5 comments about Too Marvelous for Words: The Life and Genius of Art Tatum.

1. I was disappointed although I don't think the fault lies with the author. He faced an uphill task as he notes with fading memories and a lack of cooperation with the family and other sources. Nor were the usual diaries or letters available. Although the matter is apparently in some dispute, there is little doubt, in my mind, that Tatum was legally, and for all practical purposes, blind. He was not likely to leave a written record behind.
   
   It was a sadder story than I anticipated. Reading between the lines, its hard not to conclude that alcoholism killed him. His family most likely wanted no part of this project because they didn't want to dredge all that up again.
   
   So, much of the story rests on speculation and supposition of the author. I think he exercises good judgment on most issues except the issue of Fats Waller's influence on Tatum's piano playing. One of the few statements Tatum had on the record was that his primary influence was Fats Waller. The author chooses Earl Fatha Hines as the more likely influence.
   
   Well, I'm with Tatum on this issue. I hear Waller's touch, I hear Waller's whole piano sound. I hear Waller in the background. Of course, Tatum recasts the sound of stride piano in a new light, but there is a strong element of stride piano with more than a few tips of the hat to Waller.
   
   This doesn't in any way diminish Hines as a wonderful and influential piano player. But, Earl HInes piano in the 1920's came out of the riffs and breaks structure used by the Chicago bands of that era, Armstrong and Morton. The runs that Hines played were really akin to the breaks a soloist in the 20's would play between two band riffs. He developed and expanded on that idea. I hear Hines in Teddy Wilson and Nat King Cole, not Tatum.
   
   Tatum's piano is based on Harlem stride all the way.
   
   With Tatum, the piano was his everything. Away from the piano, he was evidently a lost soul. I'm thankful that Norman Granz recorded Tatum in his last years and preserved his aptly named "Solo Masterpieces" for us to hear.



2. 
   Art Tatum is considered by many to be the greatest jazz pianist who ever lived. Though blind in one eye and with limited sight in the other, he was gifted with perfect pitch and, through study and practice, developed the most advanced harmonic and melodic means of improvising on a song known (some musicians were afraid to play with him, knowing they couldn't keep up with his musicianship). He was born in Toledo, Ohio, and began playing piano at an early age, performing professionally on the radio by age 17. He went to NYC, the jazz Mecca, in 1932, and soon had every jazz pianist in the city in awe of him. He made a series of recordings for Decca between 1934 and 1941, often in a solo setting, many of which are still considered definitive performances. He also began working on fabled 52nd Street with a trio consisting of Slam Stewart (bass) and Tiny Grimes (guitar), which became a big success. In the 1950s, Norman Granz recorded Tatum in marathon sessions, some with guest artists, others in the solo format, that became a monument to his legacy. Tatum died in LA in 1956.
   
   James Lester has written an entertaining and informative biography of the great pianist. He interviewed hundreds of musicians who knew or played with Art, and the excerpts from these interviews, which are interspersed throughout the text, are delightful. What impressed most musicians about Tatum's playing was his sheer musical brilliance and technical virtuosity. Nobody played MORE piano than Tatum. Lester also deals with the down sides to Art's life: his unstable marriage and family life, the incredibly heavy drinking (one fellow pianist who knew him reported that he believed it was "routine" for Tatum to drink two quarts of whiskey and a case of beer every 24 hours). But through it all Art Tatum produced some of the most remarkable jazz piano music ever heard. Lester's biography serves such a master well.



3. It's been about 10 years since this book was published. I've read it over and over more than 10 times.Lester never made any bones about finding new material about Art. He always admitted that he was just putting pen to paper about Tatum using known history, just because nobody else had seen fit to do so--- yet.
   Lester loved that man-- as did anybody who was lucky enough to know him. I was one of the lucky ones. The book is a gem; it manages to get to the very essence of Tatum, the man. We all know everything about Tatum the brilliant super-pianist. Now you have the chance to read about Tatum, the boy next door.

   ...




4. This is not an ordinary biography of an extraordinary musian: it is an excellent biography. It's the best jazz bio I have read, in fact. Concise, compelling, carefully crafted into a meaningful story about the greatest jazz pianist ever. The book is built on dozens of interviews with people who had entered or witnessed moments of Tatum's life. Lester quotes generously, nimbly weaving the material together to form a rich picture of an often elusive character. Tatum emerges as an absorbing, riveting figure. This is a must for all those fascinated with the origins and development of genius: innate or acquired? And for those fascinated with Tatum: unique phenomenon or "mere" virtuoso? There is much food for thought here.



5. (...) Reading "Too Marvelous For Words" is true to Tatum's life. Jim Lester, he a trombonist, presents an exhaustive survey of who the man was. I've read and re-read the book several times; getting more enjoyment each time.

   (...)

1 comments about Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement.

