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Jazz on My Mind: Liner Notes, Anecdotes and Conversations from the 1940s to the 2000s. By Herb Wong with Paul Simeon Fingerote. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2016. 238pp. (softcover). Index. ISBN 978-0-7864-9640-2
Liner notes are an important source of information for jazz fans, as they are often written by the leading jazz writers or industry people who are often living the music as much as the musicians. Originally conceived as a way to entice potential record store browsers to buy the album, curious fans would be introduced to new musicians in the descriptions of the band, the music, and, sometimes, the setting from which the music arose. As a result, the insights and the information contained within these notes are invaluable in gathering information about the musicians and helping contextualize the music. Jazz on My Mind is a collection of liner notes and other writings by West Coast-based Herb Wong, with annotated comments based on interviews with Wong by Paul Simeon Fingerote. The importance of Wong, based in California, as a leading jazz industry figure comes from his seven decades of work as a radio deejay, educator, administrator, record executive, writer, and journalist. Therefore, Jazz on My Mind is a critical and essential addition to any jazz fan's library.
Herb Wong (1926-2014) worked in the industry for seven decades and his dedication is noteworthy. As a radio deejay he hosted his own jazz shows on WJAZ in San Francisco from 1959 to 1996. As a journalist, he covered the Monterey Jazz Festival for over fifty-six years and for thirty of those years was the festival's marketing and public relations director. In addition, he was the executive director of Palo Alto records, an independent record company focusing on jazz artists, from 1981 to 1985, before going on to found his own jazz label, Black Hawk Records, in San Francisco. Wong...