Craig Anderson, the son of Maxwell Anderson, Dick Komar Jr the son of Dorthory Killgallen and the actor Richard Komar, Tommy Miller aka Tommy Verlaine who founded the band Television to name a few.
Patti Smith was there too, just as I was departing. Her sister worked there too and married the Strand shipping clerk.
One of my Strand jobs was to go around to all the critics and magazines and pick up review books and galley's. Life magazine was one of my stops. I’d hit maybe 10 or more different departments from their Sixth Ave headquarters. My last stop was Loudon S. Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III's father. He was the editor for the popular ‘Miscellany’ feature that always closed every issue of Life Magazine. His office walls were covered with the original photographs they used. He always gave me a ‘tip’ of free records and books.
I also picked up from Nat Hentoff.
I’d go to his West 12th St apartment through the service entrance.
I could hear him banging away on his manual typewriter.
He had books and records piled up outside his service entry door…tons of stuff.
After I announced myself he told me to take everything on the left and help myself to whatever records I wanted on the right as a tip.
Always read his Village Voice column. No one else was writing about 1st Amendment issues ... I also remember he wrote the liner notes for the Atlantic album, The Best of John Coltrane .. The opening: "... I was talking with several black students. One, a musician said: " You know when Trane died, it was like a big hole had been left. And it's still there." ... Always loved the Candid albums he produced. My favorite Mingus album and let's not forget Chicago blues pianist, Otis Spann.
I cut my teeth on Hentoff's liner notes, but didn't know he co-produced The Sound of Jazz. Lester Young was so weak he had to sit on a stool. But when his turn comes he gets up and plays one perfect, poetic chorus. And Billie's face as he plays.... Words fail me.
Nat Hentoff was my first hero as a jazz writer/critic. In college in the late 1950s I wrote a column in the student newspaper I titled Counterpoint, the name of Nat's column at the time in the VV. After I became a nationally syndicated jazz critic (Newhouse News Service) in the 1970s, I got to meet him at jazz events and we'd sometimes compare notes. BTW, he eschewed computer word processing in favor of a battery of typewriters for different articles being written at the same time.
Thanks for this piece. I found one of his books soon after college, almost 60 years ago, and have read all that I could find. Thanks for showing me several more, and for causing me to want to re-read Jazz Is.
When Coltrane's "Meditations" came out, I recall two reviews in Downbeat. One by Hentoff (five stars) and one by Leonard Feather (zero stars). That spoke volumes about certain aspects of he music, the audience and the critics.
I have seen so many quotes from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya! So he was an extraordinary archivist in addition to his other activities.
My own favorite Candid recording is Jackie Byard's Blues For Smoke, which I have listened to countless times. He must have produced that on a less than ideal budget, because there is a moment in one of the tracks where you can hear the tape going out of time. That does not detract from the extraordinary beauty and variety of this recording.
The Cecil Taylor recordings with Archie Shepp, and Mingus Presents Mingus, are close seconds for me in the Candid discography. Mingus and Dolphy unbound!
Excellent post on a worthy jazz writer - Nat Hentoff was also a gifted contributor to album liner notes, as those who collect classic jazz vinyl will attest. In addition, he wrote frequently for Playboy magazine (Hugh Hefner was a big jazz fan) and was a fine interviewer.
there must be several hundred album notes. This is Hentoff at his weakest, perhaps, as his love for quoting others dominate the sleeve. At times he doesn't even really address the sounds on the album. But in later ones (like for Soul Note) I am under the impression that he was doing it for free and doing it for fun. (Again, just an impression, but certainly liner notes never paid much to begin with)
His many books, liner notes and writings about jazz inspired me to do what I do.
Before ‘I got into the record business’ way back in the early 1970s I worked for the legendary Strand Bookstore.
The krew when I was there was quite amazing:
Writers, actors, authors, musicians, bibliomaniacs….
Craig Anderson, the son of Maxwell Anderson, Dick Komar Jr the son of Dorthory Killgallen and the actor Richard Komar, Tommy Miller aka Tommy Verlaine who founded the band Television to name a few.
Patti Smith was there too, just as I was departing. Her sister worked there too and married the Strand shipping clerk.
