“Race relations, sexual equality, unionism, wars, recessions, birth, life, death, the triumph of the will, the battle of the soul: it spills across the pages of Down Beat. The writers serve as a Mount Rushmore of jazz journalism, but the opportunity to read about Ellington, Armstrong, Miles, Bird, Dizzy, Coltrane, Brubeck, Eldridge, Lester Young, Ella, Lady Day–all the greats–to hear them talk about their lives and their careers–in their voices–that’s what paints a lasting picture, and delivers a glimpse inside the artist’s world. That’s the essence of Down Beat. It’s a magazine for jazz musicians, written by jazz musicians and the best jazz journalists in the world. Everyone who gets involved, from the musicians to the writers to the photographers, does so with an amazing dedication to the art form of jazz and the craft of making a great jazz magazine. It’s magic.”
Frank Alkyer and Ed Enright, ‘Down Beat’ The Great Jazz Interviews (2009)
Numeration irregularities: Vol. 14 (1947) skips nos. 26-27; Vol. 29 (1962) skips nos. 15-19; Vol. 30 (1963) skips nos. 6, 18-22.
Beginning with volume 23, subscription cards were often included in issue pagination, particularly in volumes 28-30. Two cards were included per issue, one appearing between pages 8 and 20 and a second appearing between page 30 and 45. When available, we have scanned these cards and included them in the full text of the issue. However, given that many were discarded by readers, not all cards could be found and reproduced. Therefore, some issues may seem to lack four pages; these four “missing pages” are, in fact, the discarded subscription cards.
Down Beat
“Race relations, sexual equality, unionism, wars, recessions, birth, life, death, the triumph of the will, the battle of the soul: it spills across the pages of Down Beat. The writers serve as a Mount Rushmore of jazz journalism, but the opportunity to read about Ellington, Armstrong, Miles, Bird, Dizzy, Coltrane, Brubeck, Eldridge, Lester Young, Ella, Lady Day–all the greats–to hear them talk about their lives and their careers–in their voices–that’s what paints a lasting picture, and delivers a glimpse inside the artist’s world. That’s the essence of Down Beat. It’s a magazine for jazz musicians, written by jazz musicians and the best jazz journalists in the world. Everyone who gets involved, from the musicians to the writers to the photographers, does so with an amazing dedication to the art form of jazz and the craft of making a great jazz magazine. It’s magic.”
Frank Alkyer and Ed Enright, ‘Down Beat’ The Great Jazz Interviews (2009)