In the Moment

Written by an influential critic whose credits include Rolling Stone, The Boston Phoenix, The Atlantic, Downbeat and the Village Voice, this book celebrates the perseverance of jazz in an inhospitable decade. Francis Davis traces the rise of such entertaining jazz "baby boomers" as Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Anthony Davis, David Murray, Bobby McFerrin, Stanley Jordan, Craig Harris, and Billy Bang, without overlooking the continuing influence of such father figures as Ornette Coleman, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, George Russel, John Lewis, and Roscoe Mitchell. Some of the key themes are the low visibility of jazz in the mass media, the uneasy relationship of jazz to pop (and of singers to instrumental music), and the surprising--and welcome--emergence of the composeer as the pivotal figure in what has always been regarded as the improviser's realm. Although essentially a collection of artist profiles, In the Moment is shot through with the author's keen insights into the work of his subjects--and keen insights into their lives. The title describes the author's method of inquiry as well as the extemporaneous nature of the music he is writing about. He captures his favorite musicians in action or in reflection, at a given moment in time.