But Beautiful
Books | Biography & Autobiography / Music
4.2
Geoff Dyer
"May be the best book ever written about jazz."—David Thomson, Los Angeles TimesIn eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skillfully evokes the music and the men who shaped modern jazz. Drawing on photos, anecdotes, and, most important, the way he hears the music, Dyer imaginatively reconstructs scenes from the embattled lives of some of the greats: Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonious Monk creating his own private language on the piano. However, music is the driving force of But Beautiful, and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician's style.
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More Details:
Author
Geoff Dyer
Pages
205
Publisher
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published Date
2014-06-24
ISBN
1466869852 9781466869851
Community ReviewsSee all
"This collection of vignettes is a mix of fiction and nonfiction. Dyer uses actual events of real jazz musicians to create fictional retellings of events. What these vignettes document us a common theme of jazz musicians if this era; drugs, drink, racism, violence, and the strain of creativity led to many artists' downfall. Each vignette is well developed and makes you feel that you are there with the musician featured in each respective vignette, seeing things through their eyes as they experience their story. If you have an interest in jazz of the bebop era, I'd recommend giving it a read."
C H
Chris Hicks