Birdland, The Jazz Corner of the World
An Illustrated Tribute, 1949–1965
Leo T. Sullivan
BOOK SPECS
Size: 8″ x 8″
Illustrations: 151 color and b/w photos
Pages: 128
Binding: hard cover
• Hailed as the greatest jazz club in the world which showcased the
best jazz musicians of the day
• Named after legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker
• Loaded with classic photographs, handbills, album covers, and memorabilia
ABOUT THE BOOK
Birdland was a legendary nightclub in New York City and, from 1949–65, was the scene for the greatest jazz music and musicians in the world. This illustrated book offers a history of this legendary jazz club, and presents the greats who played its stage in capsule biographies, vintage photos, and rare memorabilia. Named after legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker, the club showcased memorable double and triple bills lasting until dawn. Many classic live recordings were made at “The Jazz Corner of the World,” such as the “A Night at Birdland” by the Art Blakey Quintet, “Basie at Birdland,” and “Coltrane, Live at Birdland.” Birdland established itself as the one place that every jazz musician had to play. Greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Art Tatum, Art Blakey, Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, and Sonny Rollins, to name only a few, graced its stage.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leo T. Sullivan has been working professionally for over forty years as a saxophonist, flutist, composer, and webmaster, and has played on many CDs with various artists, having also recorded numerous soundtracks for major television shows. Leo has played with The Manhattan Transfer, Johnny Mathis, Rosemary Clooney, The Temptations, Toni Tennile, Charo, Don Rickles, Carl Fontana, Bob Newhart, The Osmond Brothers, just to name a few. In recent years, Leo has been involved in developing over sixty-five jazz websites. They can be viewed at: www.jazzwebsites.org.
Swing Street: The Rise & Fall of New York’s 52nd Street Jazz Scene is another popular jazz book by author Leo T. Sullivan.
Swing Street was the name given to 52nd Street in Manhattan, New York City where there were more jazz clubs and bars per square block than anywhere else in the world – all showcasing the finest jazz musicians of the era. The Swing Street book delves deeply into the history of Swing Street, presenting numerous vintage photos, capsule biographies, and rare memorabilia. On Swing Street you were guaranteed to experience an evening of unforgettable jazz on a nightly basis, seven nights a week, until the wee hours of the morning. You could stop by Club Downbeat to catch a set of Billie Holiday, or drop by the Three Deuces to hear Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie play the progressive jazz of the day – Bebop. Also, on any given night you could hear many other iconic jazz artists such as Bud Powell, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Coleman Hawkins, and many others.
Swing Street is available at www.swingstreetbook.com