Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDottie Dodgion was honored during the "In Memoriam" segment of the Grammy Awards 2022
"Dodgion had a fascinating story to relate. She and Enstice produced a book that flows naturally and always maintains the reader's interest." --
Jersey Jazz"This highly readable history says much about the demands upon someone determined to be a performer. . . . This book also contains an audio companion illustrating Dodgion's insufficiently celebrated playing, and she certainly knows how to tell a story, musically and verbally. " --
Jazzwise"
The Lady Swings undulates as much with dynamic rhythm as it does with delicious drama and laugh-out-loud storylines." --
JazzTimes"Written in a breathtaking, breezy narrative that takes the reader on a musical journey that is reflected as if in the mirror of Ms Dodgion’s life itself. . . . This is what makes the book so exciting: the mere fact that you will discover a musician who gave – and continues to give – her life to the music she fell in love with as a child and one who remains its guardian, keeping the flame aglow even in the sunset of her life." --
JazzdaGama"A pioneering woman in jazz and swinging drummer, Dottie Dodgion played with some of the great musicians of her time. She has a unique story to tell."--Quincy Jones
"When I first caught Dottie Dodgion in action I was bowled over. I didn’t hear a great female drummer but a truly great jazz drummer, period, able, as you’ll be happy to learn from the story she tells with such insight, humor and complete honesty, to please both Charles Mingus and Wild Bill Davison. The lady's words swing as hard as her ride cymbal, and will keep your foot tapping all the way through."--Dan Morgenstern, Director Emeritus, Institute of Jazz Studies, Rutgers University
"Dottie Dodgion not only takes you on a dizzying ride through her incredible life, she teaches you some of the great secrets of jazz and unmasks the archaic attitudes toward female musicians that have marginalized great talents like hers. What a wonderful journey she’s had. What a wonderful book this is!"--Judy Chaikin, director and cowriter of
The Girls in the Band“A unique and important contribution to the history of jazz."--Dee Spencer, composer, performer, educator
"An interesting book about an eventful life in music." --
New York City Jazz Record "The Lady Swings belongs on the short list of essential jazz autobiographies." --All About Jazz
"The Lady Swings is an entertaining and informative book, one that is easily recommended." --Syncopated Times
"A full portrait of the obstacles American women faced in the 20th century jazz scene . . . Dodgion's pull-no-punches style and determination in the face of daunting situations bring an obscure figure to vivid life." --Library Journal
"A compelling tale of a groundbreaking person from a memorable time in American cultural history." --FraNoi
"A swinging tale that is more than a fascinating footnote in the annals of jazz." --Kirkus
Finalist, Book of the Year About Jazz: Biography and Autobiography, Jazz Journalists Association (JJA), 2022
Table of ContentsForeword
Acknowledgments
Prefatory Notes
Introduction
Part I. The California Years
Scene One: On the Road
Scene Two: Spot
Behind The Scenes One: The Giaimos
Scene Three: Eleanor Powell’s Shoes
Behind The Scenes Two: The Tiptons
Scene Four: The Eight-Day Clock
Scene Five: Polio
Scene Six: Jail Bait
Scene Seven: TD&L
Scene Eight: Mingus
Scene Nine: Apple Pie, Apple Pie, Apple Pie
Scene Ten: A Little Help from My Friends
Scene Eleven: The Drummer Was Always Late
Scene Twelve: Monty
Scene Thirteen: Jerry
Scene Fourteen: 176 Steps
Behind The Scenes Three: Eugene’s Lessons
Scene Fifteen: First Time in Vegas
Scene Sixteen: Followed by Myself in the Moonlight
Scene Seventeen: The IT Club
Scene Eighteen: Thunderbird
Part II. The New York and East Coast Years
Scene Nineteen: 14 Drummers
Scene Twenty: Mount Airy Lodge
Scene Twenty-One: Strollers
Scene Twenty-Two: The Village Stompers
Scene Twenty-Three: Eddie Condon’s
Behind The Scenes Four: Pearls to Swine
Scene Twenty-Four: Park Ridge
Scene Twenty-Five: Piano Party
Behind The Scenes Five: Ruby
Scene Twenty-Six: Suburban Housewife
Scene Twenty-Seven: In the Middle of the Brook
Scene Twenty-Eight: Harold’s Rogue and Jar
Scene Twenty-Nine: Melba Liston And Company
Scene Thirty: Fazee Cakes
Part III. California Redux
Scene Thirty-One: The Best Kept Secret in Town
Scene Thirty-Two: A Leader at Sixty-Five
Scene Thirty-Three: Pacific Grove
Scene Thirty-Four: Octogenarian
Postscript
Notes
Discography
Inde
