The pages of Strollin’: A Jazz Life Through John Levy’s Personal Lens were printed right on scheule for a September 1st release. Every page in color on beautiful 80lb glossy white stock. Then the printer sent the pages off to the bindery, one of their vendors, and the results were disasterous.


First they called the printer and said they did not recommend the OTA-bind, a method allows the book to lay open. They would do it a different way but the results would be similar. They’d send a sample first. And I was left wondering why the bindery bid on the job knowing the specs from the outset: 270 pages landscape (11 x 8.5) that were supposed to have been OTA-bind.


The bindery did send a sample - I got one and so did the printing company. Both samples simply fell apart as soon as we started flipping through the pages. “Oh, we were in a hurry,” the bindery said. “Probably didn’t use enough glue. We’ll do another sample.” They sent that sample to the printer, not to me, and the printer told me that the second sample was no better than the first.


What to do? The answer is not yet clear and I am waiting to hear from the printer about my options. I have adjusted our target release date to Octber 15th. If we’re lucky, it might be sooner. I’ll keep you posted.

Evolution is at the very core of the creative process, so it is no surprise that a lot of changes were made to our original plans. The first and most fundamental change was the title. The original title, “At the Feet of a Jazz Master” was inspired by John’s NEA Jazz Master status combined with a very cool photo by Leroy Hamilton of John’s feet clad in red Converse All-Star sneakers. The photos were to be selected from Leroy’s pictures taken during the 2004 NEA Jazz Master events and the text would consist of anecdotes, opinions, and reminiscenses.


After reviewing a sample section, John said it didn’t feel right. (He actually said it felt like a cross between a lament for “the good old days” and an obituary.) Then he mused about the possibility of using photos that he shot throughout the years. And so a new concept emerged. The use of the word Strollin’ refers both to the walk down memory lane and to a tune by that title that he recorded in 1949 with the original George Shearing Quintet.


We went through his pictures and, after selecting a few hundred, I set to work scanning the images. The majority of the photos that made the cut were taken by John, some were shot by me, and a few were contributed by others. In addition, we included a special 10-page NEA Jazz Master section with more than 20 of Leroy’s photos. The text includes a mixture of John’s thoughts and general information, and the new cover photo (click here) is one of Leroy’s, shot in John’s home/office in June, 2005.

April 2007

Having not yet selected a format for this photos-with-essays book, the first step was simply to catalog Leroy’s photos, and while doing so to note any that we especially liked along with any thoughts or ideas a picture might evoke. The result so far is the master list, sequentially numbered within specific events. The events, in chronological sequence, are:

• Nancy Wilson’s recording session in Los Angeles
• John Levy Does Tavis Smiley Radio Show December 15, 2005
• John Levy interviewed on Thursday by Kati Grey for article in Newsday During IAJE in
• NEA Jazz Masters Group Photos (Friday)
• NEA Jazz Masters Luncheon
• John Levy interviewed By Jaron Eames for local cable v show
• NEA Jazz Masters Cocktail Reception
• NEA Jazz Masters Concert & Awards Show – Backstage Pre-Show
• NEA Jazz Masters Concert & Awards Show
• Vocal Legacy rehearsal Saturday morning
• NEA Jazz Masters Panel on Saturday afternoon
• Book Signing at MCG Jazz booth on Saturday Afternoon
• Vocal Legacy Showcase on Saturday evening
• Nancy Wilson’s recording session in NYC Sunday/Monday

Of course, chronological sequencing will not make much sense for the book, so for a first outline, we’ll group the pictures into five sections:

1. all the NEA Jazz Masters activities
2. all the Nancy Wilson recording shots
3. all the Vocal Legacy rehearsal and showcase shots
4. John Levy doing interviews
5. And “other” – which for the moment holds pictures of the book signing

I suspect that this means of grouping shots will not hold up for long. So far, we are envisioning the book as a series of photos, many of which evoke memories, stories, and even opinions about the music and the business. When John and I first started looking through Leroy’s pictures, we jotted down some thoughts to test out the idea. For example:
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March 5, 2007: Organizing Research

Luther’s papers archived at the Schomburg Center are organized in four categories:

