Book review: “His Time was the Greatest: My Louie Bellson Story”

By Jeannie Gayle Pool

One of the positive aspects of the digital age is that many authors can easily write and publish smaller book projects that won’t be block-buster literary hits to be scooped up by major publishers, yet the stories they tell and the information they provide are significant contributions to scholarship and culture. Dave Black’s book His Time was the Greatest: My Louie Bellson Story is an impressive example of this new age in book publishing.

Well-written in a breezy, conversational style, it tells the inspirational story of how an internationally celebrated jazz drummer took a young talented musician under his wing to propel him to the enviable career Black has enjoyed as a performer, composer, arranger, author, editor, producer, and music publishing executive. The book is personal, candid, and a touching tribute to a mentor who not only taught Black music, but how to love and care for others, and “give back.”

In 1976, Black met Bellson (1924–2009) while only a junior in high school in Maryland when Bellson stayed with Black’s family during a guest artist appearance at Black’s school. At that concert, Bellson and Black did a one-on-one “battle” of drummers that brought the house down. One of the most precious moments in Black’s life, it forged his commitment to make a career in music and led more than a three-decade long friendship. Bellson suggested that Black attend California State University Northridge (CSUN) and study with him privately, which compelled Black to move across the country and pursue his dreams in Los Angeles.

Black’s relationship with Bellson is a story of how mentorship is the most effective training one can get as a musician. It reminds us of the importance of high-quality public school music programs in fostering future generations of music in the United States. After Black graduated from college (CSUN in those days was a great music department), he worked with Bellson on numerous publishing projects and helped to secure Bellson’s musical legacy.

This book is a splendid gift for a young drummer, or any musician for that matter, who wonders why networking is not only the way to make a career in the music business, but the key to enriching one’s perspective and life. It is a contribution to jazz history and American music as well. Because of Bellson’s generosity towards him, Black continues to pass the torch to the next generation in many ways, feeling compelled to “pay it forward” as Bellson did for him. This little Black book does not disappoint.

—Jeannie Gayle Pool, Ph.D., author, composer, and educator (Los Angeles, CA, USA, 2025)