Synopses & Reviews
In this engaging and astute anthology of jazz criticism, Larry Kart casts a wide net. Discussing nearly seventy major jazz figures and many of the musics key stylistic developments, Kart sees jazz as a unique perpetual narrativeone in which musicians, their audiences, and the evolving music itself are intimately intertwined.
Because jazz arose from the collision of specific peoples under particular conditions, says Kart, its development has been unusually immediate, visible, and intense. Kart has reacted to and judged the music in a similarly active, attentive, and personal manner. His involvement and attention to detail are visible in these pieces: essays that analyze the supposed return to tradition that the music of Wynton Marsalis has come to exemplify; searching accounts of the careers of Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Bill Evans, and Lennie Tristano; and writing that explores jazzs relationship to American popular song and examines the jazz musicians role as actual and would-be social rebel.
Review
"A generous grab bag of essays and reviews by a shrewd listener with curious ears and an open mind."—Terry Teachout
Review
"With great feeling, one of jazzs most far-reaching and influential critics illuminates what jazz is, what it means (to its creators and to us listeners) and, crucially, what is valuable about it—what a joy to have this collection of essays at last."—John Litweiler, author of The Freedom Principle: Jazz After 1958
Synopsis
Is history driven more by principle or interest? Are ideas of historical progress obsolete? Is it unforgivable to change one's mind or political allegiance? Did the 18th century really exchange the civilizing force of commercial advantage for political conflict? In this account of liberal thought from its roots in 17th-century English thinking to the end of the 18th century, Annabel Patterson tackles these important historiographical questions. She rescues the term Whig from the low regard attached to it; denies the primacy of self-interest in the political struggles of Georgian England; and argues that while Whigs may have strayed from liberal principles on occasion (nobody's perfect), nevertheless many were true progressives.
About the Author
Larry Kart has been music critic, editor, and book editor for the Chicago Tribune and Down Beat magazine.