Amazon.co.uk: Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall (Bayou Jazz Lives): Iain Cameron Williams: Books

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Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall (Bayou Jazz Lives)

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Underneath a Harlem Moon: The Harlem to Paris Years of Adelaide Hall (Bayou Jazz Lives) (Hardcover)
by Iain Cameron Williams (Author)

(2 customer reviews)

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Product details

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. (4 Jul 2002)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0826458939
ISBN-13: 978-0826458933
Product Dimensions: 24.5 x 15.6 x 3 cm

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(2 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 876,741 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Other Editions: Paperback (New Ed) | All Editions

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Synopsis
Often seen as the most important and influential female star of Harlem's Renaissance, Adelaide Hall dynamically pushed down the barriers that had previously prevented black entertainers from reaching mass recognition. The astounding media attention she received on both sides of the Atlantic during her two year starring role in Lew Leslie's Broadway revue "Blackbirds" of 1928 turned Adelaide into what can only be termed the first modern-day international black female superstar. This work documents the birth of Adelaide in Brooklyn and follows her career from her humble childhood in Harlem, to her triumphs on Broadway to the glamour of Paris' Moulin Rouge. By the end of 1932, Adelaide had performed to millions and in the process had become one of America's wealthiest black women. By 1938, not content with being dubbed the Queen of Montmartre she set her sights on conquering Britain. The book concludes with her mysterious disappearance in November 1938, which is for the first time fully explained.

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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

A Consummate Read, 16 Dec 2002

By A Customer

I came across this book through a recommendation. I’m so pleased I did.
As an admirer of Duke Ellington’s work, I knew of Adelaide Hall, mainly through her connection and early recordings with Ellington, but knew little about the lady herself or her significant achievements in the world of entertainment.
In the books preface, the author, Iain Cameron Williams, claims Adelaide Hall appears in many jazz anthologies as a mere footnote, whilst others abandon her career altogether. With "Underneath a Harlem Moon" Williams attempts to set the record straight by documenting comprehensively her exact relevance and role in the History of Jazz and, in my opinion, succeeds admirably.
Williams’s familiarity with his subject clearly demonstrates the amount and depth of research he made in order to unearth the facts. One gets the distinct impression that during the process he left no stone unturned, so detailed is his descriptive. Although Williams’s 20-year friendship with Hall must clearly have helped him in appraising his subject’s temperament, it must also have allowed him the privilege to see an intriguing side to her character that her fans would not normally have seen. This becomes apparent the deeper one delves into the text.
The book charts in rich detail the life and career of Miss Hall during the frenetic Harlem Renaissance and documents all the colourful characters to emerge from this movement, most of whom worked with Miss Hall at some point in her career. It also gives a fascinating insight into the social history of the Twenties and Thirties when Prohibition, real-life gangsters and sophisticated nightclub culture ruled the sidewalks.
Overall, a hugely enjoyable read made easy by Williams’s approachable style of writing and keen interest towards the characters he portrays within the text. A must for all jazz and popular music buffs. The book also contains a sizeable gallery of superb photographs (including one, which must be of great interest to all Ellington fans, a rare previously unpublished photograph of Adelaide and Ellington together, circa 1930.)

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