Book Description
Django Reinhardt was arguably the greatest guitarist who ever lived, an important influence on Les Paul, Charlie Christian, B.B. King, Jerry Garcia, Chet Atkins, and many others. Yet there is no major biography of Reinhardt. Now, in Django, Michael Dregni offers a definitive portrait of this great guitarist. Handsome, charismatic, childlike, and unpredictable, Reinhardt was a character out of a picaresque novel. Born in a gypsy caravan at a crossroads in Belgium, he was almost killed in a freak fire that burned half of his body and left his left hand twisted into a claw. But with this maimed left hand flying over the frets and his right hand plucking at dizzying speed, Django became Europe's most famous jazz musician, commanding exorbitant fees--and spending the money as fast as he made it. Dregni not only chronicles this remarkably colorful life--including a fascinating account of gypsy culture--but he also sheds much light on Django's musicianship. He examines his long musical partnership with violinist Stephane Grappelli--the one suave and smooth, the other sharper and more dissonant--and he traces the evolution of their novel string jazz ensemble, Quintette du Hot Club de France. Indeed, the author spotlights Django's amazing musical diversity, describing his swing-styled Nouveau Quintette, his big band Django's Music, and his later bebop ensemble, as well as his many compositions, including symphonic pieces influenced by Ravel and Debussy and his unfinished organ mass inspired by Bach. And along the way, the author offers vivid snapshots of the jazz scene in Paris--colorful portraits of Josephine Baker, Bricktop, Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, and countless others--and of Django's vagabond wanderings around France, Europe, and the United States, where he toured with Duke Ellington. Capturing the extraordinary life and times of one of the great musicians of the twentieth century, Django is a must-read portrait of a true original.
Customer Reviews:
caveat.......2007-06-03
this biography fills in the gaps between facts so thoroughly with conjecture and fictionalizing that one no longer can quite tell what the known facts are. there's a lot of interesting stuff in this book, but I found the author's approach maddening.
there are so many events depicted with breathless 'you are there' cinematic detail that are based on events that are almost certainly undocumented. Or if they're based on something, no indication is given of what sort of source is being relied on. People's presumed emotions and inner thoughts are described to an improbable and even ridiculous extent. Eventually a pall of suspicion clouds the entire book.
Listen, Read and Listen.......2006-08-17
I read this book on a recent vacation and was kicking myself for not bringing Django Reinhardt CD's with me to listen to while I read. I have been an admirer of Django's music for some time but was unaware of just how much influence his music had on artists of his time. There are three reasons why I liked this book. One, to understand Django's personality the author tells us a little of the history and culture of the gypsies. Two, the backdrop of Django's life story is the Paris music scene during the 1920s, through the Nazi occupation of WWII, and the birth of bebop in the late 40s and early 50s. And three, the amazing life story of what may be the greatest guitarist ever born. All three of these aspect of the book are brought together to create an outstanding biography of Django Reinhardt. But be warned that reading about this incredible talent may cause an insatiable desire to listen to his music.
"Oh ma mere! Ce n'est pas possible!".......2006-05-19
This utterance comes halfway through Michael Dregni's book, and it's one of maybe 50 direct quotes by Django Reinhardt drizzled over 280 pages. Self-conscious about his lack of education, Reinhardt didn't like talking to "gadjé." He is known to have written three letters in his life, and the most extended quote is bogus: an "interview" concocted by an impresario to defame a rival.
It has to be quite a challenge for a biographer to work with so little material. And yet Dregni does an excellent job. While by necessity he has to rely on external testimony and events to make his portrayal, his focus is always on Reinhardt and the extraordinary contradictions of the man: one night dining with royalty, the next night stealing a chicken on a country road; living in a luxury hotel one week, a caravan the next; over-generosity alternating with infuriating pettiness; turning one gig into an all-night jam session, not bothering to show up for the next. You think you know Bohemian? This is Bohemian.
