Jazz and Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader

by Francis Davis and Annabeth Albert

Book Overview

From Frank Sinatra to Sun Ra, from the jazz age to middle age, with thoughts on everything in-between, Francis Davis has been writing about American music and American culture for more than twenty years. His essays have appeared in The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, and the Village Voice among countless other publications from coast to coast. And now, for the first time, here are his most important writings of his impressive career-the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306810557
• ISBN13: 9780306810558
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.0" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Real Gem

This collection of portraits of jazz artists both famous and obscure as well as some commentary regarding music, movies and even Seinfeld is a treasure chest of wonderful insights and anecdotal material. I found myself paging through and reading selections at random and thoroughly enjoying every minute spent with this book. Francis Davis really appreciates jazz and his writing is reflective of his love of the music and his respect for the men and women who create it.

A recommended addition to personal reading lists

Jazz And Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader is a collection of columnist and jazz expert Francis Davis best writing on diverse musicians who have made American jazz a universal artform. From Wynton Marsalis and Duke Ellington, to Jack Kerouac to Sun Ra, Jazz And Its Discontents provides an insightful analysis of the alienation of musicians and their contributions in the form of profiles and commentaries that are as brilliantly written and presented as they are informed and informative. Jazz And Its Discontents is a welcome and recommended addition to personal reading lists, as well as academic, and community library Music History reference collections.