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The Sound
The Sound
Author: Ross Russell
Only a few books have set down any part of the real jazz world...the drive that pushes an occasional genius...the tawdry grime of quick love in a nightclub dressing room...the dedication of a few musicians, and the mediocrity of most run-of-the-hall sidemen...the choking stranglehold of heroin on a trumpeter who is a national hero.
ISBN: 478075
Publication Date: 1961
Pages: 192
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 1

4.5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: McFadden-Bartell Corp.
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
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reviewed The Sound on
Recommended for those looking for something different. The story is fairly predictable--the ups and downs of a jazz musician in the early 1960s. It's the way the story is told that makes this stand out for me: Practically dripping with atmosphere, and no wonder--the author is a respected jazz scholar/historian with several nonfiction books to his credit. Many unique characters and lots of early-60s jazz slang, including what has to be one of the very earliest uses in print of "hipster"! Great cover, too.
reviewed The Sound on
The story is pretty routine--the ups and downs of jazz musicians in NYC and LA in the early 1960s. It's the writing that makes this stand out for me--practically bursting with atmosphere and lots of sharp dialogue. And no wonder: The author is a respected jazz music historian & scholar and has published several well-regarded nonfiction books on the subject. All this plus what must be one of the very first uses in print of the term "hipster"! Great cover, too!

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