All About Jazz contributor, Jakob Baekgaard, has published four books with selections of pieces previously published on All About Jazz. Each book has a different theme.
First published on All About Jazz as a short story in four parts with the title, Last Song for Valentine, this version, now titled A Song for Valentine, has been expanded into a novella with eleven chapters, including a new ending. It also comes with a soundtrack/playlist with a song for each chapter.
Cory Dextrose is an ambitious saxophonist in search of his sound, but he has a hard time finding it. He tries to hold on to his old friend, Valentine, and keeps sending her music, but one day she tells him to stop. Now Cory needs to learn what it really means to listen and that it takes more than one person if you really want to learn the musical language of love. A Song for Valentine is a jazz romance about love, friendship, and the power of music.
At the Piano is a book about jazz piano and jazz pianists. It collects writings about artists that haven't received so much attention as they deserve. They include some of the many prominent women in piano jazz: Historical masters like Barbara Carroll, Hazel Scott, and Mary Lou Williams, as well as present trailblazers like Paula Shocron, Eri Yamamoto and Kazzrie Jaxen. The book includes an extended version of an interview with Kazzrie Jaxen that has not been published before.
Four and Six is a book about strings in jazz, but other genres are also covered, including country, folk and blues. The selection of short and extended pieces aims to show how versatile string instruments are and how they can be part of everything from classic country music to abstract jazz.
Sound Communities is about jazz labels and the dedicated people who run them. The book collects label profiles published at AAJ and covers labels from all over the world. Some of these labels don’t exist anymore, but fortunately many of them do. No matter what, the pieces here represent moments in time. The history of the label as it was at the time of writing. Ideally, these articles, long or short, will lead the reader to the records of the labels and start a discovery of the music that goes beyond the timeframe of the writing.
Based in Denmark, Jakob Baekgaard has a Master’s degree in Scandinavian Languages and Literature and English from the University of Aarhus. He started as a music writer for the underground music publication Geiger in 2006, covering everything from indie pop and rock to electronic music. He has been the jazz critic for Danish national newspaper Politiken, and he has also written numerous articles, reviews, and interviews for the leading jazz magazine in Denmark, Jazz Special, now All That. Since 2007, he has been a contributor to the acclaimed American website, All About Jazz and is the author of the book Misty: The Music of Johnny Mathis (Sonicbond Publishing, 2022).
A Song for Valentine
Jazz fictionFirst published on All About Jazz as a short story in four parts with the title, Last Song for Valentine, this version, now titled A Song for Valentine, has been expanded into a novella with eleven chapters, including a new ending. It also comes with a soundtrack/playlist with a song for each chapter.
Cory Dextrose is an ambitious saxophonist in search of his sound, but he has a hard time finding it. He tries to hold on to his old friend, Valentine, and keeps sending her music, but one day she tells him to stop. Now Cory needs to learn what it really means to listen and that it takes more than one person if you really want to learn the musical language of love. A Song for Valentine is a jazz romance about love, friendship, and the power of music.
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At the Piano
Non-fictionAt the Piano is a book about jazz piano and jazz pianists. It collects writings about artists that haven't received so much attention as they deserve. They include some of the many prominent women in piano jazz: Historical masters like Barbara Carroll, Hazel Scott, and Mary Lou Williams, as well as present trailblazers like Paula Shocron, Eri Yamamoto and Kazzrie Jaxen. The book includes an extended version of an interview with Kazzrie Jaxen that has not been published before.
Four and Six
Non-fictionFour and Six is a book about strings in jazz, but other genres are also covered, including country, folk and blues. The selection of short and extended pieces aims to show how versatile string instruments are and how they can be part of everything from classic country music to abstract jazz.
Sound Communities
Non-fictionSound Communities is about jazz labels and the dedicated people who run them. The book collects label profiles published at AAJ and covers labels from all over the world. Some of these labels don’t exist anymore, but fortunately many of them do. No matter what, the pieces here represent moments in time. The history of the label as it was at the time of writing. Ideally, these articles, long or short, will lead the reader to the records of the labels and start a discovery of the music that goes beyond the timeframe of the writing.
About the Author
Based in Denmark, Jakob Baekgaard has a Master’s degree in Scandinavian Languages and Literature and English from the University of Aarhus. He started as a music writer for the underground music publication Geiger in 2006, covering everything from indie pop and rock to electronic music. He has been the jazz critic for Danish national newspaper Politiken, and he has also written numerous articles, reviews, and interviews for the leading jazz magazine in Denmark, Jazz Special, now All That. Since 2007, he has been a contributor to the acclaimed American website, All About Jazz and is the author of the book Misty: The Music of Johnny Mathis (Sonicbond Publishing, 2022).For more information contact All About Jazz.
