by Krin Gabbard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 8, 2008
Gabbard tells the history of his adopted instrument with a historian’s rigor and a comedian’s wit, scattering plenty of...
A witty history of the trumpet and the many meanings of its sound.
Gabbard (Comparative Literature/Stony Brook Univ.; Black Magic, 2004, etc.) details the instrument’s odyssey from its ceremonial origins in ancient Egypt through its provocation of political head-butting within the ranks of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Although the author expertly assesses important technological innovations, cultural events and musical personalities central to the trumpet’s long existence, he also thoroughly examines how the instrument’s sound, particularly in American culture, has been intertwined with notions about masculinity and race. In the hands of many authors, such a discussion might suffer from political correctness or heavy-handed seriousness, but Gabbard handles the matter with graceful openness and an honest, convincing sense of humor. He narrows his discussion to the trumpet’s special role within the cultural history of jazz, beginning with the importance of the high-volume playing of Buddy Bolden and Louis Armstrong and finishing with the softer tones of Miles Davis. He particular engages during his excursions into the biographies of Armstrong and Davis, two men who changed music in America. Gabbard isn’t afraid of touching on their less-than-attractive sides in order to demonstrate that when we fail to acknowledge jazz’s unsavory and gritty ingredients, we sacrifice appreciation of its full flavor. The author, who took up the trumpet as an adult, also recounts the development of his playing in excursions that seem burdened with technicalities, periodically slowing down the otherwise splendid pace and vigor of his prose.
Gabbard tells the history of his adopted instrument with a historian’s rigor and a comedian’s wit, scattering plenty of juicy anecdotes throughout.Pub Date: Nov. 8, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-571-21199-9
Page Count: 238
Publisher: Faber & Faber/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2008
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by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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