Jazz
Dance : The Story of American Vernacular Dance
Marshall Winslow Stearns/Paperback/Orig. pub.
1963
This is THE classic. It covers all kinds of
African American
improvisatory dance styles, with a chapter
on the Savoy Ballroom.
ORDER
Swingin'
at the Savoy : The Memoir of a Jazz Dancer
Norma Miller, Evette Jensen / Hardcover / Published
1996
A delightful personal account of Lindy Hopping
at the Savoy
in its heyday by a member of Whitey's Lindy
Hoppers. Lot's
about the young Frankie Manning, too. ORDER
Steppin'
on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance
Jacqui Malone / Paperback / Published 1996
Outstanding coverage of the history of swing
dancing at the Savoy Ballroom, placed
in the context of African American history
and expressive styles. The chapter on the
Savoy is the best coverage I have seen. ORDER
Digging
the Africanist Presence in American Performance:
Dance
and Other Contexts by Brenda
Dixon Gottschild
This brilliant book is not for the faint-of-heart...it
is not an easy read! But the insights
about the interchange and co-mingling of African
and European influences in American
culture has everything to do with Lindy Hop.
This book changed my life. ORDER
The
Swing Book
Degen Pener, Intro by Scotty Morris/ Papberback,/Published 2000
This small, easy-reading book covers anything
the modern swinger would want to
know about the swing dance scene: albums,
artists, fashion and even steps. Best
of all the history section is notably accurate,
something that means a lot to us here
at the Archives of Early Lindy Hop. ORDER
Stomping
the Blues
Albert Murray / Paperback / Published 1989
Another brilliant book about blues and swing
music. Murray's poetic language reflects
the exuberance of the music and captures the
original context in which it developed. Read it
for the photos and captions, alone! ORDER
Jookin'
: The Rise of Social Dance Formations in
African-American
Culture
Katrina Hazzard-Gordon / Paperback / Published
1992
Inspired in part by Murray's Stomping the
Blues, the author traces
African-American dance back to African
origins. An indispensible
book for understanding the close relationship
between the musicians
and dancers in Lindy Hop, it is ironic that
this books greatest
shortcoming is too little coverage of the
Lindy Hop.But the principles apply completely. ORDER
Say, isn't that Frankie Manning on the cover?
Swingin'
the Dream:
Big
Band Jazz and the Rebirth of American Culture
Lewis A. Erenberg/ Hardcover/ 1998
An excellent sweeping coverage of the Swing
Era. Among other things, the book interprets the popularity of Big Band
Music and Dancing as a populist, "melting pot" movement in the post-Depression
years, rebuilding optimism and faith in the American Dream of equal
opportunity for all.
BTW : I hope you won't be dissuaded from reading
this book by the unfavorable review someone-- I suspect an academic competitor
of the author's -- has put up at Amazon.com. If any of you has an opinion
on this or any other swing related book, send
it to me, and I'll be happy to print it here.JP
.ORDER
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