Tributes, farewells and appreciations of a dozen jazz greats by the
internationally known critic. Despite Feather's close personal
involvement with Armstrong, Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charlie
Parker, Gillespie, et al., only a few of these portraits are as
incandescent as Satchmo's horn. Although he is impatient with
stereotyped images he usually ends by confirming the substance of
the legends - the tawdry glamour of Lady Day, the elegance of
Ellington, the exuberant exhibitionism of Dizzy. Best realized is
Louis ("Redbeans and Ricely yours") Armstrong romping his way
through a New Orleans Mardi Gras in uninhibited enjoyment at being
crowned King of the Zulus. More than most jazz critics Feather is
willing to explore the racism which permeated the early jazz scene
and the postures and strategies adopted by the musicians to
preserve their personal and artistic integrity. Lamenting those -
Billie and Parker - who destroyed themselves with drugs and alcohol
he takes a few swipes at the public (and his fellow critics) for
not recognizing genius in obscurity. The respect and esteem the
jazz men were accorded in Europe is contrasted with American
audience's disregard and the chronic economic insecurities which
plagued so many careers evoke an occasional note of bitterness.
Throughout - even when interviewing a hostile and willfully
alienating Miles Davis - Feather is a kind and empathic friend who
enjoys spotlighting his virtuosos at their loosest and best.
Pleasant, easy-going riffs directed at fans rather than
connoisseurs - these profiles definitely Accentuate the Positive.
(Kirkus Reviews)
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald,
Count Basie, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Norman Granz, Oscar
Peterson, Ray Charles, Don Ellis, and Miles Davis--these are the
dozen jazz figures whom Leonard Feather chose to describe the
development of jazz. This is the first Feather book to examine
in-depth the innovative figures who have led the way throughout the
music's history. As composer, producer, and for almost
half-a-century one of its leading critics, Feather has a unique
perspective of these jazz immortals. He has worked with and known
all of them. "These are portraits of human beings first, analyses
of musicians or musical history only peripherally if at all," says
Feather in his new foreword. A warm, affectionate, and perceptive
inside account of twelve originals, the book is packed with
wonderful stories. As Feather says: "Most of all I am grateful for
the inspiration and friendship of the artists themselves. Armstrong
and Ellington were directly responsible, through their records, for
drawing me to jazz. After their magic had worked on me, the others,
one by one, sustained and refreshed and invigorated my interest in,
an involvement with, this liveliest of twentieth-century arts."
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