Jazz is the great American art form, a style of music so uniquely and wholly American that its performers transcended music to become American icons. Arising in the late 19th century from a fusion of traditional African music with Western and European music, the history of jazz reads much like a song, with different styles of music springing up like an improvised piano riff or drum break. Today, jazz is a venerated art form, with artists such as Miles Davis and Count Basie almost regarded as more mythical figures than musicians.

     This book, “A History of Jazz in America” delves into the history of jazz music and the men and women who shaped this uniquely American institution. Written by Barry Ulanov, this book was originally released in 1950. This copy has been signed by three great jazz musicians: Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, and Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley. Coltrane and Adderley were pioneers of the saxophone, while Armstrong made his living as a trumpet player and vocalist.

     Louis Armstrong was the first man to sign this copy of the book, using black pen to write his name and his nickname, “Satchmo”. Coltrane signed next, writing his signature in black pen. Finally, Cannonball Adderley signed the page, writing his name as “Julian Cannonball Adderley” in blue pen. All three men added the phrase “To Bill” to their signatures. This item comes with a full LOA from Steve Grad of Beckett Authentication.

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