Jazz Spoken Here is a collection of informal yet revealing interviews with twenty-two major figures from the world of jazz. Compiled by Wayne Enstice and Paul Rubin, two jazz enthusiasts who ask the kinds of questions fans of the music everywhere would love to pose to their favorite musicians, the book gets to the heart of the jazz life. Dave Brubeck, Ray Bryant, Mercer Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Chico Hamilton, Henry Threadgill, and sixteen others reflect on their early influences and personal visions, the jazz tradition, and the politics of survival in a country that has historically ignored one of its indigenous art forms. Especially valuable are the interviews with those who have died in the recent past: Art Blakey, Bill Evans, Gil Evans, Charles Mingus, Sonny Stitt, and Gabor Szabo. The musicians represent diverse generations and philosophies and a full range of styles, from swing and mainstream to bop, fusion, and free-jazz. They speak with eloquence about their work and with candor about the current state of music in America. All the performers emerge as natural story-tellers. Through these interviews readers will gain a sense of what the life of a jazz musician is truly like as well as a profound respect for the musicians' rock-solid commitment to their craft - a commitment made all the more remarkable because of the neglect and bigotry with which many of them have had to contend throughout their careers. Each interview is preceded by a brief biographical introduction and concludes with a selected discography. Musicians and nonmusicians alike - anyone, in fact, who cares about American music - should read Jazz Spoken Here. This is music history of the very best kind - the kindthat makes readers want to seek out the music.