- Hardcover: 1072 pages
- Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc (1 Jan 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0195055853
- ISBN-13: 978-0195055856
- Product Dimensions: 24.1 x 16.5 x 6.1 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 339,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Sudhalter's monumental contribution to the complex story of American music is without precedent. Let no one search Lost Chords for revisionist history: this history-within-history has never been written before--certainly not with such breadth, depth, and musicianly insight. And let no one hunt here for polemics: there are none. What is here is an extraordinary summing-up of three decades of music-making by jazzmen (poet Carl Sandburg's 1920 addition to the American language), who listened to and jammed with other 'cats of any color' (to appropriate Louis Armstrong's collegial, and typically generous, salute to fellow musicians), and who then passed along to all within earshot of nightly coast-to-coast remote-control broadcasts and omnipresent recording what they had learned and nourished."--James T. Maher
"Deep-dyed fans...surely will be overjoyed by the range, depth, and readability--Sudhalter is no academic drudge, but an ace writer--of his coverage.... No jazz collection--no
Product Description
The purpose of this text is to reclaim the role white musicians have played in jazz from early in the 20th century to the end of the Second World War, stressing that jazz is an American, not just an African-American, form of musical experience. The emphasis is on individual musicians and their accomplishments - plus a few especially influential big bands. The book rediscovers individual figures and styles of jazz that have been virtually ignored for half a century.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
Climbing off the train at La Salle Street Station, Ray Lopez couldn't help shivering as the Lake Michigan wind sliced easily through his light overcoat and suit. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Climbing off the train at La Salle Street Station, Ray Lopez couldn't help shivering as the Lake Michigan wind sliced easily through his light overcoat and suit. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Sudhalter's book (sub-titled 'White Musicians and Their Contribution to Jazz 1915-1945)was bound to be controversial, given the sensitivity of the race question in jazz as in everything else. Since the mid-1930s, when 'serious' jazz criticism began, there has been a prevalent assumption amongst the majority of critics, of the innate superiority of black musicians, with whites cast as (at best) competent imitators.
Sudhalter sets himself the task of redressing the balance but steadfastly avoids 'revisionism' or anything that might give comfort to the 'great white hope' element. He also takes as given the fact that the music industry was "not interested in social reform" and that "its main beneficiaries were white".
If Sudhalter has an 'agenda' it is no more and no less than to urge that we listen to the best white musicians as powerful and creative forces in their own right and not prejudge them by making artificial and divisive comparisons with their black colleagues.
As a professional musician and band-leader, Sudhalter puts his case with the authority that comes of first-hand knowledge of his subject. The book contains some fascinating (and often moving) vignettes of such famous names as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and Jack Teagaren as well as lesser-known figures like Adrian Rollini, the Boswell Sisters and the members of the Casa Loma Orchestra. A recurring sub-text is the fact that many 'white' musicians were themselves members of despised minorities, notably Jewish, Sicillian and Native American.
A sensitive look at a difficult subject, immaculately researched and beautifully written. An excellent guide to the entire history of pre-1945 jazz - black and white.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
....and many more adjectives that sing this book's praises. Since I cannot possibly improve or elaborate on the excellent and succinct 1999 review, the only purpose of my doodling is to add an extra star to the inexplicable four from the anonymous 'customer'.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
13 reviews
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Fascinating, Readable, Essential, and Anti-Racist
5 Oct 1999
Format:Hardcover
This is a monster. It's monsterously large, monsterously interesting, and monsterously important. But like most monsters, it can easily be misunderstood. As Mr. Givens, writing just before me has so well expressed, it corrects the sophmoric notion that early jazz was a solely American Black movement.
Unfortunately, it takes a unique record collection to compliment the text as you take in the rich, marvelously written narrative. I have such a collection (both black and white jazz) and it helped emormously to refer to it every few pages. This made reading this book a multi-media tour through my own record collection as well as a reading pleasure. Too bad that CD Mr. Givens mentions was not included with the book -- I would have made the points he makes that much more accessible to people without the music to refer to.
There are many interesting aspects brought up throughout the book. For example, the fact that Sicilians were so important to early jazz, and that white and black jazz, although differing in presentation and performance, evolved together and in relation to one another are two points well and truely made by the book.
As a matter of fact the book is so authoritative that I don't think it can't be successfully critiqued by anyone who does not have years of listening under his belt. I myself went through the early jazz journey, starting with the "jazz is black" point of view when I was in college. A sophomore in fact. We now know that even blues had a white/black evolution as well as jazz. It may be that one has to start at the black is everything perspective to get to the right point of view. I consider people who casually hold that point of view as not completing that journey.
It is also important to note that the book is beautifully written by someone who commands the language as well as the most accomplished novelist.
In any case, Lost Chords is possibly the most important book on jazz written since World War II. I certainly think so.
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Excellent commentary on least common side of old debate
16 Sep 1999
Format:Hardcover
Mr.Sudhalter has chosen to place himself in the center of the 82 year old debate over whether jazz is only a black innovation in music.
Although at first glance, many will instantly brand the book racist and anti-black, they will find (by actually reading the book) that Mr. Sudhalter is simply stating the case for jazz being both black and white, and he does so extremely well.
He cites actual events and circumstances, musical examples, and quotes from the musicians themselves, both white and black. The book relates how musicians respected and admired each other's talent, regardless of race; how the growth and development of jazz was a truly multi-cultural event in our history.
Mr. Sudhalter shows no lack of respect for anyone, except those narrow-minded jazz enthusiasts who refuse to consider the whole picture of jazz history.
'Lost Chords' just happens to cover the time frame in jazz that I really enjoy, so I was familiar with most of the musicians and music discussed. For those who aren't, I can recommend it as a way to appreciate where your choice of jazz came from, be it 50's jazz or 90's.
And by the last page, you may decide it's time to go buy some of the classic jazz in this book and decide for your yourself. (A companion CD is available, and I highly recommend it to anyone reading this book).
Although at first glance, many will instantly brand the book racist and anti-black, they will find (by actually reading the book) that Mr. Sudhalter is simply stating the case for jazz being both black and white, and he does so extremely well.
He cites actual events and circumstances, musical examples, and quotes from the musicians themselves, both white and black. The book relates how musicians respected and admired each other's talent, regardless of race; how the growth and development of jazz was a truly multi-cultural event in our history.
Mr. Sudhalter shows no lack of respect for anyone, except those narrow-minded jazz enthusiasts who refuse to consider the whole picture of jazz history.
'Lost Chords' just happens to cover the time frame in jazz that I really enjoy, so I was familiar with most of the musicians and music discussed. For those who aren't, I can recommend it as a way to appreciate where your choice of jazz came from, be it 50's jazz or 90's.
And by the last page, you may decide it's time to go buy some of the classic jazz in this book and decide for your yourself. (A companion CD is available, and I highly recommend it to anyone reading this book).
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Lost Chords comments
2 Dec 1999
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
A wonderful trip thru what must have been an incredible period to be an active jazz fan.
Thank you Jeff Ellis for your accomplishments. The nine years you have invested are proven by this book to be extraordinarily justified.
Readers should be aware there is a companion CD of selected samples of the jazz discussed in this book which should also be ordered.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
