Synopses & Reviews
Based on extensive interviews, Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake recounts the lives and music of singer-lyricist-band leader Noble Sissle (1889-1975) and ragtime-composer Eubie Blake (1883-1983).Their 57-year partnership began in 1915, when Broadway beckoned with a wealth of opportunity: thriving theater companies performed vaudeville, revue, musical comedy, and operetta to enthusiastic audiences. This book captures all the optimism and vibrancy of early twentieth-century black performers and musicians. In 1921, Sissle and Blake's breakthrough musical, Shuffle Along brought authentic ragtime and jazz dancing to the Broadway for the first time---a combination that opened up new avenues in musical theater for black and white performers alike.Richly illustrated with a rare collection of photographs, theater posters, playbills, sheet music, and reviews, Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake recreates an unforgettable era in musical theater.
Synopsis
Spanning burlesque, vaudeville, revue and musical comedy, Reminiscing with Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake is a history of the black experience in musical theatre that begs remembering. Based on extensive interviews, this beautifully illustrated book recounts the lives and music of ragtime pianist-composer Eubie Blake and his partner for 57 years, singer, lyricist, and bandleader, Noble Sissle.