- Hardcover: 656 pages
- Publisher: OUP USA (13 Jan 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0195156072
- ISBN-13: 978-0195156072
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.8 x 4.8 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,043,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Weather Bird:Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century
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Product Description
Review
"There is an indescribable joy in finding writers who not only know how to cleverly turn a phrase, but who truly understand how to imbue their writing with personality, life and a personal perspective that makes a reader want to keep coming back for more. Jazz writer Gary Giddins is such writer.... From Louis Armstrong to The Bad Plus, from Dave Holland to Dave Douglas, from Sonny Rollins to David S. Ware and Charlie Christian to Charles Mingus, Weather Bird is about as comprehensive a critical look at jazz as one can find in 600 pages."--John Kelman, allaboutjazz.com
"Giddins has been recognized as the Duke, the Count, the Earl of jazz writers.... No one puts it together like Giddins, whose writing is an unmatched combination of big ideas, witty wordsmithery, historical insight, and musicological know-how.... Thumbing through 'Weather Bird' is like listening to some of your old favorites--and being astonished as you still hear new things.... Giddins has set the bar for jazz
Product Description
Gary Giddins's magnificent book Visions of Jazz has been hailed as a landmark in music criticism. Jonathan Yardley in The Washington Post called it "the definitive compendium by the most interesting jazz critic now at work." And Alfred Appel, Jr., in The New York Times Book Review, said it was "the finest unconventional history of jazz ever written." It was the first work on jazz ever to win the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. Now comes Weather Bird, a brilliant companion volume to Visions of Jazz. In this superb collection of essays, reviews and articles, Giddins brings together, for the first time, more than 140 pieces written over a 14-year period, most of them for his column in the Village Voice (also called "Weather Bird"). The book is first and foremost a celebration of jazz, with illuminating commentary on contemporary jazz events, on today's top musicians, on the best records of the year, and on leading figures from jazz's past. Readers will find extended pieces on Louis Armstrong, Erroll Garner, Benny Carter, Sonny Rollins, Dave Brubeck, Ornette Coleman, Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Tony Bennett, and many others. Giddins includes a series of articles on the annual JVC Jazz Festival, which taken together offer a splendid overview of jazz in the 1990s. Other highlights include an astute look at avant-garde music ("Parajazz") and his challenging essay, "How Come Jazz Isn't Dead?" which advances a theory about the way art is born, exploited, celebrated, and sidelined to the museum. A radiant compendium by America's leading music critic, Weather Bird offers an unforgettable look at the modern jazz scene.
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2 reviews
9 of 13 people found the following review helpful
A Solid Perspective on the World of Jazz--Old and New
14 Jan 2006
Format:Hardcover
Giddins, the author of the wonderfully detailed and perceptive biography of Bing Crosby, presents, interprets, and contrasts a wide array of topics revolving about the world of jazz: ranging from Rosemary Clooney to Louie Armstrong to the harmonious sibling act, The Boswell Sisters, as well as many essays on the state of jazz.
Separately, or in the context of the entire book, Giddins's personal assessments make for provocative reading on a complex, pulsating musical genre.
A great read!
Separately, or in the context of the entire book, Giddins's personal assessments make for provocative reading on a complex, pulsating musical genre.
A great read!
2 of 7 people found the following review helpful
jazz fans delight
12 July 2007
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
giddins does a marvelous job of identifying the key jazz figures of the ages and sketching their techniques, showmanship and mastery of jazz idioms. a rare blend of scholarship and fascinating repartee.
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