1. Daniel Levine's biography Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement portrays the life of the complex and unique Bayard Rustin. Born in Pennsylvania in 1912, Bayard grew up in an environment that would prepare him for a life campaigning for pacifism, civil rights, and human rights, interacting with people of various backgrounds in personal, professional, and political arenas.
   Rustin was raised by his grandmother, an early member of the NAACP, who instilled Quaker pacifism in Bayard and also exposed him to prominent black figures. Rustin attended an integrated high school where he excelled, and began to resist racial discrimination and to inspire other students, black and white, to do so as well. He also formed friendships with Jewish classmates and empathized with them. Rustin developed as a brilliant, confident, compassionate man with the ability and charisma to accomplish great things as a pacifist and civil rights supporter.
   Rustin is best known as the organizer behind the 1963 March on Washington at which Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, but he began his pursuit of social justice long before that, and the causes he advocated also included peace, gay rights (Rustin was homosexual), and combating poverty. In World War II, Rustin became involved in the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), an anti-war group. As a FOR member, he befriended Jay Holmes Smith, a supporter of Gandhi in India, and from him developed a deep understanding of non-violent direct action (NVDA). As a conscientious objector, he was imprisoned for refusing to comply with the draft in any way. In prison, he began working to desegregate black and white prisoners, applying the principles of NVDA for the first time in the US to challenge racial discrimination.
   With the end of the war, Rustin's attention began its shift from the pacifist movement to the civil rights movement. Notably, he helped organize the Journey for Reconciliation in 1947, which would serve as the model for the Freedom Rides in 1961. In the 1950's, Rustin became acquainted with Martin Luther King, Jr., whom he exposed to NVDA. Rustin inspired King to utilize NVDA as the most effective tool in the Civil Rights Movement. When King became the major figure of the movement, Rustin advised him. As the Civil Rights Movement gained momentum, Rustin and A. Phillip Randolph organized the March on Washington, the most momentous event of the movement.
   Rustin sought not only to stage protests, but to effect change. This led him to his close involvement with the Democrats in the 1960's, as the Johnson administration achieved passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. Rustin would not renounce Johnson and therefore would not demand an immediate end to the Vietnam War, in a break from his pacifist past. Throughout his life, Rustin maintained close ties to the Jewish community and supported Israel's right to exist, eventually calling for US arms support for Israel. In his later years, Rustin worked for an end to American poverty and for human rights world wide, but he was no longer a pacifist. Still, until his death in 1987, Rustin remained committed to a vision of greater social justice.
   In Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement, Levine portrays many contradictions of Rustin's eccentric personality. Yet, he does not reconcile these contradictions and does not sufficiently elaborate on how these eccentricities may have been detrimental to Rustin, other than to say that his homosexuality damaged his image and led him to resign from organizations more than once. He portrays a man who foolishly believes he is "omnicompetent" but then contradictorily says Rustin was "lacking self-importance." Also, Levine does not challenge Rustin's almost unequivocal support for Israel. Rustin's friends were mostly Jewish, which must have influenced his decision to call for arms support for Israel, rather than to campaign for the Palestinian refugees. Addressing such contradictions would have provided a fuller depiction of Bayard Rustin.
   Overall, Levine's biography is an excellent introduction to Bayard Rustin, conveying many aspects of both his public and private life. Levine explains how and why Rustin was an effective leader as a man with clear objectives and logical actions. Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement highlights the life works of Rustin, and in doing so justifies Rustin as an important figure on his own, and not merely in relation to Martin Luther King, Jr., as he is often portrayed. While Levine is certainly a champion of Rustin's, he does not glorify him so much as to be unaware of Rustin's shortcomings, addressing Rustin's personal failures and the ineffectuality of some of his projects. In the end, these shortcomings are greatly overshadowed by Rustin's successes.
   After reading Levine's biography, I have developed a great appreciation for Bayard Rustin as an ethical, rational, brilliant, and charismatic man. I hope to develop a greater knowledge of Rustin, to learn more about his organizations and to hear recordings of his speeches. Daniel Levine's work was an excellent book for an introduction to such a dynamic, fascinating, and important man.

4 comments about One Love: Life with Bob Marley and the Wailers.

1. GREAT pictures of Peter Tosh and of course of Bob and the rest of the Wailers . I found the book to be a bit of an ego trip for the author to point himself out at every oportunity in the pictures that he was in haming up the shot as he always seem to be Bogarting .Some how Lee always looks even more disshevled than the rastas themselves. You cant become a rasta you have to be one from time begun and it is obvious the author got on board way down the line but kudos for getting onboard that train. Rare photos of Tosh for his debut solo album are the real prize here as are some rare shots of Bob . Worth buying just for cutting out pictures and framing them. Peace to Lee.



2. Although I found some rare pictures of BOB in this book, I was rather suprised to see a lot of other pictures "frozen" from live video foootage from "Rebel Music". As a result there are many pictures with very poor quality. It appears that he filled out the book with any thing he could find. I have not finished reading the book yet, but I am not that impressed with the pictures, and secondly Lee Jaffe only know BOB for a couple of years. Unfortunately we "die hard" Marley fans buy anything with Marley on it. I give the book a C rating.



3. finally lee JAHfee puts out a book on Bob. a great book. sometimes you can almost feel like you are there with Bob and lee and the others. his recollection is top notch. roger steffens question are just the ones i hoped he would ask lee. the photos are amazing. precise and to the point. the large coffee table format is nice too. now we just need lee's book on tosh and joe higgs.



4. "One Love" is great for two reasons: 1) the extremely rare pictures and 2) Lee Jaffe's chronicles of the Wailers personalities and experiences.

   This book is chock full of extremely rare Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Bob Marley photos, most of which have only been seen by those close to Lee Jaffe. As an example, if you are reading this review, you are most likely aware of Peter Tosh's Legalize It album cover...you know, the one where he is sitting in a ganja field with his pipe. Contained within the pages of this glorious book are several pictures from the Legalize It photo shoot by Jaffe, who had a trigger happy finger, and Jaffe's impeccable memory allows for detailed captions of the photos in the book.