Of course, Django was only verbally reticent. Musically, he is one of the most articulate, expressive players ever. So it's the musical parts of this book that really shine. Partly because of the nationalism of his promoters who wanted to push a French jazz musician, but mostly because of his magical talent (and in spite of a tendency to sleep later than recording session schedules), Reinhardt's output was vast and varied. As I imagine is true for many, I knew the Quintette/Grapelli recordings to the exclusion of almost everything else. So I especially appreciated the discussions of his later career: the weird fact that during the Occupation, when jazz was officially verboten, he achieved his greatest popularity, and his enthusiasm for bebop, which I've always thought he anticipated with his angular, superfast playing.
In the endnotes are many mentions of "interview with author, 2001/2/3..." Aside from the documentary research, Dregni deserves special gratitude for contacting people who knew Reinhardt and who will probably not be around much longer. His efforts have doubtless uncovered facts that, because of the large part of Reinhardt's life that exists only in the oral tradition, would certainly have been lost without them.
Django Reinhardt, one of the more remarkable and mysterious characters of his time, deserves a first-rate biography. This is it.
If your'e into Django.......2005-12-02
then your going to eat up this book. The writing is a little silly and cliched but there is a LOT of info on Django as well as the history of jazz in Europe. The book rolls along nicely and builds up to a climax 2/3s in just before Django's american tour with Ellington. Then the book becomes an extremely dull onslaught of facts rather than a biographical story. I just wanted it to end. then he did this. then he did this. then he did this. and then he did this. Hello... Did the writer just get bored with the material? Alot of research though so we'll have to give him credit for this. and there isn't a whole lot of writing about Django out there so it will have to suffice.
Phenomenal!.......2005-12-01
This is possibly one of the finest music biographies I've ever read (and I've read stacks). Instead of taking the tack of Django-worshipping, Dregni carefully and thoughtfully lays out all of the historical context around Django's life and music. This is a rarity among music biographies, which generally sum up historical context in literally just a few lines ("The Depression was over and times were tough, but the jukes were still swingin'"). Dregni does a fabulous job, and makes it interesting to boot.
He also doesn't cut Django too much slack, although he doesn't villainize him either. Genius is generally accompanied by a bit of madness, and always with a bit of narcissism, and Django had all of this, which doesn't make him a bad person, just a bit of a mad genius. Dregni did well expressing this.
All in all, Django had a phenomenal life and his body of work is practically unmatched in any genre, as far as quality and prolificness. Dregni simply gave us a historical context and a background behind the man who made it.
This book is recommended to jazz fans (whether gypsy jazz is your thing or not), musette fans, guitar players, Francophiles, those interested in gypsy culture, those interested in WWI and WWII, those interested in Paris in the '30s and '40s, history buffs, and so on.
Book Description
"You can tell the whole world: there'll never be another Bix Beiderbecke. Take that from Satchmo! He was a born genius…"--Louis Armstrong
Bix Beiderbecke is one of jazz music's most enigmatic figures, and he has captivated listeners since his career began in the 1920s. He died at just 28, leaving many loose ends and inspiring much speculation. This book aims to clarify many of the myths created by the musician's premature death and the fictionalizations of Bix's life (three novels and a film: "Remembering Bix" by Ralph Berton, "1929" by Fredericks W. Turner, and "Young Man with a Horn" by Dorothy Baker, and the 1950 film of Baker's novel by Michael Curtiz), and to update his two prior biographies ("Bix, Man and Legend" being out of print for many years). French jazz scholar Jean Pierre Lion traveled the trajectory of Bix's life, from birth to death, to boarding school, on tour and beyond, to find the true story of this pivotal figure.
Considered a genius by his fans and fellow musicians, Bix Beiderbecke was a master cornet player, and one of the most inspiring white jazz musicians of his age. He drank heavily during Prohibition, and fell ill from the toxic swill he had been drinking. When he died he left behind a tremendous list of recordings (included here in a definitive discography) and several original compositions. This biography culls the entirety of Bix scholarship into one volume, painting a complete picture of the man, his music, and his times.
