Perfect for Kwanzaa Gifting: Barack Before Obama by David Katz

Being a "fly on the wall" is a phrase of somewhat precise meaning.  

The phrase is researched to have originated in the 1920s.  The first citation of it is found from The Oakland Tribune, February 1921:  "I'd just love to be a fly on the wall when the Right Man comes along."

It is now most often used in relation to the "fly on the wall documentaries,' which chronicle real life situations supposedly made without impacting the behavior of the participants.  I take exception, finding flies to be most annoying, buzzing around all day and landing where they are unwanted.

However, in this event, David Katz was a most welcomed fly on the wall to the meteoric rise and triumphant presidency of Barack Obama.  It may be known that a fly has the most advanced and sensitive eyesight that catches light and movement instinctively.  

As shown within these pages, Barack Obama proved to be that intense light and Katz's photographs instinctively captured various facets of Obama's life from bonding with family and friends through campaigning and eventually the Presidency.

Technically, "Barack Before Obama" is an extremely polished publication with brilliant photographs, capturing President Obama in his most magnetic and favorable light.  This is a must have for the politically inclined and Obama fans alike.

The Afterword: An E-Interview with Jeff Gold, "Sittin' In"

Q:    Are there any names of memorable fans who possibly traveled to jazz clubs across the nation?

JG:    Unfortunately we don’t know anything specific about the people in the souvenir photos, but we do have pictures in the book of fans posing with Charlie Parker, Louis Armstrong, Oscar Peterson, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, and others.  Sonny Rollins told me it was a regular thing to ask performers to pose with them for a souvenir photo.  It struck me this is the primordial version of today’s celebrity selfie, and I can’t think of any situation before that where people would be asking celebrities to pose for a photo.

Q:    Has there been any follow-up as to what happened to the jazz establishments are they still                 standing?  If so, are they used for different purposes?

JG:    Virtually all of the clubs I write about are long gone; the big exceptions being the Village Vanguard and the Apollo, both of which opened in New York during the mid-1930s.  Some of the concert halls still exist, but for the most part these clubs are long gone.  In some cases they’ve been torn down, in others the buildings still exist.  But these photos do bring alive a long gone scene.

Q:    Why kinds of ancillary businesses were given rise in the 40s and 50s from the jazz clubs?

JG:    As I talk about in the book, one really important thing that spread the word from the clubs was live radio broadcasts.  Radio was just starting to become widespread in the 1920s, and live broadcasts on national networks from the Cotton Club helped NY based musicians including Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong gain national profiles, which allowed them to get more lucrative record contracts (and sell records nationally) and tour the country.  These broadcasts also sold tickets and records locally. 

Q:   Did all the jazz players do the total tour from east to west or did certain jazz players opt to stay         on the West Coast or East Coast?

JG:    The musicians I spoke to told me they were happy to play anywhere people would book them.  Sometimes musicians would tour with their groups, sometimes they would tour as a ‘feature’, which meant people like Billie Holiday might travel with her pianist, but each club would book backup musicians.  That’s the way Quincy Jones started playing with bigger artists, while only a teen in Seattle—his band could read music, so they were hired to back up major artists including Billie.  

Q:    Who are your favorite jazz artists today? 

JG:    My current favorite is Jason Moran, who I interviewed for the book; his music is contemporary, but he’s greatly informed by the music of the past, and it works its way into his music in very creative ways.

 

"Sittin' In" by Jeff Gold - For the Jazz Lover on Your Gift List

“Sittin’ In” by Jeff Gold, from Harper Design is a book that demands to be deeply examined, several times.  

It is not a biographical piece nor a simple historical account.  This book needs to be absorbed in a read and re-read fashion to appreciate the vibe and feel of Jazz in its prime.  

Each time I picked up this book and moved from East to West, I found threads that became interconnected. The Musicians, Fans and Clubs reflected here gave evidence that there was a nucleus from which all Jazz grew and swept the Country.  The 1940s and 1950s were truly an intense time for Jazz Clubs and their patronage. “Sittin' In” gives you the, fly-on-the-wall experience of the glory days of Jazz. I also don’t see this as other Coffee Table books to sit a gather dust.  This one, once opened beckons for another look each time you put it down.  For myself, I saw fan pics that I would swear were Aunts, Uncles or friends of my Dad, especially from the scenes on the West Coast.  If you think you know Jazz, here’s your evidence.  

Let yourself be that fly and feel a little toe tap throughout all 249 pages. 

(Reviewed by JRS)