   He also tells of his experiences with Bob Marley and crew, in response to Roger Steffens' probing questions. Jaffe has a lot to say and doesn't leave any details out. I bought the book for the pictures and was very satisfied with Jaffe's words. Through Jaffe we glean minute details about what life was like for the Wailers and crew prior to "bussing it" on the international music scene. He brings those experiences to life.

   As a bonus, this book is attractively laid out with vibrant color schemes that are not too busy.

5 comments about Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case.

1. But if you are a tabloid Junkie---this is the book for you. Though Dimond trys to sound un-biased she de-humanizes Mr. Jackson by using the term "Jackson team" and believes every person she interveiws even after stating their financial intentions.She gives Jackson very little sympathy and believes him to be a molester based on interviews with poeple that were mysteriously fired or supoosedly quit or they really didn't even know Michael at all.
   Lets face it we are going to believe what we want to believe, and Ms. Dimond wants to believe he is evil.
   So I'll say it again...
   This book is cheap and I am ashamed I read it.



2. Dimond left the courtroom every time the state finished up and the defense came up which makes her reporting biased according to courtroom attendees. She also was sued once by Michael Jackson which makes her slightly less than credible to report on him. I skimmed through this book and it was basically the same stuff you hear on TV probably due to no one from Jackson's side would talk to Dimond. A waste of money.



3. Honestly, Michael Jackson was always my favourite singer and showman, and everything that was going on around him was of great interest to me. The child abuse scandals both in 1993 and in 2005 did make me feel a little nervous as I could not really be sure whether I liked a normal person or a pervert. I bought this book to try and sort out where the controversy lay. Although it's written by a journalist, I was surprised there was so little evidence of what might make me change my mind about the case. There was a lot of information about the case documents, written testimonies and whatever else might be related to the case, but no pictures of at least one piece of paper from these documents - so it remains at that, just the words of a journalist. Some transcripts of dialogues which still gave no clue about what had actually happened. All in all, I was bored reading this stuff, but one of the last chapters really gave me the creeps - the part about the jury entering the courtroom to pass the verdict but not looking up and desperately trying to show that they disagree with the verdict they have just decided on.
   
   If you're an MJ fan, you may read that. But I doubt it may change your opinion about Michael, although this book is simply meant to make people change their minds or at least feel some doubt about his innocence.



4. Diane Dimond has done an extraordinary job of having delivered an organized, easy reading view behind the scenes of the molestation accusations and trial of Jackson. It's presented without bias in a factual and sequential manner that is fast reading and compelling. Diane Dimond should consider a new career as a true crime writer.



5. Having followed the Jackson trial and reading the transcripts, I really expected this book to be a biased rehash of the Jackson trial. Insted I discovered it had a great narrative and less bias than I expected.
   
   The story of the first Michael Jackson case (1993) took almost half the book, which is why I graded Be Careful Who You Love a 4. One of her primary sources was Ray Chandler, and I had already read his book. These chapters seemed like an abreviated version of All That Glitters, which I also have on my bookshelf. However, if you have not read this book, you will be glad she included the detail in these chapters.
   
   When she discussed the witnesses on both sides during the recent trial, she gives them all a fair shake. She will admit when prosecution witnesses fell short, including the alleged victim's mother.
   
   Of all books on this trial, I would recommend this one above all the others I have read.

5 comments about An American Dream: The Life of an African American Soldier and Pow Who Spent Twelve Years in Communist China.

1. Clarence Admas was one of my mom's best friend during the Foreign Langauges Press (Beijing) time between 1961 and 1966. I was a yound child at the time and played with Della a lot as childhood friends. Even I was young, Adams had clearly left me a deep impression as a hard working and happy man.
   
   This book, An American Dream, through his personal acconts, taught me the race issues that existed in United States and I also learned how his choice was made to pursue freedom and happiness. I fully understand how he chose China now.
   
   Both China and United states are(were) not "perfect" countries and they are all in their learning curve based on their own cultural, historical backgrounds including ecomonic conditions, etc.. We all should go beyond labeling people or country. This book builds a small but effective bridge on mutural understanding of our past.
   
   For Adams, I admire his determination to make his life in the United States against overwelming odds to find a job in Memphis. This shows that for people who want to to work will be able to find a job. Success is indeed a life choice. Adams' life is a successful story on surving the Korean war, making the right choice for himself in 1954, did well in China, and again did well in Memphis againt unthinkable difficulties. Clarence Adams' character is truly memorable.
   
   
   I suggest people who want to understand China, want to understand racial issues in the United States and want to learn history ... this is book provides an unvarnished personal accounts.
   
   For people want to find out more, please search Internat "They Chose China"... a documentary film.



2. I came across Clarence Adams' story by chance. I was doing research on a documentary he was featured in, and intrigued by the little I read about him, I made a point of tracking down his book.
   When I got hold of An American Dream, I read it in one sitting. It's a phenomenal story! Adams' strength of character and guts shine through on each page. I wish I could have met him.
   If you're interested in modern China, the Korean war, or civil rights in America or if you just like reading about heroes, you'll enjoy this book. I encourage you to add it to your collection.



3. I found this book so interesting, that I finished it in a matter of hours. I have a deep respect for Clarence Adams and the choice he made to refuse repatriation to his country and seek a new life elsewhere. History now shows that the fear of Communism (through wars abroad and McCarthyism at home) was blown out of proportion. Furthermore, Clarence Adams grew up in a time of segregation and injustice against racial minorities. It makes only logical sense for him to seek a better life somewhere else.
   
