicians and string instrument makers, going back to the famed 17th and 18th century Guarnerius family of Cremona, whose instruments are still valued today, preferred by some notable violinists over the Stradivarius. Johnny’s talent developed early, and at the age of 15 or 16, by which time he was trying to sound like Fats Waller, he impressed “father of stride” James P. Johnson with his playing. It did not take long for the rest of the jazz world to notice him. In 1939, at age 22, he reached one of the pinnacles he had aspired to, playing with Benny Goodm