Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | J 811.6 MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J 811.6 MAR | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In a swinging improvisation with poster artist Paul Rogers, Wynton Marsalis celebrates the spirit of twenty-six stellar jazz performers, from Armstrong to Dizzy -- and showcases the same number of poetic forms.
A is for "almighty" Louis Armstrong, whose amazing artistry unfolds in an accumulative poem shaped like the letter he stands for. As for sax master Sonny Rollins, whose "robust style radiates roundness," could there be a better tribute than a poetic rondeau? In an extraordinary feat, Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz composer Wynton Marsalis harmonizes his love and knowledge of jazz's most celebrated artists with an astounding diversity of poetic forms -- from simple blues (Count Basie) to a complex pantoum (Charlie Parker), from a tender sonnet (Sarah Vaughan) to a performance poem snapping the rhythms of Art Blakey to life.
Matching Wynton Marsalis's musical cadences note for note is the bold, poster-style art of Paul Rogers, highlighted in two phenomenal foldout spreads. The art's vibrant nostalgic feel is echoed in an exquisite design, with its size simulating an old 78 LP and its endpapers die-cut to mimic a vintage record sleeve. Complete with a discography and brief biographies of the featured musicians as well as notes on the various poetic forms, this is truly an incomparable gift book -- for older children learning about jazz, longtime jazz aficionados, lovers of poetry, and readers of all ages who appreciate the finest in book design. Back matter includes biographical sketches, notes on the poetic forms, and information about the author and the illustrator.
Author Notes
Wynton Marsalis , trumpeter, composer, and tireless champion of the art of jazz, has been instrumental in bringing the musical genre back to center stage in the United States. The first jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize in music -- for his epic oratorio on slavery, Blood in the Fields -- he has won nine Grammy awards for his jazz and classical recordings, which have sold nearly five million copies worldwide. Wynton Marsalis serves as artistic director for the renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center program in New York, where he created the popular series Jazz for Young People. A recipient of numerous awards around the world as well as several honorary degrees, he was named one of America's "25 Most Influential People" by Time magazine. Jazz ABZ is Wynton Marsalis's first book for children.
Paul Rogers has worked as an illustrator for twenty years. An ardent admirer of the great poster artists of the twentieth century, he has created everything from old-fashioned billboard portraits at Dodger Stadium to vintage-style neon signs. A longtime jazz buff, he says that one of the best things about being an illustrator is working on jazz-related projects, including prints and program covers for jazz festivals. Recently he was commissioned to create a limited-edition silkscreen portrait of Wynton Marsalis for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Jazz ABZ is Paul Rogers's first book.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Fans of poetry, jazz, and modern art will love this book. With Marsalis handling the words and Rogers the graphics, they have created an illustrated catalog of great jazz innovators from A (Louis Armstrong) to Z (Dizzy Gillespie). Large, colorful, LP-size paintings of the forefathers and mothers of jazz face cleanly printed, sometimes shaped poetry. The stylized artwork is gorgeous, evoking the spirit of pop art, Blue Note album covers, and 1920s advertising art. Particularly eye-catching are the images of Thelonious Monk (an homage to early-20th-century food-label graphics) and Eubie Blake (with hands and a keyboard integrated into the poem), but every page is a delight to behold. Although Marsalis includes 27 different poetic forms, his poems move along similarly at the pace of a drum solo. The selections are visual, but work best when read aloud like slam poetry, beat poetry, or hip-hop. Particular highlights are a playful Miles Davis selection and a challenging performance poem for Art Blakey. In addition to the information about the musicians embedded in the poems, short biographical sketches are included. This uncommon alphabet book will delight readers and deserves a place in most library collections.-Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
This electric collaboration between Marsalis and Rogers is an insider's A to Z guide through the greats of jazz. The recognizable giants are all here-Miles Davis with a stunning portrait in hues that call to mind his legendary Kind of Blue, and John Coltrane with a list song that conjures his "cascading through closely clustered chord changes." But to get all the subtle asides or to understand why Joe "King" Oliver's tribute ("the Kaiser of cornet") seems almost more laudatory than Louis Armstrong's, newcomers will have to read the brief bios at the book's close (the King took Satchmo under his wing) by jazz historian Phil Schaap. The poster-like portraits pay homage to each larger-than-life personality. Davis gets a close-up but Sonny Rollins's painting in shades of black, yellow and white backs up so readers can see him swinging with his sax. Marsalis picks a poetic style suited to each subject: haiku for minimalist pianist Thelonious Monk, while a three-page foldout for percussionist Abdullah Ibn Buhaina (Art Blakey) rolls out like a drum score. Each poem brims with words that showcase the letter in the alphabet and the accomplishments of its subject (e.g., Armstrong with his "angular aural arabesques aplenty"). This is a must for anyone who has ever been drawn to a scat by Ella or a riff from Miles or who has whirled around the dance floor courtesy of Count Basie. The passion for jazz shared by this book's creators emanates from every spread-and it's contagious. All ages. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
Marsalis matches a jazz notable with each letter of the alphabet and supplies a poem whose form, rhythm, and language suit that musician: e.g., a repetitive poem with lines that frequently alliterate the letter B introduces Count Basie. Rogers's acrylic portraits recalling mid-century American poster art complement the text. Short biographies conclude the book. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Gr. 7-12. This striking book combines beautiful design, gorgeous illustrations, and remarkably clever text. It is not, however, a children's picture book but, rather, a gift book for knowledgeable jazz fans, mainly adults but possibly stretching back to junior-high school. The alphabet-book arrangement allots each letter to one classic jazz performer ( A 0 is for Armstrong,0 etc.) and pairs a poem by Marsalis with an illustration by Rogers. Each poem employs a different form to capture the essence of the subject: from nursery rhyme (for Nat King Cole) through sonnet (Sarah Vaughn) and on to Skeltonic verse (invented by Renaissance poet John Skelton, often employed by rappers, and used here to evoke the revolutionary rhythms and infectious high spirits of Dizzy Gillespie). Trumpet star Marsalis has a definite gift for wordplay, and he utilizes it effectively, ladling on the alliteration to evoke the various artists' styles and significance ("Best be behind the beat when Basie's band begins to blow"). Occasionally, the poems run away with themselves (the free-verse ramble in honor of Sidney Bechet reads like Allen Ginsberg at his most self-indulgent), but overall, it is an impressive performance--one that requires extensive knowledge of jazz history to appreciate. Rogers' stunning illustrations, however, will capture the eyes of anyone who views them. Aficionados will notice the way he incorporates aspects of each performer's career into the backdrops of the pictures (Lester Young inset in the Billie Holiday portrait), but the vibrant colors and stylistic flourishes (a mix of album-cover art and swing-era poster graphics) need no backstory. Appendixes summarize each musician's career and describe the various poetic forms, albeit in relatively sophisticated prose. Don't be surprised to find this book in the adult sections of most bookstores; libraries should consider a similar marketing strategy. --Bill Ott Copyright 2006 Booklist
