JAM Magazine: April/May 1999 Issue: Stanley Dance 1910-1999

STANLEY DANCE
1910-1999

© 1999 by Floyd Levin

In recent years, jazz journalism has assumed a very important role that was not plausible a generation ago. Today, every daily newspaper and most magazines regularly print jazz reviews and feature articles that continue to define the constantly changing jazz scene.

Some of us remember when there was a scarcity of information available for record collectors and jazz enthusiasts. When a slow trickle of data began appearing in a few small publications, we probed deeply, searching for knowledge about the still young art form. Soon we discovered the writer, Stanley Dance.

Stanley was born in Braintree, England on September 15, 1910. By the mid-30s, we were eagerly reading his early material in the bilingual magazine Jazz Hot, published in Paris. When an English collector with whom I traded jazz records sent me a subscription to the London weekly Melody Maker, I zealously clipped the items bearing the byline of Stanley Dance.

Along with collectors in Europe and the U.S., I absorbed a great deal of knowledge from those clippings. They included a wealth of data that quenched my thirst for information and still remain in my files.

When my first regular series of articles began appearing in the new English magazine Jazz Journal in 1949, I found my material juxtaposed to Stanley's -- although for several decades, he masked his identity behind the pseudonym, "Mr. Lightly and Politely." My stories were initially reportorial essays on the U.S. jazz scene, but he was already immersed in the music's colorful history and the background of its players. Until his death on February 23, Stanley's name has continually appeared on the masthead of Jazz Journal International, now in its 52nd year.

After moving to the U.S. in 1937, his writings began to also appear in Down Beat, Metronome, Saturday Review, Music Journal and The New York Herald Tribune. During recent years, he was Book Editor of Jazz Times.

Among his many other achievements are several award-winning books that have become widely accepted reference volumes: The World of Duke Ellington, The World of Swing, The World of Earl Hines, and The World of Count Basie. He won a Grammy award in 1963 for his album notes on the Columbia LP, The Ellington Era. And in 1974, he delivered the eulogy at Ellington's funeral at the Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.

Stanley's wife, the former jazz reporter and record producer, Helen Oakley Dance, collaborated with him, and authored Stormy Monday: The T-Bone Walker Story. They were married for over six decades and lived in Vista, California. Stanley Dance's work opened the door for subsequent writers now contributing material to hundreds of jazz periodicals, printed in various languages, that publish a steady flow of information about the music and the musicians.

Stanley was a friend and confidant of many prominent musicians. He was very affable and always a responsive source of information and advice. I count myself among those who benefited because of Stanley Dance's pioneer journalistic efforts and his warm friendship over the years.

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© Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.






	Search our site:		STANLEY DANCE 1910-1999 © 1999 by Floyd Levin In recent years, jazz journalism has assumed a very important role that was not plausible a generation ago. Today, every daily newspaper and most magazines regularly print jazz reviews and feature articles that continue to define the constantly changing jazz scene. Some of us remember when there was a scarcity of information available for record collectors and jazz enthusiasts. When a slow trickle of data began appearing in a few small publications, we probed deeply, searching for knowledge about the still young art form. Soon we discovered the writer, Stanley Dance. Stanley was born in Braintree, England on September 15, 1910. By the mid-30s, we were eagerly reading his early material in the bilingual magazine Jazz Hot, published in Paris. When an English collector with whom I traded jazz records sent me a subscription to the London weekly Melody Maker, I zealously clipped the items bearing the byline of Stanley Dance. Along with collectors in Europe and the U.S., I absorbed a great deal of knowledge from those clippings. They included a wealth of data that quenched my thirst for information and still remain in my files. When my first regular series of articles began appearing in the new English magazine Jazz Journal in 1949, I found my material juxtaposed to Stanley's -- although for several decades, he masked his identity behind the pseudonym, "Mr. Lightly and Politely." My stories were initially reportorial essays on the U.S. jazz scene, but he was already immersed in the music's colorful history and the background of its players. Until his death on February 23, Stanley's name has continually appeared on the masthead of Jazz Journal International, now in its 52nd year. After moving to the U.S. in 1937, his writings began to also appear in Down Beat, Metronome, Saturday Review, Music Journal and The New York Herald Tribune. During recent years, he was Book Editor of Jazz Times. Among his many other achievements are several award-winning books that have become widely accepted reference volumes: The World of Duke Ellington, The World of Swing, The World of Earl Hines, and The World of Count Basie. He won a Grammy award in 1963 for his album notes on the Columbia LP, The Ellington Era. And in 1974, he delivered the eulogy at Ellington's funeral at the Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. Stanley's wife, the former jazz reporter and record producer, Helen Oakley Dance, collaborated with him, and authored Stormy Monday: The T-Bone Walker Story. They were married for over six decades and lived in Vista, California. Stanley Dance's work opened the door for subsequent writers now contributing material to hundreds of jazz periodicals, printed in various languages, that publish a steady flow of information about the music and the musicians. Stanley was a friend and confidant of many prominent musicians. He was very affable and always a responsive source of information and advice. I count myself among those who benefited because of Stanley Dance's pioneer journalistic efforts and his warm friendship over the years. RETURN TO APRIL/MAY 1999 MAIN INDEX ------------------------------------------------------------------------ © Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors 1996-2001. All rights reserved.