Lion brings the true legend of Bix into historical context, underlining the importance of the jazz scene that Bix not only participated in, but also helped to establish. The originality of Bix's style has roots in New Orleans jazz and such classical composers as Debussy and Ravel, and this biography traces the evolution of these various inspirations alongside the tale of the white cornet player. Historical ambience is created by descriptions of the Chicago of the 1920s - ruled by Al Capone and peopled with fast cars, flappers and hot jazz musicians - and Bix's personality is fleshed out by excerpts from the few letters he wrote in his lifetime, and memories of friends and witnesses of the jazz-age. The story is lively and emotional, the testament of a true fan and a true scholar.
Customer Reviews:
If you're looking for Bix, you can stop here!.......2007-09-22
To put it simply, this is IT. The One. Order it.
Berton's book is a nice read but there's information in this book that changes the whole scope of how we should see Bix's depression/nomadism/problems. I'll not print it here, you'll have to read it.
Suffice it to say that of all the "reasonably available" books on Beiderbecke, this is the beginning AND the end.
Probably not the starting point for the neophyte but still, "THE DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY".
Wow!.......2007-07-16
This could be the definitive book on Bix. It has everything, lots of pictures (the publisher did it right and put the pictures where it relates to the text and not all together in the middle of the book which is cheaper for the publisher), copies of important documents and new information about his life not mentioned in other books, an embarrassing arrest of a High School age Bix that has either been throughly suppressed by the Beiderbecke family and/or a blind eye turned to this incident and ignored by previous biographers. When I first read about the incident I thought to myself I didn't need to know that and it kind of bothered me for a while. When I finished the book I had to admit that I really enjoyed the book and the research by the author was very extensive and thorough, at times uncomfortably so. Which is what a good biography should be. Highly recommended.
A gripping biography that reads like a novel..........2006-07-17
Incredibly well researched and eminently readable, "Bix" is a mandatory addition to the library of twentieth-century historians, Beiderbecke fans and casual listeners alike.
If Bix was there, Jean Pierre Lion was there too! .......2005-07-22
Previous Bix Beiderbecke biographies were marred by too much trivia and speculation. The late Philip Evans was the ultimate Bix biographer, but his books overwhelm you with minutia. Jean Pierre Lion depends heavily upon Evans' landmark research; in fact, he is quick to acknowledge all of the great Bix research by Richard Sudhalter and others.
But Mr. Lion, a French business executive with a deep passion for early jazz, has taken a very refreshing approach to the Bix story. As a Frenchman, he's able to stand back and put Bix in the context of the American Roaring '20s. The book is biography, part social history, part travel book. It's great reading, and not ruined by self-indulgent musical analysis. Lion wrote the book on the assumption that his readers already know a fair bit about Bix's musical contribution.
Mr. Lion traveled to virtually every single spot in America where Bix had an important moment. Given that Bix died at age 28, it was possible. And his book is full of his wonderful little photographs of these historic sites (old hotels, city streets, private homes, ballrooms, etc.) as they appear today. That may prove to have the greatest appeal to Bixologists. You can toss Jean Pierre's book in your car and go on one heck of a across-country field trip.
Like almost all jazz histories, this book won't sell well, and Mr. Lion obviously didn't create it for money. But it's a little treasure for jazz buffs - so don't let this one slip away! I immediately read it from cover to cover, and because of its beautiful visual appeal, it will be pulled from my book shelf for many years to come. Felicitations, Monsieur Lion!
Customer Reviews:
"'Bird' by others".......2007-01-13
This is the only book that I have read about Parker. So I can't compare it to other works. BUT it is a very enjoyable read. As the cover states there are extensive interviews with people who knew him best, including various ex-wives. Various incidents that are in the movie are described here, so I assume Eastwood, or whoever wrote the script, probably consulted this book. But, what is interesting is that the Book states that Chan and 'Bird' were never legally married. Don't think that fact was in the Movie.
Outstanding!.......2004-12-11
This book is less acclaimed than Ross Russell's book, but is far better than the latter. Reisner knew Bird well and he interviewed most of his associates. It's Bird in the words of those who knew him. A great piece of work!