   I do not view him as a traitor or turncoat. In fact, by exercising his rights to have 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,' he is more "American" than many of the detractors and exaggerators of the American Media Machine as well as some members of the military and government.
   
   Some may say that his fight was at home for Civil Rights and that he should have been here. However, that view is only spoken through hindsight. For Clarence Adams, he had no idea that equal rights would even be acheived in his lifetime. Furthermore, he was only one person of humble origins and was a high school dropout. When the odds are that far stacked against you, sometimes the only way to fight a broken system is to refuse to be a part of it.
   
   I would like to thank his daughter, Della, for sharing her father's story. I would also like to thank Lewis H. Carlson for the work and research that went into this book.



4. Anyone with an open mind would have to conclude that Mr. Adams lived an honorable and remarkable life. Through this book, I saw a man whose love for freedom was above everything else. It is the true essence of an American dream.



5. This book should be listed under Fiction. The truth is he deserted his country and then realized how great it was. He suffered poverty and hardships for his traitorous decision and came running back with his tail between his legs. He shouldn't have been allowed back. He never said he was sorry. He never said he made a mistake. He played a victim to the end. Shame on him for this (very capitalistic) attempt to make money. A real man would have come back and joined the fight for Civil Rights in America. It bothers me that he enjoyed the benefits of something he wouldn't fight for...

4 comments about To Keep the Waters Troubled: The Life of Ida B. Wells.

1. And one of the ten most impressive people I've ever read about, period. I can't say too much about how awed I am of the life of Ida B. Wells. Had I been her contemporary I would have worn out my knees trying to propose to her until she married me. McMurry's book shows how this woman has been short changed by history due to her uncompromising belief in African American equal rights and self-respect. She and people like another African American who doesn't get his due, Monroe Trotter, have been marginalized merely because in their day they demanded the same degree of self-respect and political and educational rights that Caucasians of every stripe took for granted. They were considered "radical" and "militant" for not compromising the way virtually all other African American leaders did during their era. Their marginalization goes a long way in explaining why the African American persona has never featured the degree of chutzpah and daring it has needed for us to advance farther than we have. Instead, all of us have been too heavily influenced by leaders promoted over Wells-Barnett and Trotter, who instilled caution within us as a people, virtually as second nature. Not even W.E.B. Du Bois conducted himself with the degree of pride and fortitude that people like Wells-Barnett and Trotter did. McMurry's book deserves a place on all reading lists in American history classes so that everyone can truly understand the troubling forces that made this country what it is today, and the manner in which people like Wells-Barnett were purposely silenced as part of a plan to keep African Americans oppressed.



2. This book is interesting and easy to read, but hard to take. Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a complex person: incredibly smart, brave and strong, but at the same time, prickly and ultra sensative.The book also puts America's current racial and gender problems into perspective, showing us that we haven't come very far from the late 19th century's attitudes toward and treatment of African-Americans and women. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about a great American or wants to face and learn more about America's shameful history. That said, the author's style makes it easy to read. Amazingly enough for a scholarly biography, I would often find myself reading late into the night because I couldn't put it down.



3. McMurray's biography of Ida B. Wells-Barnett is a rare triumph. Wells-Barnett was a courageous American whose valor is depicted in full color. All too frequently, when there is a discussion of the impact of race, there is a mistaken assumption that black males comprise the affected population. Similarly, when gender is raised as an issue, the false assumption is that white women are the only ones to be affected. Wells-Barnett was an American woman of African descent who fought the societally-mandated strictures of race and sex until her death. I am emboldened by her deeds since too many of the same strictures still exist. I applaud McMurray for her scholarship in this biography's portrayal of the life of Wells-Barnett. This book is definitely recommended.



4. I came away from this book with new respect for Wells, and her courage. I was overwhelmed with sadness after reading some of the details of the lynchings and the effect on the survivors. The book contains an excellent analysis of the real reason for many lynchings:economic competition.

4 comments about Medal of Honor: One Man's Journey From Poverty and Prejudice (Memories of War).

1. I met MSG Benavidez in 1990 while stationed in NJ. I had the distinct honor of driving him around for 2 days while he was there to speak, and that experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. One thing that I remember is him saying that 22 years later metal fragments were still occasionally working their way out of his body.

   I still have his picture hanging on my wall after 14 years. I have an extremely short list of hero's; Roy Benavidez holds the top slot...




2. MSG Roy Benevidez was an amazing person, and that's putting it mildly. In spite of his fearful wounds from his first tour-of-duty and doctors saying that he would never walk again, he went on to become an elite member of the US Army Special Forces. His actions in combat showed him to be brave, his actions after made him a hero. Roy Benevidez was not out to gain glory and status from his actions, nor did he ever look for pity because of his humble upbringings. Though his ancestry was Mexican-Indian and Hispanic, he always said, "I prefered to think of myself simply as an American." He had a "never say die" attitude, and strong sense of morals. He possesed neither vanity nor false modestly, and he served as an example of what one can accomplish in a lifetime. Sadly, MSG Roy Benevidez died in 1998. He truely was an American Hero! May God bless his soul.