One of my Strand jobs was to go around to all the critics and magazines and pick up review books and galley's. Life magazine was one of my stops. I’d hit maybe 10 or more different departments from their Sixth Ave headquarters. My last stop was Loudon S. Wainwright, Loudon Wainwright III's father. He was the editor for the popular ‘Miscellany’ feature that always closed every issue of Life Magazine. His office walls were covered with the original photographs they used. He always gave me a ‘tip’ of free records and books.
I also picked up from Nat Hentoff.
I’d go to his West 12th St apartment through the service entrance.
I could hear him banging away on his manual typewriter.
He had books and records piled up outside his service entry door…tons of stuff.
After I announced myself he told me to take everything on the left and help myself to whatever records I wanted on the right as a tip.
Thank you Nat.
what a story! thanks Jim!
Thank you for this lovely piece! I will share it with my family.
Wow! I don’t know what to say except “thanks!”
Always read his Village Voice column. No one else was writing about 1st Amendment issues ... I also remember he wrote the liner notes for the Atlantic album, The Best of John Coltrane .. The opening: "... I was talking with several black students. One, a musician said: " You know when Trane died, it was like a big hole had been left. And it's still there." ... Always loved the Candid albums he produced. My favorite Mingus album and let's not forget Chicago blues pianist, Otis Spann.
CHARLES MINGUS PRESENTS CHARLES MINGUS might be my favorite Mingus album also!
I cut my teeth on Hentoff's liner notes, but didn't know he co-produced The Sound of Jazz. Lester Young was so weak he had to sit on a stool. But when his turn comes he gets up and plays one perfect, poetic chorus. And Billie's face as he plays.... Words fail me.
It’s an incredible moment
Nat Hentoff was my first hero as a jazz writer/critic. In college in the late 1950s I wrote a column in the student newspaper I titled Counterpoint, the name of Nat's column at the time in the VV. After I became a nationally syndicated jazz critic (Newhouse News Service) in the 1970s, I got to meet him at jazz events and we'd sometimes compare notes. BTW, he eschewed computer word processing in favor of a battery of typewriters for different articles being written at the same time.
LOVE that detail about the typewriters. Thanks for great comment!
Thanks for this piece. I found one of his books soon after college, almost 60 years ago, and have read all that I could find. Thanks for showing me several more, and for causing me to want to re-read Jazz Is.
That Jazz Is excerpt on Bird is incredible...gave me shivers, laughter and tears in 90 seconds! Thank you for sharing.
Two thumbs up!
I was in my teens in Boston and hungry for jazz and any insights I could get.
Nat Hentoff had a radio show on a small radio station. It was a lifeline. I lived for it.
He changed my life.
Boston Boy
great!!!
When Coltrane's "Meditations" came out, I recall two reviews in Downbeat. One by Hentoff (five stars) and one by Leonard Feather (zero stars). That spoke volumes about certain aspects of he music, the audience and the critics.
It would be nice to have more of that diversity of opinion in jazz reviews today! (Except my album. Just give me some good quotes)
I have seen so many quotes from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya! So he was an extraordinary archivist in addition to his other activities.
My own favorite Candid recording is Jackie Byard's Blues For Smoke, which I have listened to countless times. He must have produced that on a less than ideal budget, because there is a moment in one of the tracks where you can hear the tape going out of time. That does not detract from the extraordinary beauty and variety of this recording.
The Cecil Taylor recordings with Archie Shepp, and Mingus Presents Mingus, are close seconds for me in the Candid discography. Mingus and Dolphy unbound!
Great writing (as always). Btw, read this?: https://jazzday.com/media/AC0808_Hentoff_Nat_Transcript.pdf
thanks for sharing this interview with Loren Schoenberg
Excellent post on a worthy jazz writer - Nat Hentoff was also a gifted contributor to album liner notes, as those who collect classic jazz vinyl will attest. In addition, he wrote frequently for Playboy magazine (Hugh Hefner was a big jazz fan) and was a fine interviewer.
there must be several hundred album notes. This is Hentoff at his weakest, perhaps, as his love for quoting others dominate the sleeve. At times he doesn't even really address the sounds on the album. But in later ones (like for Soul Note) I am under the impression that he was doing it for free and doing it for fun. (Again, just an impression, but certainly liner notes never paid much to begin with)
Hefner was a woman molester, let’s not mention him, thank you.
What are you saying?
You are a precise and expert appreciator
ha! thanks very much