Gigs: Jazz and the Cabaret Laws in New York City (After the Law) - Hardcover

Chevigny, Paul

9780415904001: Gigs: Jazz and the Cabaret Laws in New York City (After the Law)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0415904005 ISBN 13: 9780415904001

Publisher: Routledge, 1992

In "Gigs" Paul Chevigny, a noted lawyer, scholar and jazz enthusiast, tells the story of a cultural scandal that lasted for two generations. Instituted in the 1920s, the New York City cabaret laws were a clutch of regulations used to control and repress popular entertainment, especially live jazz music. The cabaret laws dictated where live entertainment could be played, and until very recently established a licensing system that was used to insulate patrons from "immoral" influences. These regulations were altered, gradually at first, through intense political pressure and changing cultural attitudes. In the 1980s they were finally destroyed, with the help of Chevigny, who represented the musicians and their union in the case documented in this book. Only as a result of litigation rooted in First Ammendment were claims by the musicians to be permitted at last to express themselves as they saw fit. New York City definitively yielded to the decision as its administration changed from that of Edward Koch to David Dinkins. This book should be of interest to undergraduates and postgraduates; cultural studies, sociology, law and American studies.

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Review:

"The book proves that lawyers can swing too--at least lawyers like Paul Chevigny. This is public service law come alive."from reviews of the first edition-Nat Hentoff, columnist, The Village Voice, Washington Post "Chevingy has a wonderful story to tell about the precarious world of New York City jazz clubs, and his own role in the story as well as this book do him great credit. He weaves together a complex and revealing tale of jazz musicians and their music, legal activism and New York City politics."from reviews of the first edition-Stuart S. Scheingold, University of Washington "Gigs offers essential insights into the complex relationship betweem law and politics while telling the absorbing narrative from the perspective of a central participant. It demonstrates that litigation can make a difference but is only one element in a constellation of social, economic and political forces."from reviews of the first edition-Richard Abel, UCLA Law School

About the Author:

Paul Chevigny is Joel S. and Anne B. Ehrenkranz Professor of Law at New York University.

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