3. I was privileged to know and very fortunate to have served with Roy Benavidez. His entire life was a struggle: from his difficult early years in Texas, to his incredible struggle to remain in the Army after his first tour's devastating wounds, to his amazing jump status qualification after the doctors told him he would never walk again, to his incredible heroism that resulted in the MOH (but only after another long battle with the bureaucracy that refused to acknowledge heroism at a time that the country was trying to "forget" Vietnam) and finally, the redemption that came on the White House steps with the MOH ceremony, the "last" MOH given out for Vietnam service. I am glad that Brassey's has put the book out in paperback so that kids can read about Roy and learn to never give up. God Bless You, Roy.



4. Roy Benevidez must have been an incredible person. The feelings and thoughts he shares through out the book shows that behind "The Medal" there was a very real individual. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what really goes through the mind of a hero.

5 comments about Jelly's Blues: The Life, Music, and Redemption of Jelly Roll Morton.

1. This is an excellent book which gives us a full picture of the life of Jelly Roll Morton, one of the most important figures in early Jazz. Though Morton is remembered by many critics and fans as a bitter man who claimed he "invented Jazz", a pimp, a card shark, a liar, and an all-around lousy human being, after reading this book, I have come to think of him as an American musical genius and a man with great strength and pride in his work. "Black Bottom Stomp" is one of the most wonderful pieces of music in history; I have never heard such amazing musicianship in such a short song. The tune is literally crammed with ideas. "Deep Creek" is Jelly Roll's masterpiece in my opinion, and "Dead Man Blues" and "Pretty Lil" are not far behind. The author does an excellent job of discussing all of these tunes, and how Jelly Roll was able to read, write, and compose music, as well as tell all of his band members exactly (and we mean exactly!) how to play their instruments. I enjoy his music even more than that of Louis Armstrong, and feel that he is a truly under-appreciated genius in the field of Jazz, and American music in general. Lester Melrose is a real s.o.b. and really robbed Jelly Roll. He cheated him out of countless dollars. The author does a wonderful job of helping Mr. Morton redeem himself. Until the very end of his life, Jelly Roll Morton tried to record music that was light years ahead of what everyone else was writing and playing. This book is excellently written, fun, tragic, and highly recommended!



2. Very much of Morton's life and legacy remain in controversy, controversy in part created by Morton's own assertiveness about his seminal role in creating Jazz and the often blunt defense he made of himself against rivals like WC Handy. Reich seeks to come to Morton's defense by using recently available documents including letters from Morton to a long time collaborator and the newly-found manuscripts of Morton's compositions of the late 1930s and 1940. Along the way he presents a fairly accurate and useful picture of Morton's youth than other reporters.
   
   Reich's strength is his depiction of Morton's last years when money ran out, his health declined, and the recording industry felt that Morton was out of fashion. He provides a great explanation of how the Melrose Brothers cheated Morton and others out of millions of royalty dollars. He also describes very well the way that ASCAP limited membership for Black composers like Handy and then provided them a pittance of the money it collected off of their compositions during the 1930s and 1940s. For those concerned about the controversies between Handy and Morton, it must be pointed out that Handy's autobiography written in 1941 ends with a paen to ASCAP, without mentioning the struggle that Morton and other Black composers had with that organization.
   
   Morton was one of the great musicians and composers in American history. However, American capitalism's ability to milk his creativity without paying him anything reached its bleak end in his final illness. Morton could not afford decent medical attention as heart problems assailed him. He could afford only a few days in a rest home where he was told that months of such care could have lead to his survival.
   
   One of the areas that this book provides a corrective is in relation to the Alan Lomax interviews with Jelly Roll Morton. In the mid 1930s, Morton, living in Washington spent hours being interviewed by Lomax for the library of country. Reich explains that Lomax brought a bottle of whiskey to each session and encouraged Morton to drink, knowing that Morton's comments would be come more exaggerated and pugnaciou, the more whiskey Morton drunk. This coincides with Lomax's behavior throughout his career of trying to make sources he found reflect what he wanted. Very much of Morton's reputation as an unreliable braggart comes from these interviews.



3. 
   
   The great trumpeter Rafael Mendez once said that he lived by one golden rule his father taught him: "Never boast. Someone better than you may be lurking around the corner, waiting to take your place." This was a lesson that Jelly Roll Morton (1886-1941) didn't learn until bad luck, lack of opportunity and rivals who DID take his place (particularly Ellington and Art Tatum) humbled him into reassessing his talent and his place in contemporary music. But, as this remarkable book points out, he not only learned his lessons but learned from them, remaking both his image and his music in the face of near-total indifference.
   
   When reading through this bio, I had reached about page 148 and had some reservations as to its worth over Alan Lomax's half-bio, half-autobiography, "Mister Jelly Lord." It seemed to me that the authors had bent over backward to excuse Morton's past as a pimp, gambler and hustler simply because he was the first to codify jazz in written music, and indeed even seemed to claim his superiority as a jazz musician over such luminaries as Bunk Johnson, Louis Armstrong and Sidney Bechet. Chapter Five, in particular, had several errors in both fact and judgment, consistently referring to Morton making his early acoustic recordings in front of "microphones" (they used a big metal horn to focus the sound into a steel cutting needle, no microphones were used at all, hence the term "acoustic"), renaming Bing Crosby as Bill (a typo so glaring that even a modern yuppie proofreader should have spotted it), and their astounding demotion of the New Orleans Rhythm Kings to "a rinky-dink ensemble" in their records without Morton. (In plain truth, the NORK was the first band to actually swing on records, even from their very first records in 1922, by virtue of their rolling, "loping" beat, similar in feel to that of Sidney Bechet's New Orleans Feetwarmers of a decade later. Listen and hear for yourself.)
   
