It would be hard to imagine a better companion for a tipsy tour through New York’s vibrant jazz scene in its golden age than Baron Timme Rosenkrantz. Emigrating from Denmark in pursuit of the music he loved, he became a friend to just about everyone he met. And he met just about everyone who mattered in jazz.
Rosenkrantz was indeed a Danish Baron, and his memoirs open with his 1934 arrival in New York and subsequent ill-advised foray into Harlem at a time when, to be blunt, white people simply weren’t safe there. Yet luck was on his side–charming, disarming, and without a bigoted bone in his body, by chance he met John Hammond (the man who discovered Billie Holiday and Bob Dylan, among many others). Hammond provided an initial introduction to the black clubs with the hottest jazz around. Soon Rosenkrantz was a familiar (and often the only white) face in every jumping joint in town.
Harlem Jazz Adventures, adapted and edited by international jazz journalist Fradley Hamilton Garner, is a fascinating and exuberant account of Rosenkrantz’ encounters with the giants of jazz. Anecdotal chapters tell of his encounters with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Benny Carter, Duke Ellington, and virtually every player in each and every band that passed through town.
Escapades include a raucous Christmas with Errol Garner, keyboard cutting contests with Art Tatum and Fats Waller, a brief stint as a gigolo, pitching a song to "the father of the blues" himself, W.C. Handy--and the list goes on and on. Rosenkrantz loved musicians as much as he loved jazz itself, and was always happy to share his other love–booze–leading to all-night parties the likes of which most only dream of.
Indeed, Rozentkrantz–despite his modest protestations, an amateur musician himself--immersed himself thoroughly in his beloved jazz. For a time he owned a record store, though he was more interested in the freewheeling jam sessions the back room provided space for. A part-time journalist, he published his impressions of American jazz in Danish newspapers. He produced a handful of recordings, ran a home recording service for musician friends, and hosted a jazz radio show. The only thing he didn’t do, it seems, is make much money from any of it; despite his noble lineage, Rozenkrantz, who loved to spread it around when he had it, was always scrambling for money. Still, as he himself writes,
Article comments
1 - Chris Albertson
It is a wonderful boo and Timme was a lovable, remarkable man with a great sense of humor and an imagination that sometimes gets the best of him in these recollection. Fradley does not hide that fact, so neither should a review of the book. Most of Timme's detours around the facts are innocent and witty, but I would like to point out to the reader--and reviewer Taylor--that Timme's first visit to Harlem was not the courageous trek he wishes us to think it was. In fact, Harlem was, in 1934, a must stop for white celebrities and people of wealth.