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Gary Giddins

ゲイリー・ギディンズ

Gerii Giddinzu

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1948-01-01
Nationality
United States
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
jazz critic, author, music critic, film critic
Active Years
1973-
Affiliations
Leon Levy Center for Biography, CUNY Graduate Center (former executive director), The Village Voice (contributor), The Criterion Collection (consultant/contributor)
Nominations
Grammy Award (Best Album Notes) nominee (1982), Grammy Award (Best Album Notes) nominee (1990)

Awards

ASCAP–Deems Taylor Award
1976
Organization: ASCAP Foundation
Result: winner
ASCAP–Deems Taylor Award
1977
Organization: ASCAP Foundation
Result: winner
ASCAP–Deems Taylor Award
1984
Organization: ASCAP Foundation
Result: winner
ASCAP–Deems Taylor Award
2004
Organization: ASCAP Foundation
Result: winner
Grammy Award (Best Album Notes)
1986
Category: Best Album Notes
Organization: The Recording Academy
Result: winner
Guggenheim Fellowship
1986
Organization: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
Result: recipient
American Book Award
1987
Work: Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker
Organization: Before Columbus Foundation
Result: winner
Honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts
1988
Organization: Grinnell College
Result: honorary degree
National Book Critics Circle Award (Criticism)
1998
Work: Visions of Jazz: The First Century
Category: Criticism
Organization: National Book Critics Circle
Result: winner
Jazz Journalists Association (Excellence in Print & Book of the Year)
1999
Work: Visions of Jazz: The First Century
Organization: Jazz Journalists Association
Result: winner
Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award
1998
Work: Visions of Jazz: The First Century
Organization: Ralph J. Gleason Award committee
Result: winner
Ralph J. Gleason Music Book Award
2002
Work: Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams
Organization: Ralph J. Gleason Award committee
Result: winner
Association for Recorded Sound Collections (Best Research in Recorded General Popular Music)
2002
Work: Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams: The Early Years, 1903–1940
Organization: Association for Recorded Sound Collections
Result: winner
Theatre Library Association Award (writing on film and broadcasting)
2002
Work: Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams: The Early Years, 1903–1940
Organization: Theatre Library Association
Result: winner
New York Times Notable Book
2001
Work: Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams: The Early Years, 1903–1940
Organization: The New York Times
Result: selected
Jazz Journalists Association (Jazz Writer of the Year & Lifetime Achievement)
2003
Organization: Jazz Journalists Association
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Riding on a Blue Note

1981 non-fiction / music criticism

An early collection of essays and criticism on jazz and music.

jazz historyperformance analysisportraits

Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker

1987 biography / music study

A detailed biographical study of Charlie Parker's achievements and influence; widely acclaimed and award-winning.

bebopindividual and culturecreativity
Adaptations
  • [documentary film] Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker (1987)

Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong

1988 biography / music study

A study tracing Louis Armstrong's musical genius and life.

biographydevelopment of jazzcultural impact
Adaptations
  • [television / documentary] Masters of American Music: Satchmo - Louis Armstrong (1990)

Visions of Jazz: The First Century

1998 music criticism / history

A collection of criticism surveying jazz from its origins to the late 20th century, highly regarded by critics.

historycriticismrecording analysis

Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams - The Early Years, 1903-1940

2001 biography / music history

A detailed study of Bing Crosby's early career and recordings; recognized with multiple honors.

standardsrecording historyentertainment industry

Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of its Second Century

2004 music criticism

A collection of essays and criticism on the state of jazz in the early 21st century.

contemporary jazzcriticismcultural change

Bibliography

  • Riding on a Blue Note (1981)
  • A Moment's Notice: Portraits of American Jazz Musicians (1983)
  • Rhythm-a-ning: Jazz Tradition and Innovation (1985)
  • Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker (1987, rev. 2013)
  • Satchmo: The Genius of Louis Armstrong (1988, rev. 2001)
  • Faces in the Crowd: Musicians, Writers, Actors, and Filmmakers (1992)
  • Visions of Jazz: The First Century (1998)
  • Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams - The Early Years, 1903-1940 (2001)
  • Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of its Second Century (2004)
  • Natural Selection: Gary Giddins on Comedy, Film, Music and Books (2006)
  • Jazz: The Essentials (with Scott DeVeaux) (2009, rev. 2014)
  • Warning Shadows: Home Alone with Classic Cinema (2010)
  • Bing Crosby: Swinging on a Star - The War Years, 1940-1946 (2018)

Adaptations

  • Celebrating Bird (documentary, 1987)
  • Masters of American Music: Satchmo - Louis Armstrong (TV documentary, 1990)
  • Contributor to Ken Burns' PBS series 'Jazz' (2000)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
detailed historical contextualizationmeticulous analysis of recordings and performancescritical essays mixing biography and criticism
Recurring Motifs
relationship between performance and recordingintersection of personal and cultural historyevolution of 20th-century American music

Legacy

Gary Giddins is a highly regarded critic and author in jazz studies and biography; he is considered an important chronicler of 20th-century jazz. Through numerous books and awards, his work serves as a standard reference for performer studies and recording history.

Archives

Trivia

  • Contributed to The Village Voice beginning in 1973.
  • His 'Weather Bird' column ended in 2003.
  • Co-created the American Jazz Orchestra with John Lewis (1986).
  • Served as executive director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography at the CUNY Graduate Center.