Book Review: The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma

Drawn from over 80 hours of interviews between Sidran and LiPuma, this book tells the stories of the producer, record label-owner and saxophonist in charming detail. Starting as a jazz-obsessed tenor saxophonist, LiPuma would go on to win multiple Grammys and work with a legendary array of artists like Miles Davis, Paul McCartney, George Benson, Willie Nelson and Natalie Cole. LiPuma’s career followed the arc of the modern-music industry, starting with the boom in the late ‘60s in places like Los Angeles, up until the current day, where artists and producers can meet virtually across the internet.

By Ben Sidran

(hardcover) $24.95