...an insightful and enjoyable journey into America's musical history. There's something for everyone from the novice to the most serious jazz devotee. -- Benny Carter This book brought back a million memories for me...a knock-out! -- Lionel Hampton hat a pleasure, amid all the self-serving, shallow and ultimately unnecessary volumes glutting the jazz bookshelves these days, to find one that really sparkles. Chip Deffaa really has done his homework, asked the right questions and listened well, let his subjects breathe. The result is fresh, informative, often poignant. Deffaa gets trumpeter Lee Castle talking about his understanding of (and deep devotion to) the Dorsey brothers and the love just pours out; drummer Maurice "Moe" Purtill offers, through Deffaa, some sharp and occasionally irreverent insights into his longtime boss, Glenn Miller. And so much more. I applaud wing Legacy as a welcome collection, a most auspicious debut for its author. -- Richard M. Sudhalter, jazz trumpeter, critic Chip Deffaa makes no secret of his love of swing-and pulls no punches in his assessment of the current state of the art. His collection of profiles of past, present, and future swing music stars is balanced, informative, and ultimately optimistic. Swing Legacy does right by the swing tradition! -- Rich Conaty, THE BIG BROADCAST, WFUV-FM ...fully confirms the place of Chip Deffaa among the very front rank of jazz writers. Deffaa has researched near-irretrievable material. The book will surely serve as a constant reference work, but above all, it is an exhilarating read that commands attention from the first touch. The Daily Telegraph Fortunately we have writers like Chip Deffaa to interview these artists, letting them for the most part speak for themselves but, with his love and thorough knowledge of jazz, adding his own cogent observations where necessary. Coda ...will give many hours of pleasure. The IAJRC Journal ...he manages to ask the right questions and has clearly gained the confidence of his subjects, and his writing style brings them vividly to life. Storyville ...more than ever the international jazz community owes a debt to writer-critic Chip Deffaa...a rising keeper of the flame. Mississippi Rag ...lively, incisive interviews...any generation gap with his interviewees quickly disappeared and he got most of them to open up in ways older reporters rarely have. The book...is the latest in an impressive series... Video Review ...numerous candid and heartfelt observations about the great bands and their music and about life after the bands make for interesting reading... CHOICE
