About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherNorthwestern University Press

ISBN-100810127059

ISBN-139780810127050

eBay Product ID (ePID)92466857

Product Key Features

Book TitleLet Freedom Swing : Collected Writings on Jazz, Blues, and Gospel

Number of Pages416 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2010

TopicReligious / Gospel, Genres & Styles / Blues, Genres & Styles / Jazz

GenreMusic

AuthorHoward Reich

FormatTrade Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight22.4 Oz

Item Length8.9 in

Item Width6.1 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2010-008959

Reviews"This book is a must-read for the connoisseur or one who has broad interests in America's indigenous music, especially jazz and its root sources." --Ellis L. Marsalis Jr.,

Dewey Edition22

Dewey Decimal781.64

SynopsisA swing note is, to the listener of the rhythm, an unexpected note, and it is the spark of life in jazz and its relatives. Whether playing the standards or the most experimental piece, it is how a musician handles these notes fearlessly or safely that determines the fate of the performance. Howard Reich s critical writing is similarly unexpected and fearless, and "Let Freedom Swing "is a collection of the articles from the past three decades that best capture this spirit. Each section of "Let Freedom Swing "composes a suite, focusing on either a person, place, or scene. Reich gives new life to the standards with his profiles and elegies for such giants as Gershwin, Ellington, and Sinatra. A profile of Louis Armstrong brings out the often angry side of Satchmo but also reveals a more remarkable musician and human being. His open-mindedness makes Reich a particularly astute observer of the experimental and new, from Ornette Coleman to Chicago experimentalist Ken Vandermark. And his observations about street music open our ears to the songs of everyday life. Reich s fearlessness is evident in his writing about daunting subjects, such as the New Orleans music scene after Katrina, the lost legacy of jazz in Panama, and the complicated legacy of "race music" in America. Howard Reich combines a deep enthusiasm for music, a breadth of knowledge, and an ability to share his world with his readers, and "Let Freedom Swing "is essential reading for anyone interested in the continuing vitality of jazz, gospel, blues, and American music in general.", A swing note is, to the listener of the rhythm, an unexpected note, and it is the spark of life in jazz and its relatives. Whether playing the standards or the most experimental piece, it is how a musician handles these notes--fearlessly or safely--that determines the fate of the performance. Howard Reich's critical writing is similarly unexpected and fearless, and Let Freedom Swing is a collection of the articles from the past three decades that best capture this spirit. Each section of Let Freedom Swing composes a suite, focusing on either a person, place, or scene. Reich gives new life to the standards with his profiles and elegies for such giants as Gershwin, Ellington, and Sinatra. A profile of Louis Armstrong brings out the often angry side of Satchmo but also reveals a more remarkable musician and human being. His open-mindedness makes Reich a particularly astute observer of the experimental and new, from Ornette Coleman to Chicago experimentalist Ken Vandermark. And his observations about street music open our ears to the songs of everyday life. Reich's fearlessness is evident in his writing about daunting subjects, such as the New Orleans music scene after Katrina, the lost legacy of jazz in Panama, and the complicated legacy of "race music" in America. Howard Reich combines a deep enthusiasm for music, a breadth of knowledge, and an ability to share his world with his readers, and Let Freedom Swing is essential reading for anyone interested in the continuing vitality of jazz, gospel, blues, and American music in general., A swing note is, to the listener of the rhythm, an unexpected note, and it is the spark of life in jazz and its relatives. Whether playing the standards or the most experimental piece, it is how a musician handles these notes--fearlessly or safely--that determines the fate of the performance. Howard Reich's critical writing is similarly unexpected and fearless, and Let Freedom Swing is a collection of the articles from the past three decades that best capture this spirit.

LC Classification NumberML3506.R45 2010