Crouch was a large force of nature, a brilliant thinker, and quite funny. As journalist Glenn Mott explains in the introduction, “To experience Stanley, indomitable, indefatigable, irrepressible Crouch, was to know the kinetic energy and bombast of an indelible force of New York , as large and complex as any character this city has produced.”

Crouch’s greatest contribution to American culture was his elevation of jazz as the great American art form and one that reflects the creed found in our founding documents. Crouch called the Constitution “a document based in tragic optimism.” That is to say, the Constitution recognizes that men are not angels; it starts with the premise that we are flawed and often prone to despicable behavior. Yet the document that enumerates our rights can be amended when, as is inevitable, we make mistakes. Thus, we accept our flawed nature while being energized with the optimism that comes with knowing we can correct our wrong turns.