   At this point, then, I was going to give this book 3 stars, mostly for factual accuracy but not for value judgments or style. But then something happened. They began chronicling, in full detail, the meeting and eventual partnership of Morton and Roy Carew. They fully documented, as Lomax had not, all of Morton's personal, medical and legal battles with their results in his lifetime and after. They described in full Morton's second and last stay in New York, quoted what he really said to black musicians on the street corners of Harlem, and told just how he re-evaluated the musical value of contemporary musicians and planned to compete with them. And they described in detail his sad last months in California and the creative new music he had written for large orchestra, something far beyond his greatest accomplishments of the 1920s.
   
   Morton, then, is truly given his just due as a man and musician. The loudmouthed "braggart" is revealed as a man who did not proselytize his music above all others in Harlem, but warned younger black musicians not to trust the powers that be in the music business of their time because they would get railroaded as he had. The quixotic dreamer who Lomax described as wanting to create carbon-copy Red Hot Peppers bands across America to push his name above all others is shown as a man who truly cared about finding work in the Depression for good musicians who deserved better. And the "moldy fig" whose stomps and blues were already outdated by 1939 is shown as a vital creator who was still coming up with startling new material. So much is already evident to Morton fans from a few of the 1939-40 General recordings, but this book also describes his innovative large-band scores "Mr. Joe," "Oh Baby" (not to be confused with the pop `20s song of the same name), "Why?" and especially "Ganjam." More satisfyingly for the reader, it chronicles how Morton's "loudmouthed" complaints of the early 1940s eventually led to real reform in the 1950s and `60s of the entire music business and the rules it had to follow.
   
   As a result, I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Forget the sometimes stiff and schoolbookish writing style. Forget the occasional errors in fact and judgment. The overall picture it paints of Mr. Jelly Lord, especially in his last years, is a fine and noble one. If you think you know the Morton story, I'm here to tell you you DON'T, at least not until you read this book. I always had the utmost respect for Morton's musical mind, one of those rare organs that was able to remember with photographic precision everything it heard and synthesize it into a unique and personal style. Now I have respect for Morton the person as well, at least the Morton of his last years. Jelly Roll had indeed redeemed himself, and you WILL be startled by some of the things you read here. I guarantee it.



4. The book contains a number of careless errors. For example, it repeatedly states that King Oliver recorded Morton's "Wolverine Blues" (which he didn't--they're confusing it with "Weatherbird Rag," written by Louis Armstrong). Regarding "solo tunes... recorded on July 8, 1929," the authors mention "'Pop' (a revisiting of 'Seattle Hunch')." The correct title, "Pep," bears some similarity to the earlier "Stratford Hunch," not to "Seattle Hunch," which was recorded after "Pep." Other mistakes are evident...
   
   Also, the focus on Morton's health and financial problems comes at the expense of his musical achievements--his monumental Library of Congress sessions receive a single paragraph in the main text. For those interested in Morton, I'd recommend the great "'Oh, Mister Jelly' - A Jelly Roll Morton Scrapbook" by William Russell and "Mister Jelly Lord" by Laurie Wright (neither are easy to find), as well as "Dead Man Blues" and the landmark "Mister Jelly Roll."



5. This book offers a great look into the world of jazz's beginnings as well as telling a highly engaging and emotional story. It works partly because, even though you know the outcome is not going to be a happy one, you find yourself pulling for Jelly, hoping that somehow the ending at least has some happiness to it. Whenever there's a ray of hope, though, there is a but or however right around the corner.
   
   The book is also a lucid portrait of the type of discrimination that existed in the American music industry at the time.
   
   Tastefully written and not maudlin in its sympathy for Jelly. There are also nice descriptions of what technically set his music apart and ahead of its time.

5 comments about All on Fire: William Lloyd Garrison and the Abolition of Slavery.

1. Bad
   
   A. The narrative pace is just awful. I don't know what it is about this book I almost didn't make it past the first 40 pages because the begining moves so slowly.
   B. The idiotic "conspiracy theory" idea regarding the Texas Revolution. Someday right minded people everywhere will be able to laugh conspiracy nuts right off the street.
   Good
   
   The book has a great deal of information regarding the beginnings of an organized abolitionist movement in this country. Garrison was the focal point for this when the movement started to move beyond isolated groups of idealists and Quakers and started to be taken seriously as a genuine force for social change.
   
   Overall-Once you get into the book it is amazing, but you have to be in the right mood to do so.



2. Now a book that shows two sides of slavery that all white people were not all for slavery .Like Dr.martin luther king was saying that slavery was not about black against white ,but justice againt injustice.Because if all men and women are not free then we are all in chains.Books like this one has giving us a balance look at one of america darkest sides. But men like Garrison showed us that their were men and women that were a light of hope that all men are created equal . And being a black man I must say thank you to all the blackmen and women and white men and women of the past for fighting a fight that many of us still fight for today .And that is for an opportunity to live as we were when God created us in the beginnig as, a human being thank you.



