In 1950s, New York City's Birdland was center of world of modern jazz--and a revelation to Bill Crow, a wet-behind-the-ears twenty-two-year-old from Washington State. Located on Broadway between 52nd and 53rd streets, club named for incomparable Charlie Parker boasted lifesize photo murals of modern jazzmen like Dizzy Gillespie, Lennie Tristano, and, of course, Bird himself, looming large against jet black walls. Exotic live birds perched in cages behind bar. The midget master of ceremonies, 3'9 Pee Wee Marquette, dressed in a zoot suit and loud tie, smoked huge cigars and screeched mispronounced introductions into microphone. And jazz-struck young Crow would park in bleachers till 4 am, blissfully enveloped by heady music of Bird, Bud Powell, Max Roach, and a host of other jazz giants. From Birdland to Broadway is an enthralling insider's account of four decades of a life in jazz. Bill Crow, journeyman bass player, superb storyteller, and author of successful Jazz Anecdotes, here narrates many moving and delightful tales of pioneers of modern jazz he played with and was befriended by. We find Dizzy Gillespie, with whom Crow, because of prior commitments, regretfully declined steady work, dancing at Royal Roost, Stan Getz sadly teetering on brink of losing himself to drugs, and Harry Belafonte (known then as the Cinderella Gentleman) running a lunch counter in New York's Sheridan Square between music dates. And we also witness many of highlights of Crow's career, such as in 1955 when Marian McPartland Trio (with Crow on bass) was named Small Group of Year by Metronome; Crow playing with Gerry Mulligan Quartet at venues like Storyville in Boston and Harlem's Apollo Theater (where they appeared with Dinah Washington); and tour of Soviet Union with Benny Goodman, a journey that might have been a high point of Crow's travels abroad but was marred by Goodman's legendary mistreatment of his band. Moving beyond jazz clubs to Broadway concert pit and a variety of studio gigs in '60s, Crow encounters actors such as Yul Brynner and pop-rock acts like Simon and Garfunkel. From great to near-great, from Billie Holiday to Judy Holliday, Bill Crow's wealth of personal anecdotes takes reader from Birdland, to Half Note, to Playboy Club, to footlights of Broadway. This revealing book is a marvelous portrait of jazz world, told by someone who's been there.