Sketching the lives of the true giants of jazz, Studs Terkel - a lifelong fan and friend of many of these legends - uses firsthand interviews with the artists to bring to life the human stories behind the music. First published in 1957 and now reissued in the first illustrated edition, this is an evocation of the mythic heroes of this uniquely American music form, ranging from Louis Armstrong to John Coltrane and Charlie Parker, from Duke Ellington to Billie Holliday and Fats Waller.