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The Lives Behind the Music: Do Biographies Shape Our Understanding of Jazz?

By Anastasia Bogomolets
September 9, 2024
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The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog.
—Mark Twain

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto
1920 - 1955

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker died at the age of 34.

" data-original-title="" title="">Ella Fitzgerald lived a long and remarkable life, which included her time at the Colored Orphan Asylum during her adolescence and having her legs amputated later in life, alongside tremendous career success and many bright accomplishments along the way.

Duke Ellington

piano
1899 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Duke Ellington began his career as a sign painter. When he started earning a living from music, his repertoire was, to put it mildly, limited. Nevertheless, with his entrepreneurial mindset, he managed to secure up to five gigs a night, playing those same few songs at each venue, bowing, and moving on to the next performance.

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis, in his autobiography, boldly claimed that he had reinvented music six times. John Coltrane's influence was so profound that he has a church named in his honor.

Billie Holiday's life was marked by relentless suffering, abuse, and addiction.

Bill Evans

piano
1929 - 1980

" data-original-title="" title="">Bill Evans is remembered as "a very sincere and gentle person" (according to Herbie Hancock), an avid reader with a fascination for Eastern religions and philosophies.

Does knowing some facts about musicians' lives and personalities really affect how we perceive their music? If so, in what ways?

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