Bird; The Ledgend Of Charlie Parker is a must read........1998-10-07
This book shows the life of Parker through the eyes of many of his collegues, friends, and family. Robert Riesner should be commmended for his work on this material because it's informitive and gives views of Parker through people that were in his life. This book is a must read for all "true" Bird fans.
this book was great.......1997-07-30
this book was about an epic struggle of a jazz musician in a New York city life.Im 16 and i play a lot of jazz and parker was a geat influence on me and my playin i worship him as a mucican and a jazz ico
Book Description
Take an in-depth look at Kenny Burrell's jazz guitar mastery with Wolf Marshall who will teach you how to play some of his hottest licks. The CD includes demos of each. Covers 10 songs, including: All of You * Autumn Leaves * Chitlins Con Carne * Groovin' High * In a Sentimental Mood * Moment's Notice * My Favorite Things * Since I Fell for You * This Time the Dream's on Me * Wholly Cats.
Book Description
Pat Martino learned how to play superb jazz guitar twice; he emerged as a powerful musical force in the '60s, playing pro at age 15, then had to relearn everything after brain surgery in 1980 caused him to forget how to play. With this book/CD pack, you can learn the trademark riffs, solos and compositions of this remarkable modern jazz guitar virtuoso. Features in-depth explorations of 14 works: All Blues * Along Came Betty * Blue in Green * Nefertiti * Oleo * Road Song * Stone Blue * The Visit * and more.
Customer Reviews:
A must for Martino clones, or any jazz player........2007-09-25
Ok, I just got the book and listened to the tracks. This is the best playing I've heard Wolf Marshall perform. The sound was accurate and the nuances were pretty good. It has to be really difficult to emulate a master like Pat. I thought it was much better than his Wes Montgomery book.
The first thing I noticed being missing was a basic explanation of the way Pat thinks about improvisation. Even if there was a page of so, it would go a long way in helping an aspiring jazz player learn their craft. There were (thankfully) some scalar references amd some notatations at the start of tunes.
However, I do not see it as a "Step By Step Breakdown.... " as in the title.
Everything was easy to read. I didn't much care for tablature, I would have preferred fingering and position markings like in Pat's other work (Linear Expressions). Some of the fingerings do not make sense to someone who studies Pat's way of thinking, and I would be quite surprised if that was actually the way he played those phrases.
Some of the tracks had a head and solo, some just a solo. For us wanna be Martinos out there, I would have strongly preferred the track to be complete. Head, solo, and ending for each song. It would have been OK to leave out other instruments solos.
Regardless, if you are a Pat Martino fan at all, this is a must have! Between the Linear Expressions book and this, you should be able to hard bop with the best of them.
Personally, I don't know how Wolf is going to top this one. I do have a list of tunes if he wants to do Best of Pat Martino Vol 2.
This Pat is really a Wolf in a Martino's clothing!!!!!.......2006-09-06
There are several fantastic features that are not described well in the ad for this book. First of all - all the solos are on the right track while the band is on the left track - so you can turn Pat down and play with his rhythm section. This is a great feature if you want to practice soloing over a great band. Plus I dont think the advertisement made it clear that the notation is in tablature as well as standard.
After reading the forward in this book I slowly came to realize that the guitarist on the accompanying CD is NOT Pat Martino! It took me a while to come around because I couldn't believe anyone could match Pat so precisely - or for that matter - even play those lines so fluidly and powerfully like Pat. The match is so perfect that, when I read the list of musicians in the book I assumed the editor had simply omitted the name "Pat Martino" because it was understood that it was his book. But then my suspicions were aroused when the author/transcriber of the book appeared to be talking in the first person as if it were HE that recorded the CD. How could it be? I then looked up Wolf Marshall's web site and he is billed as the world's greatest guitarist impersonator. OK - I then accepted that it was - in principle - possible for someone to play like Pat.
Finally, I went back to the two recordings to compare to carefully examine how different the two solos were. I managed to synchronize the two recordings playing at the same time with THE REAL PAT playing in the left channel and the IMPOSTER PAT playing in the right channel. The tune I checked was the Road Song and I can attest that Wolf matched Pat - note for note - 99.9% of the time! There were just a few places I noticed slight differences, but most of the time I could not tell that there were two guitars playing - it simply sounded like the same guitar in both channels with different EQs. I have to believe that Wolf must have meticulously patched his solo together - line by line - using many overdubs to get it so perfect. I make this conjecture - not because the solo sounds pieced together - but because I don't believe it is humanly possible to reproduce such a complicated solo so precisely in real time. I don't think even Pat could reproduce his Road Song solo note for note in real time!
