America's Music: Jazz In Newark
Barbara J. Kukla
324 pages
ISBN: #978-0-9768130-3-3
Swing City Press
2014

Every jazz fan has a story about how the music became an important part of their life. For some the point of entry was taking up a musical instrument. Others fell under the music's spell after hearing a family member's or neighbor's jazz records. And there are those whose exposure to sounds intended as an aphrodisiac led to a lifelong love affair with the music.

Barbara J. Kukla's introduction to jazz occurred in 1960s when, as reporter for the Newark Star-Ledger, she began to frequent area jazz clubs. Kukla subsequently wrote an article on vocalist Miss Rhapsody (AKA Viola Wells), a mainstay of Newark's jazz scene who introduced the young journalist to many of the city's musicians.

Kukla's recently published book, America's Music: Jazz In Newark, approaches the subject from multiple perspectives, extends its reach from the 1920s to the present, and expresses concern for the future. While portraits of dozens of musicians and singers—some famous, others destined to remain local legends—comprise the bulk of the volume, Kukla expresses a keen interest in the economic and sociological realities that pervade the music. In what amounts to a people's history of jazz in New Jersey's most populated city, she incorporates neighborhoods, venues and families, shines a light on the efforts of jazz advocates such as promoters, club owners and journalists, and gives voice to the testimony of individual jazz fans.

Kukla introduces musicians not often heard outside of the Newark area, such as Rudy Walker, Leo Johnson, and