Bebop and nothingness : jazz and pop at the end of the century / Francis Davis.
| Author/creator | Davis, Francis, 1946- |
| Format | Book |
| Publication Info | New York : Schirmer Books, ©1996. |
| Description | xix, 304 pages ; 22 cm |
| Subjects |
| Portion of title | Jazz and pop at the end of the century |
| Contents | Mainstreams. Better with age (Benny Carter) -- Old man with a Horn (Dizzy Gillespie) -- Pres and his discontents (Lester Young) -- Bebop and nothingness (Charlie Parker/Art Pepper) -- Cause of death: jazz (Sweet Love, Bitter) -- Miles Agonistes (Miles Davis) -- Philly guy (Grover Washington, Jr.) -- Silver minus one (Mel Lewis) -- Apple pie (Art Blakey) -- Jazz rep, continued (Charles Mingus's Epitaph/The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra) -- Fringes. Cat clubbing (Loren Schoenberg/The New York swing dance society) -- Old and new gospel (Booker T/George Adams/Dr. Vernard Johnson) -- Groovy (Ruby Braff) -- Tristanoitis (Lennie Tirstano and others) -- Anthony Braxton, all American -- Color, rhythm, design (Muahl Richard Abrams) -- Well-temperd (Dave Burrell) -- "This is not jazz!" (Sonny Sharrock) -- White Anglo-Saxon Pythagorean (Roswell Rudd) -- The come-from-behind-guy (Allen Lowe) -- Out there (Charles Gayle) -- Mischief. Sun Ra, himself -- Dog wild (Lester Bowie) -- Bagels and dreadlocks (Don Byron) -- "Zorn" for "Anger" (John Zorn) -- For aesthetes of all ages (Bobby Previte/the Moscow circus) -- Les Paul Standard, rebuilt -- Words and music. Real stuff in life to cling to (Tony Bennett) -- Rosie (Rosemary Clooney) -- The song's the thing (Barbara Lea) -- A bit much (Barbara Streisand) -- Full of foolish song (Guys and Dolls, etc.) -- Infection (Stephen Sondheim's Passion) -- Talking Kerouac (Jack Kerouac) -- Toons (Michael Jackson/Prince) -- Black skin, black masks (rap). |
| Abstract | Jazz is more popular than it has been since the early sixties. Every major record label is bringing out jazz reissues and new releases, and dating couples are turning up in the jazz clubs alongside the usual middle-aged male fans. But this popularity comes at a cost: Jazz has become identified with its past, and especially with bebop, the style that first dominated the jazz scene in the forties and fifties. Bebop started out as a daring departure from the conventions of swing, but ironically, many listeners and musicians now experience this style as a comfortable orthodoxy that defines the limits of jazz. In this book, the author shares his insights into this new jazz mainstream: the greatness of its sources, the sterility of performance that follows those sources too closely. He also conveys his listening experiences beyond the mainstream - from the futuristic jazz of the avant-garde to the pre-forties styles that some performers continue to develop, at the risk of being labeled old hat. Finally, Davis leaves behind the boundaries of jazz altogether, pursuing its adventurous spirit into a broader musical territory that includes musical theatre, rock, and rap. |
| Local note | Little-307350--305131012908X |
| General note | Includes index. |
| LCCN | 95024545 |
| ISBN | 0028704711 |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Music | Music Stacks | ML394 .D36 1996 | ✔ Available | Place Hold |