To conclude - Had I known that the CD was done by an Pat Martino imposter, I probably would not have purchased since I would not have believed it possible to do it well. But I am now a true believer! The big question in my mind now is: Why hasn't Wolf Marshall put out any of his own CD's? I checked his site and all his products appear to be instructional CD's in the styles of various famous guitarists. Why doesn't Wolf put out a series of new "Pat Martino" albums? How about "Wolf Marshall Records Every Real Book Tune in the Style of Pat Martino"? Could he do it? He obviously has the technique down - but I wonder if he could improvise his own lines in Pat's style... It would be a lot easier than transcribing all the real Pat Martino lines not-for-note! Anyway - many thanks to WOLF MARSHALL for taking the time and energy to create such a loving tribute to Pat Martino.
Book Description
Filled with hundreds of photos of one of the greatest drummers ever! Also includes CD recording of Gene with several big band orchestras. If you're a lover of "swing" and "jazz" music you must have this book. It's truly a collectable. Printed on special paper stock, all photographs have been carefully restored.
Customer Reviews:
indispensible!.......2006-08-07
This book/CD combination not only captures the sound and visual feel of Krupa and his era, it corrects the misinformation about him. As a matter of social history, it's good to be reminded of the hysteria that once surrounded recreational drugs in America.
But it is as a cultural and historical collection that this combo really shines. Any lover of jazz, drums and drumming has got to have this book and the CD represents a collection of incredible performances that are available nowhere else.
Book Description
poetry & prose
Customer Reviews:
Legends from Camp.......2001-01-28
I had the great pleasure to hear Lawson Fusao Inada read some of his poems from this book. It is truly inspirational to catch a glimpse, through his words, of his view of the world. "Legends from Camp" contains poems inspired by his childhood in an internment camp for Japanese Americans during WWII, his home in the state of Oregon, and his love of Jazz. On the back cover of the book, Leslie Marmon Silko writes: "Inada's ear for the musicality of English is unsurpassed: Legends from Camp is a veritable symphony you must not miss." This is so true.
Book Description
In addition to being a collection of transcriptions of the Buddy Rich solos featured on the BUDDY RICH JAZZ LEGEND videos (VH0196, VH0197), this publication concentrates on the specifics of The World's Greatest Drummer's playing. The techniques covered include left handed/bass drum coordination, drum set crossovers, cymbal patterns, left hand/right hand singles, left hand time patterns, hi-hat work, blisteringly fast alternating single strokes and various nuances that made Buddy so special. Together with the videos, or by itself, this book is a must for any drummer's library.
Customer Reviews:
Don't buy it.......2006-04-03
This transcription book is so inaccurate, it's mind-blowing. Minor mistakes are common in any transcription, but these transcriptions are so far off the mark that this book is useless. Even many of the indicated tempos are wrong! It's amazing that no one checked for accuracy before publishing this book. I was very disappointed.
Buddy Rich - Jazz Legend 1917 - 1987.......2006-02-25
There is a video tape that is tied to this book, but I could not find it to order it. I ordered the DVD with the same name as the book, but it does not follow the book, nor does the book follow the DVD. It would be good to have the video to follow along with the transcriptions in the book. The DVD is great (same name) but does not tie into the book.
Book Description
Learn the trademark riffs, solos and compositions of the man who revolutionized jazz on the saxophone. This book/CD pack provides in-depth analysis of twelve classics: Anthropology * Billie's Bounce (Bill's Bounce) * Bloomdido * Confirmation * Donna Lee * Kim * Ko Ko * Moose the Mooche * Now's the Time * Ornithology * Parker's Mood * Scrapple from the Apple.
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Django Reinhardt (Da Capo Paperback)
The Best of Django Reinhardt: A Step-by-Step Breakdown of the Guitar Styles and Techniques of a Jazz Giant
Django Reinhardt And the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz
The Classic Early Recordings in Chronological Order
The Best of Django Reinhardt
