But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz - Hardcover

Dyer, Geoff

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0224030965 ISBN 13: 9780224030960

Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd, 1991

Synopsis

In a series of fictional portraits, this book captures the dark heart of jazz, its pathos and lyricism, savagery and self destruction - Charlie Mingus in New York: friven by rage, built and behaving like a battering man; Art Pepper in prison: an alto and Alcatraz; Lester Young in the Alvin: a soft sound in a world too hard and harsh and dirty; Bud Powell in Paris: his skull still throbbing from the blow of a nightstick, his piano a deranged instrument; Chet Baker; Ben Webster; Ellington and Monk. The author also wrote "Ways of Telling" and "the Colour of Memory".

About this title

Review:

"Achingly gorgeous . . . evokes the lives of working musicians so that you taste the whiskey, smell the stubbed cigarettes, hear the gentle clicking of the valves, the coughs, and shuffling feet between studio takes."--Jonathan Lethem, "Entertainment Weekly""" "The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my  friends.  It is a little gem."--Keith Jarrett "A masterful effort, which comes as close to the music's essence as prose can go."--Ted Gioia, "San Francisco Chronicle""" "Dyer turns jazz into poetry and his subjects into a beautiful sad music....Few will be unmoved by his passion and eloquence and the harrowing portraits of jazz's haunted geniuses."--Tom Graves, " The Washington Post Book World " "A gorgeous and lyrical collection of nocturnal jazz reveries."--"The New Yorker"

""But Beautiful "is just that, a moving and highly original tribute to Black American music."--Bryan Ferry"An ingenious and brilliantly written book."--Richard

"Achingly gorgeous . . . evokes the lives of working musicians so that you taste the whiskey, smell the stubbed cigarettes, hear the gentle clicking of the valves, the coughs, and shuffling feet between studio takes."--Jonathan Lethem, "Entertainment Weekly""" "The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my friends. It is a little gem."--Keith Jarrett "A masterful effort, which comes as close to the music's essence as prose can go."--Ted Gioia, "San Francisco Chronicle""" "Dyer turns jazz into poetry and his subjects into a beautiful sad music....Few will be unmoved by his passion and eloquence and the harrowing portraits of jazz's haunted geniuses."--Tom Graves, " The Washington Post Book World " "A gorgeous and lyrical collection of nocturnal jazz reveries."--"The New Yorker"

""But Beautiful "is just that, a moving and highly original tribute to Black American music."--Bryan Ferry"An ingenious and brilliantly written book."--Richard Bernstein, "The New York Times"

"Startlingly vivid . . . a brilliant work . . . the written equivalent of a jazz performance . . . [Dyer] has created an unforgettable melody of his own."--Matt Schudel, "The Atlanta Journal Constitution"

"Achingly gorgeous...evokes the lives of working musicians so that you taste the whiskey, smell the stubbed cigarettes, hear the gentle clicking of the valves, the coughs, and shuffling feet between studio takes."--Jonathan Lethem, "Entertainment Weekly""" "The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my friends. It is a little gem."--Keith Jarrett "A masterful effort, which comes as close to the music's essence as prose can go."--Ted Gioia, "San Francisco Chronicle""" "Dyer turns jazz into poetry and his subjects into a beautiful sad music....Few will be unmoved by his passion and eloquence and the harrowing portraits of jazz's haunted geniuses."--Tom Graves, " The Washington Post Book World " "A gorgeous and lyrical collection of nocturnal jazz reveries."--"The New Yorker"

""But Beautiful "is just that, a moving and highly original tribute to Black American music."--Bryan Ferry"An ingenious and brilliantly written book."--Richard Bernstein, "The New York Times"

"Startlingly vivid...a brilliant work...the written equivalent of a jazz performance...[Dyer] has created an unforgettable melody of his own."--Matt Schudel, "The Atlanta Journal Constitution"

Achingly gorgeous...evokes the lives of working musicians so that you taste the whiskey, smell the stubbed cigarettes, hear the gentle clicking of the valves, the coughs, and shuffling feet between studio takes. "Jonathan Lethem, Entertainment Weekly"

The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my friends. It is a little gem. "Keith Jarrett"

A masterful effort, which comes as close to the music's essence as prose can go. "Ted Gioia, San Francisco Chronicle"

Dyer turns jazz into poetry and his subjects into a beautiful sad music....Few will be unmoved by his passion and eloquence and the harrowing portraits of jazz's haunted geniuses. "Tom Graves, The Washington Post Book World"

A gorgeous and lyrical collection of nocturnal jazz reveries. "The New Yorker"

"But Beautiful "is just that, a moving and highly original tribute to Black American music. "Bryan Ferry"

An ingenious and brilliantly written book. "Richard Bernstein, The New York Times"

Startlingly vivid...a brilliant work...the written equivalent of a jazz performance...[Dyer] has created an unforgettable melody of his own. "Matt Schudel, The Atlanta Journal Constitution""

Achingly gorgeous...evokes the lives of working musicians so that you taste the whiskey, smell the stubbed cigarettes, hear the gentle clicking of the valves, the coughs, and shuffling feet between studio takes. Jonathan Lethem, Entertainment Weekly

The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my friends. It is a little gem. Keith Jarrett

A masterful effort, which comes as close to the music's essence as prose can go. Ted Gioia, San Francisco Chronicle

Dyer turns jazz into poetry and his subjects into a beautiful sad music....Few will be unmoved by his passion and eloquence and the harrowing portraits of jazz's haunted geniuses. Tom Graves, The Washington Post Book World

A gorgeous and lyrical collection of nocturnal jazz reveries. The New Yorker

But Beautiful is just that, a moving and highly original tribute to Black American music. Bryan Ferry

An ingenious and brilliantly written book. Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

Startlingly vivid...a brilliant work...the written equivalent of a jazz performance...[Dyer] has created an unforgettable melody of his own. Matt Schudel, The Atlanta Journal Constitution

"

"Achingly gorgeous...evokes the lives of working musicians so that you taste the whiskey, smell the stubbed cigarettes, hear the gentle clicking of the valves, the coughs, and shuffling feet between studio takes." --Jonathan Lethem, Entertainment Weekly

"The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my friends. It is a little gem." --Keith Jarrett

"A masterful effort, which comes as close to the music's essence as prose can go." --Ted Gioia, San Francisco Chronicle

"Dyer turns jazz into poetry and his subjects into a beautiful sad music....Few will be unmoved by his passion and eloquence and the harrowing portraits of jazz's haunted geniuses." --Tom Graves, The Washington Post Book World

"A gorgeous and lyrical collection of nocturnal jazz reveries." --The New Yorker

"But Beautiful is just that, a moving and highly original tribute to Black American music." --Bryan Ferry

"An ingenious and brilliantly written book." --Richard Bernstein, The New York Times

"Startlingly vivid...a brilliant work...the written equivalent of a jazz performance...[Dyer] has created an unforgettable melody of his own." --Matt Schudel, The Atlanta Journal Constitution

Book Description:

*The most original book about Jazz ever written.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0224030965
• ISBN 13: 9780224030960
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 205