{"id":1039,"date":"2012-09-17T09:38:23","date_gmt":"2012-09-17T13:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/?p=1039"},"modified":"2012-09-17T10:16:33","modified_gmt":"2012-09-17T14:16:33","slug":"what-does-it-take-to-write-a-jazz-biography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2012\/09\/what-does-it-take-to-write-a-jazz-biography.html","title":{"rendered":"What does it take to write a jazz biography?"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Writing Jazz Biographies” is the third free, interactive webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 8 pm. edt, presented by the Jazz Journalists Association. Paul de Barros (Shall We Play That One Together? The <\/em><\/a>\"\"<\/a>Life and Art of Piano Legend Marian McPartland<\/em>), Robin D.G. Kelley \"\"<\/a>(Thelonious Monk: The LIfe and Times of an American Original<\/em><\/a>),
\n<\/a>and Peter Pullman (Wail: The Life of Bud Powell<\/em><\/a>) \"\"<\/a>will speak of research, subject-dedication and dealing with living people as sources of information in a 90-minute panel moderated by me.<\/p>\n

The webinar is free, but pre-registration<\/a> is necessary. Previous webinars, “Introducing Jazz Journalism Now” and “Covering Jazz Festivals” are archived and can be accessed without charge.<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0Here’s a gloss on the topic:<\/p>\n

Biographies are among the most challenging form of non-fiction written by jazz journalists and scholars. They typically require deep investigation into the subject\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s world, which whether past or present will be multi-faceted and viewable from multiple perspectives. Biographies necessitate detailed research, and usually multiple interviews of people with whom the writer must carefully create ongoing relationships. To make vivid and comprehensible the life, times and accomplishments of a musician demands high level writing skills as well as special sensitivity to a vast ouevre. And biographies are not written quickly. So how does a writer select his or her subject? Are biographies sought by publishers? What are the challenges, and what are the rewards, to being a biographer?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The JJA webinars to date have attracted some 60 participants online, several from continents other than North America, despite problems of time zones. Questions for the panelists are accepted from particpants. Don’t be shy.<\/p>\n

howardmandel.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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All JBJ posts <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Writing Jazz Biographies” is the third free, interactive webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 8 pm. edt, presented by the Jazz Journalists Association. Paul de Barros (Shall We Play That One Together? The Life and Art of Piano Legend Marian McPartland), Robin D.G. Kelley (Thelonious Monk: The LIfe and Times of an American Original), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/marian.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1i3CL-gL","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":334,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2010\/09\/audience_size_for_jazz_festiva.html","url_meta":{"origin":1039,"position":0},"title":"Jazz festival weekend: Is anybody counting?","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"September 3, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Can we guestimate how many listeners will be out hearing jazz this Labor Day weekend, at festivals free and\/or famous around the U.S.?\u00a0Chicago, Detroit, Tanglewood, Aspen, Vail, Los Angeles, Washington DC (well, Herndon VA), Philadelphia,\u00a0San Jose, Macinac Island (Michigan) Indianapolis, St. Louis, Wilmington and Bethany Beach (Delaware), San Diego, Tucson,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1341,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2013\/04\/jazz-day-reasons-to-be-cheerful.html","url_meta":{"origin":1039,"position":1},"title":"Jazz Day reasons to be cheerful","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"On the second International Jazz Day, let's celebrate -- 1) A glorious legacy of enduring music; 2) The\u00c2\u00a0dedication to the art form of musicians and their supporters now, worldwide; 3) The recognition by government officials and institutions of jazz as an entity that will not be silenced or co-opted; 4)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jazz Heroes, designated in 2013 by the Jazz Journalists Association and 25 local North American communities","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/2013JazzHeroeswHEADwnumbers.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2403,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2018\/01\/women-in-jazz-journalism-on-gender-issues-in-nyc-mlk-weekend.html","url_meta":{"origin":1039,"position":2},"title":"Women in jazz journalism on gender issues, in NYC MLK weekend","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"January 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend '18 was a big one for jazz in NYC with the first Jazz Congress at Jazz at Lincoln Center, a glorious Winter Jazz Fest, artists showcases at the conference of APAP (the Association of Performing Arts Presenters) and diverse independent venues -- but not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend\"","block_context":{"text":"Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/tag\/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-weekend"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/images-1-200x165.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1295,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2013\/04\/jazzapril-begins-no-joke.html","url_meta":{"origin":1039,"position":3},"title":"JazzApril begins (no joke!)","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"April 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"April is Jazz Appreciation Month (so named by the Smithsonian Institution), culminating on the 30th with\u00c2\u00a0International Jazz Day (a project of UNESCO, organized by the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz) -- and both those initiatives are endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. So the Jazz Journalists Association has launched\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"ja-ijd-jamSQ200","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/ja-ijd-jamSQ200.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":563,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2011\/10\/jazz-audience-initiative-study-posted-webinar-set.html","url_meta":{"origin":1039,"position":4},"title":"Jazz Audience Initiative study posted, webinar set","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"October 19, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"The Jazz Audience Initiative, a 21-month research project of Columbus, Ohio's Jazz Arts Group, has posted its final reports and scheduled a webinar for October 21 (free registration available) to discuss them. Among the main points: Musical tastes are socially transmitted. Jazz has relatively diverse audiences. People pay to hear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "main"","block_context":{"text":"main","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/main"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Byron-Stripling.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":24,"url":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/2007\/07\/jazz_beyond_jazz.html","url_meta":{"origin":1039,"position":5},"title":"Jazz Beyond Jazz","author":"Howard Mandel","date":"July 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"What if there's more to jazz than you suppose? What if jazz demolishes suppositions and breaks all bounds? What if jazz - and the jazz beyond, behind, under and around jazz - could enrich your life? What if jazz is the subtle, insightful, stylish, soulful, substantive guide to successful navigation\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "about"","block_context":{"text":"about","link":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/category\/about"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.artsjournal.com\/jazzbeyondjazz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}