Biography
Stanley Crouch built a reputation both through his jazz criticism and through his political writings, making him a persistently polarizing presence in journalism. A onetime drummer who transitioned fully into authorship, he attracted dedicated supporters, above all his mentee, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, while also drawing abundant critics who assailed his musical judgments alongside his political stances. In musical matters he was widely viewed as an uncompromising jazz traditionalist, favoring strictly mainstream approaches and delivering harsh assessments of avant-garde jazz, fusion, rock, funk, and hip-hop alike. On political questions he occupied a centrist or moderate position, directing criticism toward conservative Republicans yet showing equal disdain for black nationalists and separatists, frequently labeling Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan "insane" and Al Sharpton a "buffoon."
Born in Los Angeles, California, on December 14, 1945, Crouch was raised in South Central L.A., where his mother worked as a maid and his father, in Crouch's own words, was "a criminal for the most part" who was "in and out of the penitentiary a lot." After finishing high school he enrolled at East Los Angeles College and later taught at several southern California institutions. Between 1966 and 1979 he performed as a jazz drummer, participating in a good deal of avant-garde material that he would later reject. In 1975 he relocated to New York City, eventually abandoning the drums to pursue journalism full time. He remained at The Village Voice for more than a decade, during which he offended numerous colleagues and subjects; his criticisms extended from Miles Davis, whom he faulted for performing electric jazz-rock fusion, to director Spike Lee, whose 1989 film Do the Right Thing received a blistering review from Crouch, and to rap group Public Enemy, whom he condemned as "Afro-fascist race-baiters."
Crouch's confrontations sometimes turned physical; he was dismissed from The Village Voice after striking hip-hop writer and Public Enemy associate Harry Allen, a figure distinct from the jazz saxophonist of the same name. Additional publicized episodes involved him assaulting individuals with whom he disagreed, including jazz critic Howard Mandel, president of the Jazz Journalists Association, former Village Voice editor Ron Plotkin, and journalist Dale Peck, the last struck for publishing an unfavorable review of Crouch's debut novel, Don't the Moon Look Lonesome. Despite these episodes he continued to find outlets for his writing, with pieces appearing regularly during the 1990s and 2000s in The New York Daily News, The New Republic, and additional periodicals. His nonfiction works encompassed Notes of a Hanging Judge, Always in Pursuit, and The All-American Skin Game, or, The Decoy of Race. Stanley Crouch died on September 16, 2020, at the age of 74 following an extended period of declining health.
Born in Los Angeles, California, on December 14, 1945, Crouch was raised in South Central L.A., where his mother worked as a maid and his father, in Crouch's own words, was "a criminal for the most part" who was "in and out of the penitentiary a lot." After finishing high school he enrolled at East Los Angeles College and later taught at several southern California institutions. Between 1966 and 1979 he performed as a jazz drummer, participating in a good deal of avant-garde material that he would later reject. In 1975 he relocated to New York City, eventually abandoning the drums to pursue journalism full time. He remained at The Village Voice for more than a decade, during which he offended numerous colleagues and subjects; his criticisms extended from Miles Davis, whom he faulted for performing electric jazz-rock fusion, to director Spike Lee, whose 1989 film Do the Right Thing received a blistering review from Crouch, and to rap group Public Enemy, whom he condemned as "Afro-fascist race-baiters."
Crouch's confrontations sometimes turned physical; he was dismissed from The Village Voice after striking hip-hop writer and Public Enemy associate Harry Allen, a figure distinct from the jazz saxophonist of the same name. Additional publicized episodes involved him assaulting individuals with whom he disagreed, including jazz critic Howard Mandel, president of the Jazz Journalists Association, former Village Voice editor Ron Plotkin, and journalist Dale Peck, the last struck for publishing an unfavorable review of Crouch's debut novel, Don't the Moon Look Lonesome. Despite these episodes he continued to find outlets for his writing, with pieces appearing regularly during the 1990s and 2000s in The New York Daily News, The New Republic, and additional periodicals. His nonfiction works encompassed Notes of a Hanging Judge, Always in Pursuit, and The All-American Skin Game, or, The Decoy of Race. Stanley Crouch died on September 16, 2020, at the age of 74 following an extended period of declining health.