Synopses & Reviews
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Music Makes Me is a bold, engaging, and utterly original take on Fred Astaireand#8217;s incomparable artistry, his musical legacy, and his stature as a true Hollywood auteur. In this bold, fresh, and endlessly insightful study, Decker takes us inside the creative process, describing how Hollywood provided Astaire with the resources to reinvent the musical genre in his own inimitable styleand#151;a jazz-infused, dance-obsessed style that found expression when, and only when, Astaire and#145;let it swing.and#8217;and#8221;
and#151;Thomas Schatz, author of The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era
and#147;Decker defines Astaire-the-dancer as a kind of musicianand#151;and specifically a jazz musicianand#151;attuned to the most recent inflections of American popular music. With perceptive readings of films, songs, and and#145;routinesand#8217; informed by an impressive array of archival material, he is able to analyze and describe Astaireand#8217;s artistry with unprecedented precision across his entire career. This is an outstanding book marking an important and unique intersection of music, dance, film, and race.and#8221;
and#151;Jeffrey Magee, author of The Uncrowned King of Swing: Fletcher Henderson and Big Band Jazz
and#147;Any residual hair-splitting about Fred Astaireand#8217;s relationship to jazz, as an incomparable dancer and engaging singer, has been deftly and resoundingly settled by Todd Decker. His deep research and authoritative writing aimed at fans of jazz and Astaire as well as musicians and musicologists elucidate the underpinnings of Astaireand#8217;s bond with jazz over a half-century. Add to the iconic songs Astaire performed (and that his career was song-driven), the perfect timing of his career, ability to adapt in film and later television and Deckerand#8217;s thesis stands on Astaireand#8217;s magical feet and transcendent feat.and#8221;
and#151;Tad Hershorn, author of Norman Granz: The Man Who Used Jazz for Justice
and#147;Music Makes Me is an important contribution in a much underexplored area, well researched, engagingly written, and insightful. It applies first rate scholarship informed by a warm and well informed (but not uncritical) empathy for its subject. A valuable contribution not only to studies of Fred Astaire and of the musical film, but of jazz and of twentieth-century American musical culture.and#8221;
and#151;John Mueller, author of Astaire Dancing: The Musical Films
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and#8220;Mr. Decker digs deeply into Astaire's creative process, anatomizing what went into each production. . . . Illuminating, richly detailed analysis.and#8221;
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and#8220;Delving into production schedules, credit sheets, cast lists, and other studio paraphernalia, Decker gives us a good look at Astaire-related activity behind the scenes.and#8221;
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“Fascinating. . . . Much in Deckers account of Astaires musicianship and the range of this talents in Music Makes Me may come as a surprise.” Times Literary Supplement (TLS)
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and#8220;A worthy addition to the books that have been inspired by the genius of Fred Astaire.and#8221;
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and#8220;A worthy resource. . . . Highly Recommended.and#8221;
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“A worthy resource. . . . Highly Recommended.” C. Wadsworth Walker
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“Illuminating. . . . There is something of an unabashed joy in watching and hearing Astaires routines, and Deckers book reflects that joy.” Choice
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“Decker offers . . . fascinating observations to underscore the idea of Astaire as ardent listener and lover of all things ‘jazz.” Sarah Caissie Provost Clark University - Notes (Music Library Assoc)
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and#8220;Fascinating. . . . Much in Deckerand#8217;s account of Astaireand#8217;s musicianship and the range of this talents in Music Makes Me may come as a surprise.and#8221;
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and#8220;Illuminating. . . . There is something of an unabashed joy in watching and hearing Astaireand#8217;s routines, and Deckerand#8217;s book reflects that joy.and#8221;
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and#8220;Decker offers . . . fascinating observations to underscore the idea of Astaire as ardent listener and lover of all things and#8216;jazz.and#8217;and#8221;
Synopsis
Fred Astaire: one of the great jazz artists of the twentieth century? Astaire is best known for his brilliant dancing in the movie musicals of the 1930s, but in Music Makes Me, Todd Decker argues that Astaireand#8217;s work as a dancer and choreographer and#151;particularly in the realm of tap dancingand#151;made a significant contribution to the art of jazz. Decker examines the full range of Astaireand#8217;s work in filmed and recorded media, from a 1926 recording with George Gershwin to his 1970 blues stylings on television, and analyzes Astaireand#8217;s creative relationships with the greats, including George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, and Johnny Mercer. He also highlights Astaireand#8217;s collaborations with African American musicians and his work with lesser known professionalsand#151;arrangers, musicians, dance directors, and performers.
About the Author
Todd Decker is Assistant Professor of Music at Washington University in St. Louis.