Sidran was born in
Chicago,
Illinois, United States. When Miller and Scaggs left Wisconsin for the West Coast, Sidran stayed behind to earn a degree in English literature. After graduating in 1966, he enrolled at the
University of Sussex, England, to pursue a PhD. While in England, he was a session musician for
Eric Clapton,
The Rolling Stones,
Peter Frampton, and
Charlie Watts. Sidran joined Steve Miller as keyboardist and songwriter on recording projects, appearing on the albums
Brave New World,
Your Saving Grace,
Number 5, and
Recall the Beginning...A Journey from Eden. While hosting that series, Sidran frequently expressed his desire to "demystify the world of jazz; jazz musicians are just like the rest of us, only more so." As a musician and a producer he has released over 35 solo recordings. His written works include the book
Black Talk on the sociology of black music in America;
Talking Jazz, a collection of his historic interviews with jazz musicians;
There Was a Fire: Jews, Music and the American Dream, a cultural history of the Jewish contribution to American popular music during the 20th century and a finalist for the 2012
National Jewish Book Award; and
The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma, a biography of the record producer
Tommy LiPuma. His 24-CD box set
Talking Jazz includes an 80-page booklet with essays from writers, critics and musicians, classic photos from
Lee Tanner, and 24 compact discs featuring conversations with 60 jazz musicians, recorded during a five-year period for Sidran's award-winning NPR program
Sidran on Record. The 24 CDs orchestrated by Sidran document the speaking voice of jazz musicians, including
Miles Davis,
Art Blakey, and others. Sidran has been referred to by the
Chicago Sun Times as a "Renaissance man cast adrift in a modern world" and by
The Times as "the first existential jazz rapper," in reference to his commentary while playing music. ==Discography==