Jazz In Britain is proud to be publishing Chris Searle’s new book, ‘Talking The Groove: Jazz words from the Morning Star’. The book is a collection of reviews and interviews with over 150 jazz artists that have appeared in the paper in recent years.
And, like our last three books, there’ll be companion audio (two CDs) of rare, previously unreleased, music relevant to the book… some from our archives and some specially donated by musicians featured in the book. When we shared the tracklisting with Chris Searle, his reaction was: “This is marvellous... unbeknown... astonishing. To have such a powerful array of talent on one double CD. It's a listener's dream that also brings back another world that we all knew and loved.”
Chris Searle has been jazz correspondent of the Morning Star for nearly three decades. During that time he has written hundreds of reviews of recorded and live jazz performances. He was born in Romford in 1944. Fifty years a working teacher and educationalist, he has written or edited over fifty books on education, language, poetry, cricket and jazz. His book 'The Forsaken Lover' won the Martin Luther King Award in 1972, and he has written four autobiographical accounts: 'Isaac and I', 'We're Building the New School! Diary of a Teacher in Mozambique', 'Grenada Morning' and 'The World is in Our Words'.
'Talking the Groove' is his third book on jazz, following 'Forward Groove' (2008) and 'Red Groove' (2013). Throughout its pages he mixes his reviews with dozens of interviews with jazz veterans, established virtuosi and younger musicians - who Art Blakey called 'new stars of the jazz firmament'. He shows how through more than a century of its existence, jazz has grown hugely in its internationalism and inclusiveness, always remaining a campaigning and evolving music with its aims rooted in a quest for freedom, popular justice and astonishing, boundary-breaking artistry.
Cat. number: 978-1-9163206-7-3
Year: 2024
Notes: Paperback: 394 pages, 15.6 x 1.4 x 23.4 cm
