James Kaplan and Paul Alexander

Two great music writers - James Kaplan and Paul Alexander - join Joe for a War of the Words. Joe gets excited and takes a deep dive into both of their brilliant books, which are both about America in the 40s and 50s, both about the jazz music scene, but follow very different subjects. 'Three Shades Of Blue' by James Kaplan is biography of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Bill Evans - and how those three extraordinary musicians made one of the greatest jazz albums of all time: Kind Of Blue. 'Bitter Crop' by Paul Alexander is a biography of the great Billie Holiday, but told through the last year of her life - 1959 - which coincidently is when Kind Of Blue came out. Both books are brimming with great stories and accounts from the time - they are meticulously researched - snd Joe asks both authors how immersed they get in their subjects when writing. They also give us some brilliant book recommendations as well! THE BOOK OFF 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote VS'Last Train To Memphis' by Peter Guralnick We hope you enjoy the chat - which we've kept a little long - which may well inspire you to put on some jazz after listening!? :-)Oooooh and get this!For a limited time, you can get £100 off off any HD light and free UK delivery. Just visit seriousreaders.com/bookoff to claim your discount! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.