I share Bill’s enthusiasm - it’s one of the best non fiction books I’ve read in years. It really puts into perspective my/our vinyl buying habits too. For some people it’s a whole life, all day, every day and they are willing to do little else with their time and go to almost any length to find incredibly obscure 78s.
It’s a fascinating read and her (unscientific admittedly) speculation about a lot of these guys having Asperger’s, autism and/or OCD is really thought provoking. I think some of them are also just lonely…
Ashley Kahn’s books on Impulse Records (The House Trane Built), Kind of Blue, Blue Note Records, are great reads.
Arthur Taylor’s “Notes and Tones” is an essential read. A collection of interviews with major jazz musicians about topics on their minds in the 1970’s. Art Taylor being a drummer himself helps get them to talk.
Iain Anderson’s “This Is Our Music . Free Jazz, the Sixties, and American Culture” is a fantastic read on the Free Jazz movement without getting too heady.
I recommend this one; an explanation of how the brain processes music. Personal preference, neurodivergence, and evolution are some of the topics. One point specifically helped me put the DJ into the continuum of music-making.
Summary
Music is so complex that it takes nearly every part of the brain to process. For example, memorizing lyrics uses a different part of the brain playing the piano. So we have instrumentalists who don’t write, composers who don’t perform, lyricists who need a composer. Most musicians specialize. A few who do it all. The author also leaves a space for emotional connection. (A technically perfect performance may still sound robotic.) It’s this space for emotional connection where good DJs have increased development, and where I was able to place the DJ in the continuum of musicians.
