Journalist Rick Mitchell worked for the Houston Chronicle and got the enviable job of interviewing all of the artists who performed at the local La Camera Jazz Series for the Houston International Festival. This just under 150 page book comprises numerous 1500 word essays/interviews with almost all of the jazz artists that performed there during his stay, and the list, as well as the write-ups are impressive and wide ranging. He categorizes the artists into a) Living Masters such as Randy Weston, Charles Lloyd and Wayne Shorter b) Prime Time Players which include Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Kenny Garrett and Christian McBride and c)Rising Stars that have Jason Moran, Hiromi and Tia Fuller in the collection. Almost every article has a concert photo, and even better is the Selected Discography which includes a handful of recordings of each artist to get you into their most representative works.
Mitchell is able to get into some clever insights, and has an excellent way of mixing the artists quotes with an analysis of the musician. The pieces are a mix of conversation and analysis, not an easy wire to balance on, but Mitchell does it like a Flying Wallenda. The book is an excellent oversight into the present period of jazz which, while not as dynamic in terms of changes as 50 years ago, has a different way of expressing its growth. A read well worth taking here to put the present generation of sounds into perspective.
Dharma Moon Press