Rudolph Pickett Blesh (January 21, 1899 – August 25, 1985) was an American jazz critic and enthusiast.

Biography

Blesh studied at Dartmouth College and held jobs writing jazz reviews for the '' San Francisco Chronicle'' and the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

'' in the 1940s. He was a prolific promoter of jazz concerts, particularly New Orleans jazz, and hosted a jazz radio program, ''This Is Jazz'', in 1947. (These shows have been reissued by Jazzology Records.) Blesh in collaboration with Harriet Janis (mother of actor and jazz band leader Conrad Janis) wrote ''They All Played Ragtime'' which was published in 1950 by

Alfred A Knopf Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers i ...

. A promotional record consisting of "

Maple Leaf Rag The "Maple Leaf Rag" (copyright registered on September 18, 1899) is an early ragtime musical composition for piano composed by Scott Joplin. It was one of Joplin's early works, and became the model for ragtime compositions by subsequent compos ...

" recorded to piano roll by Jelly Roll Morton in 1907 and an interview with the co-authors was sent to radio stations. ''They All Played Ragtime'' proved to be a popular book and is credited as the cause for a renewed public interest in ragtime music. Blesh founded

Circle Records Circle Records is a jazz record label founded in 1946 by Rudi Blesh and Harriet Janis. History In New York, Blesh and Janis heard jazz drummer Warren "Baby" Dodds playing inventive solos with Bunk Johnson's band. Blesh said he hated drum solos ...

in 1946, which recorded new material from aging early jazz musicians as well as the Library of Congress recordings of Jelly Roll Morton. He sparked renewed interest in the music of Joseph Lamb,

James P. Johnson James Price Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17, 1955) was an American pianist and composer. A pioneer of stride piano, he was one of the most important pianists in the early era of recording, and like Jelly Roll Morton, one of the key ...

, and Eubie Blake, among others. Blesh retired from writing in 1971. He held professorships at several universities later in his life, and wrote liner notes to jazz albums almost up until the time of his death. In 1976, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for his liner notes to ''Joplin: The Complete Works of Scott Joplin'' performed by

Dick Hyman Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Art ...

. He died on August 25, 1985 on his farm in New Hampshire from a myocardial infarction, aged 86. He was survived by his daughter, Hilary.

Partial bibliography

*''Shining Trumpets (A History of Jazz)''. First published 1946 in the US by Alfred A Knopf Ltd. Published 1949 in the UK by Cassell & Co Ltd. Second revised and expanded edition 1958. *''They All Played Ragtime''. First published 1950 in the US by Alfred A Knopf Ltd. *''Keaton'' (authorized biography of

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

), 1966

References

External links

"Shining Trumpets (A History of Jazz)"
at the Internet Archive. *

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

, Rudi Blesh Biographyat Allmusic {{DEFAULTSORT:Blesh, Rudi 1899 births 1985 deaths People from Guthrie, Oklahoma Dartmouth College alumni American music critics People from Gilmanton, New Hampshire