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A review by tallblackguy
The House That Trane Built: The Story of Impulse Records by Ashley Kahn
3.0
Call it envy, call it hubris, but I think Impulse as a label, while able to justify itself as part of a pantheon of good music put out fince its inception, is absolutely angry that they don't get teh props of Blue Note. Jazz musicians, recording for a multitude of labels, probably kept the two from being a Motown/Stax level of animosity, but this book reads as a Impulse cheering section and ignorant of the other elephants in the room of jazz labels, most notably Blue Note.
This book really reads like Impulse is the most important jazz label ever, instead of fitting into a time, an economy, and a musical culture. Jazz began and ended with Impulse and, most notably, with John Coltrane. While I appreciate the "damn it all" approach taken to stick with Trane while he churned out classic music, the absolute celebration of Impulse in a vacuum isn't what I was expecting in reading this book.
This book really reads like Impulse is the most important jazz label ever, instead of fitting into a time, an economy, and a musical culture. Jazz began and ended with Impulse and, most notably, with John Coltrane. While I appreciate the "damn it all" approach taken to stick with Trane while he churned out classic music, the absolute celebration of Impulse in a vacuum isn't what I was expecting in reading this book.