Description: This book provides a much-needed study of the social, political, cultural and legal conditions surrounding a change in law and public attitudes toward vernacular music in New York City.
Review Quotes: "The book proves that lawyers can swing too--at least lawyers like Paul Chevigny. This is public service law come alive."
from reviews of the first edition
-Nat Hentoff, columnist, The Village Voice, Washington Post
"Chevingy has a wonderful story to tell about the precarious world of New York City jazz clubs, and his own role in the story as well as this book do him great credit. He weaves together a complex and revealing tale of jazz musicians and their music, legal activism and New York City politics."
from reviews of the first edition
-Stuart S. Scheingold, University of Washington
"Gigs offers essential insights into the complex relationship betweem law and politics while telling the absorbing narrative from the perspective of a central participant. It demonstrates that litigation can make a difference but is only one element in a constellation of social, economic and political forces."
from reviews of the first edition
-Richard Abel, UCLA Law School