Description: A riveting and thorough biography of the quiet man who made the 1920s roar
Brief description: Scott E. Brown is an independent jazz researcher. He has written two books on James P. Johnson and has published several articles and lectured widely about jazz. He is a practicing physician and holds a master's degree in jazz history and research.
Review Quotes: This is the kind of research scholars must do when writing about the lives of Black Americans in the early twentieth century. By turning to other and sometimes nontraditional primary and secondary sources, Brown creates a menagerie of scenes straight out of Johnson's life that illuminate his career's resonance with early Black entertainment. Speakeasies to Symphonies: The Jazz Genius of James P. Johnson is not just a biography of an artist but a rich text providing endless insight into the experiences of many Black Americans leading up to, during, and beyond the Harlem Renaissance.--Stephanie Doktor, assistant professor of music theory at Temple University