3. William Lloyd Garrison was a man ahead of his time. Not by years or even decades, but centuries. In the 1830s he was an outspoken proponent of not just the abolition of slavery (many advocated various ways to deal with the South's "peculiar institution"), but called for the immediate abolition of slavery with complete and full civil rights for African-Americans. He dreamed of a time when a black woman might succeed a black man as Secretary of State a decade before the Supreme Court ruled that blacks were something less than human in the infamous Dredd Scott decision. He was also an early advocate of women's rights, labor reform, temperance and civil disobedience, as well as an outspoken critic of organized religion (Garrison was what we might today call a fundamentalist "born again Christian" who recognized no formal church other than Christ's teachings).
   
   Given Garrison's role as founding father of the abolitionist movement, his passion for the cause, longevity in leadership and terminal impact on the greatest political issue of the nineteenth century it is puzzling that he has left such an obscure historical legacy. As author Herbert Mayer notes, Martin Luther King Jr. cited Gandhi, Thoreau and the Gospel as his inspiration and motivation in the Civil Rights movement with no reference to the man whose peaceful agitation did more to eradicate bondage than any other -- and who in turn may very well have been Thoreau's inspiration in writing "Civil Disobedience."
   
   So why the obscurity? Mayer's biography does little to address this paradox. In fact, his book makes Garrison's general absence from the mainstream of American history all the more tenebrous. The man that emerges from the pages of "All on Fire" is a moral giant, a crusader in the purest and best sense of the word, who risked -- indeed, welcomed -- verbal and physical abuse, a life of indigence and scorn, all in pursuit of a truly noble cause. Garrison grew up in New England and never traveled further south than Baltimore until after the Civil War, yet he dedicated his life to the abolition of slavery with an intensity and zeal that surpassed dissident southern whites (such as the Grimke sisters) and even some blacks that had escaped from bondage themselves. Because of his central role in establishing and leading the cause, "All on Fire" is, as the full title suggests, as much a history of the entire abolitionist movement as it is a biography of its leading agitator.
   
   However, a close reading of "All on Fire" also reveals a hidden side of William Lloyd Garrison that Mayer, unfortunately, never fully explores: a man of extreme ambition, vanity, and conceit. Garrison fought tenaciously to keep himself at the front-and-center of the moral movement he came to regard as his own. One senses that the fame and notoriety he gained by his agitation came to mean quite a lot to him. In this sense, Garrison reminds one of a contemporary political gadfly increasingly enamored of his high-profile image: Michael Moore. Perhaps Garrison's attraction to celebrity never fully outweighed his commitment to the ultimate prize of freeing three million humans from bondage, but it certainly meant more than the pious Christian in him would have liked to admit -- and certainly more than biographer Mayer is willing to concede. Again and again throughout the narrative Garrison experiences a painful and personal falling out with some of his closest friends and coadjutors: Frederick Douglas, Wendell Phillips, the Tappan brothers, etc. And time after time Mayer attributes the rift to simple misunderstandings or the result of the stress and pressure of the times. That Garrison might have been something less than the Galahad on ante-bellum America is left unexplored.
   
   Nevertheless, for anyone with a desire to know more about America and especially to learn about a man that was once one of the most controversial and well-known figures of his century, only to sink to near anonymity, this National Book Award finalist can be highly recommended.



4. Let's just get the obvious criticisms out of they way. First, the author pretty much flat out states that The Civil War was fought only because of slavery--and in the preface! Yawn. Will I ever be able to find a Northerner who can write a book that examines both sides of the conflict? I mean southern writers do it all the time. The second problem is the assertion that the Texas Revolution was some kind of government conspiracy--from Pres. Jackson on down to Sam Houston--to perpetuate slavery and continue manifest destiny. While I'm sure some men fought for those reasons, this moronic conspiracy theory about secret government shenanigans has no basis whatsoever. In fact, I would recommend the wonderful biography, Sam Houston, by James Haley. It expertly destroys that awful line of thinking that has somehow survived all these years.
   
   But, being from Texas, I tend to be sensitive to such things. For most people it won't matter.
   
   I still highley recommend All On Fire, though. It is very well written and researched. But most of all, it is the only real biography on Garrison worth reading. And say what you want about the author's biases, he can't muddle the fact that Garrison was one of this country's great patriots, willing to stand up to anyone to free his fellow man. He dedicated his entire life to this noble cause--and except for a few references in some Civil War books--is largely forgotten. What a shame.



5. This is the last and probably the best book completed by the late Henry Mayer.

   Mayer admired Garrison, the most important leader of the abolitionist movement. In this book, he succeeds in renovating the reputation of a great reformer and activist who has often been neglected or written off as a crank.

   Garrison and the abolitionists were originally hardly more popular in the North than in the South. They were seen as disrupting the Union and were regarded with suspicion for their pro-black beliefs - public opinion in the North was only marginally less racist than in Dixie. Garrison's courage and consistent refusal to trim his convictions for popular acceptance led to a career with an outsized share of controversy, oppobrium, and in several cases physical danger.

   Some reviewers have felt the book is too long, and it is hefty. But the length is necessary for Mayer to give a full portrait, which shows not only the man, but also the era he lived in. In particular, Mayer writes extensively about abolitionism as a movement. Abolitionists, and Garrison himself, struggled with many problems - whether to compromise by supporting politicians whose platforms called for less than full abolition, evolving from a paternalist movement of mostly privileged whites to a movement in which free blacks and escaped slaves could play a meaningful role, and reconciling the pacifist leanings of many to their role in a war against slaveholders - that will be of interest to contemporary political activists. Mayer also shows how, after abolition was accomplished, former abolitionists seeking new causes worked for other advances, including the first stirrings of the women's suffrage movement.

