Synopses & Reviews
and#147;In Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music, Shim has provided a comprehensive biographical and analytical account of one of jazzand#8217;s most important and most frequently misunderstood figures. Her insights into Tristanoand#8217;s personality are well nuanced, and the focus on his teaching makes a unique contribution to the history of jazz. This vividly written study is likely to become a standard work.and#8221;
and#151;Brian Priestley, author of Chasinand#8217; the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker and coauthor of The Rough Guide to Jazz
and#160;
and#147;Eunmi Shimand#8217;s book is clearly a labor of love. Her thorough examination of Tristanoand#8217;s teaching is particularly important, for no one previously has assembled the thoughts of so many former students. Her illuminating transcriptions of, and commentaries on, Tristanoand#8217;s solos are also valuable. Lennie Tristano is an important contribution to the literature on jazz.and#8221;
and#151;Thomas Owens, author of Bebop: The Music and Its Players
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and#147;Comprehensive, objective, and acute in its judgments, this is the biography of Lennie Tristano we have been waiting for.and#8221;
and#151;Larry Kart, author of Jazz in Search of Itself
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Lennie Tristano occupies a rare position not only in jazz history but in the history of twentieth-century music. Emerging from an era when modernism was the guiding principle in art, Tristano explored musical avenues that were avant-garde even by modernismand#8217;s experimental standards. In so doing, he tested and transcended the boundaries of jazz.
and#160;
In 1949, years before musicians such as Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor took credit for the movement, Tristano made the first recordings of and#147;free jazz,and#8221; a new kind of group improvisation based on spontaneous interaction among band members without any regard for predetermined form, harmony, or rhythm. Then, in the 1950s, Tristano broke new ground by his use of multitracking.
and#160;
Tristano was also a pioneer in the teaching of jazz, devoting the latter part of his career almost exclusively to music instruction. He founded a jazz schooland#151;the first of its kindand#151;among whose students were saxophonists Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz, and pianist Sal Mosca.
and#160;
With its blend of oral history, archival research, and musical analysis, Lennie Tristano sheds new light on the important role Tristano played in the jazz world and introduces this often-overlooked musician to a new generation of jazz aficionados.
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Eunmi Shim received her Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is now Assistant Professor of Music at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This is her first book.
Review
"A composer and music educator, Combs is fully equipped to tackle the technical particulars of Dameron's work ... to readers with a musical background, particularly those interested in jazz composition and arranging,andnbsp;these probing and intelligent explorations of an unsung great's work make
Dameronia an essential addition to their library."
and#8212;Jazz Times
Synopsis
In
Lennie Tristano: His Life in Music, Shim has provided a comprehensive biographical and analytical account of one of jazz s most important and most frequently misunderstood figures. Her insights into Tristano s personality are well nuanced, and the focus on his teaching makes a unique contribution to the history of jazz. This vividly written study is likely to become a standard work.
Brian Priestley, author of
Chasin the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker and coauthor of
The Rough Guide to Jazz Eunmi Shim s book is clearly a labor of love. Her thorough examination of Tristano s teaching is particularly important, for no one previously has assembled the thoughts of so many former students. Her illuminating transcriptions of, and commentaries on, Tristano s solos are also valuable. Lennie Tristano is an important contribution to the literature on jazz.
Thomas Owens, author of
Bebop: The Music and Its Players Comprehensive, objective, and acute in its judgments, this is the biography of Lennie Tristano we have been waiting for.
Larry Kart, author of
Jazz in Search of ItselfLennie Tristano occupies a rare position not only in jazz history but in the history of twentieth-century music. Emerging from an era when modernism was the guiding principle in art, Tristano explored musical avenues that were avant-garde even by modernism s experimental standards. In so doing, he tested and transcended the boundaries of jazz.
In 1949, years before musicians such as Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor took credit for the movement, Tristano made the first recordings of free jazz, a new kind of group improvisation based on spontaneous interaction among band members without any regard for predetermined form, harmony, or rhythm. Then, in the 1950s, Tristano broke new ground by his use of multitracking.
Tristano was also a pioneer in the teaching of jazz, devoting the latter part of his career almost exclusively to music instruction. He founded a jazz schoolthe first of its kindamong whose students were saxophonists Warne Marsh and Lee Konitz, and pianist Sal Mosca.
With its blend of oral history, archival research, and musical analysis, Lennie Tristano sheds new light on the important role Tristano played in the jazz world and introduces this often-overlooked musician to a new generation of jazz aficionados.
Eunmi Shim received her Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is now Assistant Professor of Music at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. This is her first book.
"
Synopsis
The first authoritative biography of jazz great Tadd Dameron
Synopsis
Dameronia is the first authoritative biography of Tadd Dameron, an important and widely influential figure in jazz history as one of the most significant composers and arrangers of jazz, swing, bebop, and big band. He arranged for names like Count Basie, Artie Shaw, Jimmie Lunceford, and Dizzy Gillespie and played with Bull Moose Jackson and Benny Golson. This book sets out to clarify Dameron's place in the development of jazz in the postand#8211;World War II era. It also attempts to shed light on the tragedy of his retreat from the center of jazz activity in the 1950s. By tracing Dameron's career, one finds that until 1958, when he was incarcerated for drug related offenses, he was at the forefront of developments in jazz, sometimes anticipating trends that would not develop fully for several years. Dameron was also an important influence on several high-profile musicians, including Miles Davis, Benny Golson, and Frank Foster. Dameron was a very private man, and while in some aspects of his life he will probably remain an enigma, this book manages to give an intimate portrait of his life at a couple of key stages: the height of his career in 1949 and the brief but productive period between his release from prison and his death.
About the Author
Paul Combs is a professional musician, composer, and educator.