1. Personal Papers filling 8 archival storage boxes with file labels such as Ephemera, Household, Family Correspondence, Appointment Books, etc.
2. Production papers placed in larger cartons with legal size manila folders each labeled with the name of a show – starting with Broadway, then off-B’way/ regional, unproduced special concerts, television, dance, films, industrials, recordings, and finally shows for individual artists.
3. Photographs
4. Musical Scores

On my first trip to New York last September, over a three-day period, I tried various methods of note taking

• Typing directly into my laptop
• Typing into my palm with small wireless keyboard
• And dictating sotto voce into a Sony minidisc recorder

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February 15, 2007

One of the things on my mind during these last few weeks is the similarity between the work of a psychotherapist and that of a biographer. I mentioned it on my blog (February 10th), but for those of you who might not have seen it, I paraphrase:

…not only the reconstruction of a life, but also the nature of the relationship between biographer and subjects/sources and the complexities of transference and counter-transference. While in NY earlier this month I was discussing biography with an psychoanalyst friend and she said “hmmm, that’s a lot like the work that I do.” Then a few nights ago I had a conversation with a writer friend who is also a therapist and he agreed that there were similarities between the work of therapist and biographer. Okay, this is not a giant revelation; apparently it was not even a new thought to me, but one that had slipped my mind. So, just to be sure I was paying attention, the universe sent me another reminder message yesterday. While reviewing my note files, I came across an excerpted quote taken from an August 2000 newspaper article, “Writing from the Heart but Drawing on the Mind,” about novelist Amy Bloom. She said, “Some of the traits that led me to be a psychotherapist are the ones I find in myself as a writer. I’ve spent a lot of time listening to people, and I’m endlessly intrigued by relationships, particularly the gap between what people say and what they truly feel, and the gap between what they do and what they really want.” One might be able to ignore a one-two punch, but this thought has now come up three times in ten days, so I had best pay attention.

I am paying attention now.

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October 1, 2006: New York Bound

I have been waiting patiently for many many months and the time is now at hand. More than seventeen years ago, Luther Henderson donated a treasure trove of his personal papers to the Schomburg Library. Unfortunately, as is the case with many public institutions, they did not have the resources to catalogue Luther’s archives, so his papers sat in storage for all these years. A year ago I offered to document everything I saw if they would let me go through the boxes, but they demurred, probably due to my lack of a degree in library sciences. When Mrs. Henderson learned that Luther’s materials were not available to researchers, she expressed her dismay, and suddenly resources were found and applied to the project. Two archivists were hired, and they finally completed their task just last month. In the next day or two I will book my flight and sometime during the next few weeks I’ll get my first look at some of his older files.

The Schomburg is located in Harlem, so time and weather permitting, I’ll plan to take a walk to see the neighborhood and buildings that Luther frequented in the early days. Of course everything has changed, but we’ll see what, if anything, is still standing.

September 25, 2006: Preliminary Notes

Most jazz biographies are about performers — singers and instrumentalists. Not only are they usually more famous than, say, arrangers or recording engineers, but their work is something that the public understands. Some composers become famous enough to merit a biography (even a movie) – think Cole Porter, George & Ira Gershwin… — but not often does an arranger get the spot light. Still there are a few including Peter Levinson’s “September in the Rain : The Life of Nelson Riddle” and Stephanie Stein Crease’s “Gil Evans: Out of the Cool“). One of the many challenges I face is how to give the reader a real understanding of the nuances of musical creativity, defining the fine lines between writing a melody, hearing a harmony, arranging for appropriate instruments, developing themes, orchestrating, composing, and re-imagining.

I have already completed the preliminary research and book proposal for Seeking Harmony, which Scarecrow Press has slated for publication in 2008. But I will flash back so you can appreciate the full journey. Here’s the most basic sequence of steps:

Look for the story

Assemble the basic chronology

Write proposal

Conduct research and interviews

Deepen the chronology and create lists of people and events themes and issues

Chapter outline – identify the conflicts

Consider the best approach. point-of-view, and voice for the story

Write and rewrite drafts

Edit drafts and “polish”

This may seem like a sequential list, but the process is never strictly linear. To begin with, I had to do a significant amount of research just to assemble the initial chronology of Luther’s life. I say “initial” for two reasons. First, because it is not by any means complete. And second, even when it becomes more complete, it will only be a timeline from which I will select what is to be included in the story and what will not make the cut.

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