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In the Spirit of Swing: The First 25 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center

From its first downbeat as a summer concert series at Lincoln Center in 1987, to the fully orchestrated achievement of opening the world’s first venue designed specifically for jazz in 2004, Jazz at Lincoln Center has celebrated this music and these landmarks with an ever-growing audience of jazz fans across the globe.

In the Spirit of Swing: The First 25 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center illustrates the organization’s rich history and is comprised of hundreds of captivating photographs, including rarely seen shots by JALC Senior Staff Photographer Frank Stewart, and historical documents from JALC’s expansive archives. Narrated by Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis and with contributions from Albert Murray, Jimmy Heath, Dianne Reeves, Stanley Crouch, and past and present members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, In the Spirit of Swing takes readers on a personal tour inside a remarkable institution with an unfolding legacy.

In the Spirit of Swing: The First 25 Years of Jazz at Lincoln Center

Book Details

Publish Date November 28th, 2012
Publisher Chronicle Books
Language(s) English
Pages 218
Dimensions 11.2 x 10.2 x 1 inches
ISBN 978-1452120041

Contents

Photo highlights include the first incarnation of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, formed 25 years ago and featuring members of Marsalis’ young septet and the surviving members of the Duke Ellington Big Band; musicians and actors, including Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, Tony Bennett, Al Roker, Nick Ashford, Valerie Simpson, Laurence Fishburne, Robin Williams, Toni Morrison, Liza Minelli, Diana Ross, BB King and Eric Clapton, who have performed on JALC’s stages; supporters including Hillary R. Clinton, Ed Bradley, Ahmet Ertegun, Emilio Sosa; and the children around the world who have been touched by the organization’s education initiatives.

Celebrating a quarter century of inspirational music and profoundly good times, In the Spirit of Swing is a gorgeous book and illuminating revelation of how a group of committed citizens championed jazz as a cause and inspired a movement.

“Jazz can provide musicians and listeners alike with a sense of self, a concept of romance, a more comfortable physicality, a deeper understanding of other human beings. It is an endless road of discovery leading to more maturity and acceptance of personal responsibility, a greater respect for cultures around the world, an invigorating playfulness, an excitement about change, and an appetite for the unpredictable.”
Wynton Marsalis, Managing and Artistic Director, Jazz at Lincoln Center