As essential now as when it was first published in 1977, As Serious As Your Life celebrates jazz with passion and conviction. Covering the dynamic period 1960-1976, Valerie Wilmer powerfully evokes a remarkable revolutionary musical era that continues to inspire generations of musicians.

Valerie Wilmer evaluates the musical careers of both the famous names of the time - Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor - and those of less well-known artists. It is her unique approach - placing the 'new jazz' in its political and social context - that makes As Serious As Your Life a classic of jazz criticism.

CONTENTS:
Innovators and Innovations Great Black Music - From A Love Supreme to the Sex Machine; John Coltrane; Cecil Taylor; Ornette Coleman; Sun Ra; Albert Ayler, The AACM
Who Are the New Musicians?
Give the Drummer Some!
Woman's Role
The Conspiracy and Some Solutions
Bill Dixon and the Jazz Composers Guild; Politics, the Media and Collectivism; Recording- Gettingthe Music out There; Does the Music Have A Future?

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