Douglas Henry Daniels

A Social and Cultural History of Black San Francisco

Pioneer Urbanites

Presents a portrait of the tenor saxophonist, examining his life and his influence on the development of modern jazz.

The Life and Times of Lester "Pres" Young

Lester Leaps in

Mario T. García

Terry P. Wilson

"The first anthology to collect readings on the historical and contemporary expereinces of western Native Americans, Mexican Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans, Peoples of Color in the American West brings together essays by revisionist historians and social scientists who in recent years have rejected romanticized appraoches to western American history. Most of the readings treat peoples of color not as victims but as active agents in the making of the history of the American West. The editors encourage students to search for characteristics that several groups share and for patterns that persist from one historical period to the next, as well as for significant differences among groups. By juxtaposing readings, the editors do not imply that the histories of nonwhite peoples in the American West have been completely similar or that their cultures have been homogenous and static; rather, the aim is to highlight important commonalities, without slighting their differences. The editors' notes call students' attention to the contributions of these various groups to the economy, society, and cultures of the American West, as well as to the interracial and interethnic tensions. Not glossing over the latter is important, because as the United States increasingly becomes a multiethnic society, viable bases for cooperation will be found only through an understanding of the roots of conflict"--Back cover.

Peoples of Color in the American West

The Blue Devils have received very little attention from jazz historians, though the band members and the writer Ralph Ellison (who sometimes sat in with them) spoke with conviction about their sterling musicianship and their legendary ability to defeat all competitors in battles of the bands. In a literal sense, the band survived for ten years, from its founding in 1923 to its demise in 1933. In a figurative sense, the band continued for more than half a century because, as members Jimmy Rushing, Lester “Prez” Young, Oran “Hot Lips” Page, and Count Basie became jazz legends, their “apprenticeship” in the Blue Devils authenticated them as genuine jazzmen, real troupers ready to play for any and all occasions. Chronicling the ten years the band was officially together, Douglas Daniels provides a corrective to most accounts of musical groups. He delves into the potent social and cultural history of the Depression to show its influence on the group’s founding as well as on the players’ careers. This meticulously researched history of an iconic jazz band rescues them from undeserved obscurity and clears away the fog of neglect. Praise for Douglas Daniels’s Lester Leaps In: “Douglas Daniels has written a provocative book, presenting Lester Young in a novel, even controversial light while opening new avenues of possible investigation into one of the most tantalizingly enigmatic of all historic jazz figures.” — Richard M. Sudhalter, Los Angeles Times

Douglas Henry Daniels

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