Just got the most fabulous advance review for my Cab Calloway biography Hi De Ho, due out  from Oxford University Press in September. Here’s the text, and link to the book below:

“I met Cab Calloway at Eddie Condon’s club — he lit up the room by his presence and I can understand why everyone loved the man. Alyn Shipton captures Cab’s spirit in his biography Hi-De-Ho ; every page is filled with anecdotes about Cab and his music. Chu Berry, Ben Webster, and other well known musicians spring from the pages. Not only does Shipton bring Cab Calloway to life, he makes the reader understand the era in which he lived. For a short time, we enter his world, and what a world it was.” –Marian McPartland OBE

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/CulturalStudies/AfricanAmericanStudies/?view=usa&ci=9780195141535

Great day recording today, with old Vile Bodies mate Ian Smith on the emotional subject of Bix Beiderbecke and pianist Tim Richards dissecting the career of Wynton Kelly. Both shows due later in the summer. This week it’s going to be a chat with bassist Arvell Shaw, my mentor, and the man I depped for in Lars Edegran’s band back in 2002 for a tour of north east Italy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sw92c

After many years of a simple layout the official site of Alyn Shipton, the writer & broadcaster, has been re-designed. The big difference is a news section, so expect to see updates of Jazz and music news. Other than that it now has a clean fresh look. Please do let us know what you think. You can send a comment using the contact page or leave a comment on a news article. We look forward to hearing from you!