Jazz critic Bob Blumenthal to appear February 7 at Left Bank Books

Veteran jazz journalist Bob Blumenthal is coming to St. Louis next month to promote his new book Jazz: An Introduction to the History and Legends Behind America’s Music. Blumenthal will appear at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 7 at Left Bank Books, 399 N. Euclid in the Central West End, to sign copies of the book and discuss it with readers.

Left Bank's news release says Blumenthal's book is an "introduction to understanding jazz, whether you are approaching the music for the first time or seeking to deepen your knowledge. Inside you will find the people who made the music, history, listening suggestions, jazz trivia, and more."

Blumenthal is a former columnist for the Boston Globe and contributor to numerous other publications who has been writing jazz criticism since 1969. He has received Grammy Awards for Best Album Notes and the Jazz Journalists Association's Excellence in Newspaper, Magazine, or Online Feature or Review Writing Award and Jazz Journalism Lifetime Achievement Award.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, you can call Left Bank Books at (314) 367-6731 or visit their Web site.

UPDATE - 12/30/08, 11:30 p.m: After this post went up, I got a nice email from Bob Blumenthal, and it turns out that he was born in St. Louis, grew up in Clayton, and thus had his first experiences listening to jazz right here in the Gateway City. Here's hoping that he'll discuss his local connections a bit during his visit to Left Bank Books, and that St. Louis jazz enthusiasts will turn out to support the event.