The little-known story of America’s jazz clubs in the ’40s and ’50s is told through compelling photographs, illustrations and exclusive interviews in a new book called Sittin’ In.
Grammy-winning record executive, music historian and art director Jeff Gold brings to life the renowned jazz nightclubs that pushed back against the Jim Crow laws in the decades ahead of the civil rights movement in this 260-page hardcover book.
It was a time when Black jazz musicians — Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson and more — were headlining clubs across the country. In many cases, Black and white musicians played together — and, more significantly, people of all races gathered together to enjoy an evening’s entertainment.
Sittin’ In is a visual history of that crucial era in music history. It also features exclusive interviews with Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Robin Givhan, Jason Moran, and Dan Morgenstern.
In the book, Gold focuses on three critical U.S. regions: the East Coast (New York, Atlantic City, Boston, Washington, D.C.); the Midwest (Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Kansas City); and the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco).
Get a sneak peek at the book below.