chris Posted June 13, 2003 Report Posted June 13, 2003 Just came across But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz by Geoff Dyer -- any thoughts? Any good? Should I move it up on the "to read" list? Quote
kenny weir Posted June 14, 2003 Report Posted June 14, 2003 This is a fine book - the best I've read in terms of fiction writing having the "feel" of jazz. Quote
chris Posted June 28, 2003 Author Report Posted June 28, 2003 Bumping this because I finally had time to finish this book and it was a great read. Very poetic, very "jazz feeling" stories-- and he pulled no punches. Makes me wonder where the lines of fact and fiction were drawn in each case. A very cogent and interesting essay afterwards too. I'm off to see what else Goeff Dyer has written-- anyone know if he has other good jazz writing? Quote
mikeweil Posted July 5, 2003 Report Posted July 5, 2003 Thanks for the recommendation! I have ordered a copy ..... Quote
mikeweil Posted July 14, 2003 Report Posted July 14, 2003 Got it today, and as usual I thumbed through the book and started reading the afterword first ... What it says about the superfluousness of criticism, based on George Steiner, is brilliant! Too long to quote it here ... Quote
Philip Posted July 15, 2003 Report Posted July 15, 2003 (edited) Phographs of Jazz musicians are used as an inspiration for stories about them, around these the journeys of Duke and Harry Carney, across the continental United States, are used as a framing device. No user of the board would be unmoved by this book. Edited July 15, 2003 by Philip Quote
mgraham333 Posted July 21, 2003 Report Posted July 21, 2003 I just picked this one up used from ecampus.com (via Amazon.com) I'll post my thoughts after I have a chance to get through it. Quote
mgraham333 Posted July 22, 2003 Report Posted July 22, 2003 I'm 60 pages in and hooked. If you have any doubts, forget 'em. Get this book. I don't read, hate to - have ever since law school. But this book has brought the pleasure back to reading for me. Quote
mikeweil Posted July 22, 2003 Report Posted July 22, 2003 (edited) I'm off to see what else Goeff Dyer has written-- anyone know if he has other good jazz writing? Just started reading Paris, Trance over the weekend: a funny, to the point account of a Londoner moving to Paris in summer when the city is almost deserted. If you've ever been in a similar situation you will recognize at least a part of yourself .... Edited July 22, 2003 by mikeweil Quote
mgraham333 Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 Well I finished this last week and just remembered to come back to this thread. I really enjoyed this book. As I mentioned before, I don't really enjoying reading for pleasure any more. But this book was worth my time. The short stories are all a bit depressing. Too few of our jazz giants had happy endings. But there are enough light moments to keep it from being a Lifetime-movie-of-the-week-tear-jerker. I too will check out some of Dyer's other work. He has good visual style of writing. Quote
mikeweil Posted December 7, 2003 Report Posted December 7, 2003 (edited) The short stories are all a bit depressing. Too few of our jazz giants had happy endings. But there are enough light moments to keep it from being a Lifetime-movie-of-the-week-tear-jerker. There are many important jazz musicians that lead unspectacular lifes that will never inspire any storyteller ... or other whre we do not not have enough documentary material to write a story about them the way Dyer did. I too will check out some of Dyer's other work. He has good visual style of writing. On a bottom line, I was a little disappointed by Paris Trance, in the end it did not lead anywhere too substantial. Complete Review has some fitting comments about his other works, it seems. Edited December 7, 2003 by mikeweil Quote
mikeweil Posted December 7, 2003 Report Posted December 7, 2003 (edited) I strongly advise German speaking board members to read the English original, which is available as paperback (amazon.de) for about the same money as the newly published Fischer pocketbook. Too many errors in the translation (obviously done with the aid of a translation software, without proofreading of someone knowing about jazz), including the seemingly inevitable "Thelonius" ... . See the review in Die Zeit for some examples. There is a much better German translation (by Dorothea Trottenberg) of part of the Lester Young chapter in the July 1998 issue of the Swiss magazine DU, featuring tenor saxophonists (Giant Steps. Album Tenor Sax). Edited December 7, 2003 by mikeweil Quote
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