5 comments about Siberian Dream.

1. Although this was an incredible account and a testimonty of one human's experimental journey from a former USSR province into the supermodel-dom as the first Asian female in Europe and later in NYC, US fashion industy, a couple of questions still remain as an aftertaste.
   
   This book never mentioned her first child from the initial encounter with her later husband Roland and I found the omission somewhat unsettling; this consequently makes me question how many more important events were actually sorted out from the book. There is no doubt that Pantaeva's life story offers a valuable documentation of one life's getting across all borders in every sense with a series of tricks of histories on top of her incredible ambition and perseverance. Her struggle, combat and aspiration are woven into this large scaled fairy tale with ethnographic and anthropological experiments. It still is wonderful even when it seems lacking importan events such as the ordeal of her early motherhood, which I found not only unsettling but also questionable.
   
   The unmentioned child was from the time when she was a teenager. She had him supposedly alone, financially precarious, no prospect of reunion with Roland and most of all, in Russia, where women have way less options or rights: the nation has the most abortion rate of the world for their intolerance for single motherhood in general. Having a child in the state of the USSR society could be really a big deal. I wonder how stigmatized she might have been to become a single and unwed mother in Ulan Ude, Siberea, where people were even less tolerant for any of subversive elements, as she recounted earlier in the book. How did her family reacte to the event? Who took care of the child when she was busy running around? All the more, Pantaeva should have touched the subject as opposed to omitting it completely and conforming for some reason that we readers never know.
   
   I also recognized some other parts that did not correspond to what were really like such as the difficulty of having her US visa issued. It was not a comparison of what was described in the book. It became such an obstacle to the point her career was totally downplayed due to the trouble.
   
   All of these matters above make me wonder how much the author had to edit to make the book 'comfortablly presentable', which seems the whole point of the project. I would not be surprised by this convention of the autobiography industry. (Besides her case was even earlier than those that came out later and got questioned for its 'accuracy' such as the drug addiction lit, which was reproached by the queen of the daytime TV show.) I really would not let those minor matters here for this was a great read anyway. Still I just cannot help wondering how much even greater this story could have been w/ some more of confrontations she would dare to bring up, which was to be inevitably brutal and uncomfortable. But at least it could have been less sacrificial in any mean, which I cannot really aprove of as any criteria of 'freedom' that was sought after with the great difficulty and she effortlessly went beyond in the end.
   
   The last question, or only regret, was that she sounds alsmost refrained from interpreting and discussing racism as if her stardom and opportunities would be limited/taken away once she voiced the word. However, after the course of an incident after incident, it was obvious that she was the one who experienced the struggle of being a racial minority: always dismissed and struggled for the issue as the forerunner of the ethnic minority female in initially Siberea, Moscow, Paris and some other areas like Tokyo, the fashion capital where white esthetics is dominant. She was the one who experienced all the trouble of what it means to be introduced as the novelty and an object all the time, less appreciated compared to white models and had to tolerate all. All the more, I wish I could get to know her specific veiw on the issue rahter than the story that just concluded as 'happily global ever after'.



2. Many facets make this a worthwhile read: Set against the backdrop of a crumbling Soviet union, the reader is privy to conditions and scenes from an "insider". As well this is a coming of age tale that spans continents and industries. It's no wonder that there was such a fuss made about Irina in the fashion world when she first made her splash...She is the world's first high fashion model from Siberia, a fact which may account for her grace and gratitude.Lastly, this is one of the freshest accounts that have ever read of a young person ( model) participating in the world of top fashion designers- with no trace of ennui or jadedness.



3. I enjoyed reading "Siberian Dream"
   by this woman who made all her way to the US.
   I believe many do not suspect how close it was to impossible
   to get into Moscow fashion world from Ulan-Ude,
   and then
   to get out of the Communist Russia
   to become a top-model being Asian from Siberia.

   I really enjoyed Irina's book and I admire her adventurism,
   beauty and style.

   She is one of the most famous Buryats in the world, and we are proud of her.




4. For many of the readers the book might have seemed a little bit hard to follow as it explores unusual experiences of the Buriad supermodel. They might have expected a rather typical portrayal of the world of fashion.

   But "Siberian Dream" is unique. It depicts Irina's fantastic journey from the suppression and poverty of Communist Russia to the freedom and extravagance of the West.

   I would have to compliment the author's incredible writing style. She brings in the beauty of Russian writing along with a modern American wit.

   I highly recommend this book to young curious readers. Irina's book was a great inspiration to me. I hope it will have the same effect on other readers.

   Bravo Irina! Saihan nom bichsend bayarlaa!




5. As a Buriat Mongol, I am very proud of her to be a world class super model. Her full name is in Russian as a victim of Russian colony. Because Russians occupied the Western Mongolia (Oirat) in XVIII century and dropped "Mongolia" from the "Buriat Mongolia" by Stalin's command. Then, Russians brain-washed all Buriat Mongols to be not Mongols. Hundreds and hundreds Burait Mongols received Ph.D. on the theme of "Buriats are not Mongols". But, we speak in the Western Mongolian dialect even today. It is true that Buriats were real warriors of Chingis khaan. Chingis khaan's mother came from the Buriat tribe - Merged. Thanks Irina for your achievements and a wonderful book. Do not say that I am a Siberian. You are create and create grand daughter of Greater Mongolian Empire. Mongols are legendary people, please to be brave and proud to be a Mongolian. Cheers