Al Rose has known virtually every noteworthy jazz musician of this century. For many of them he has organized concerts; composed songs that they later played or sang; and promoted their acts. He has; when called upon; bailed them out of jail; straightened out their finances; stood up for them at their weddings; and eulogized them at their funerals. He has caroused with them in bars and clubs from New Orleans to New York; from Paris to Singapore -- and survived to tell the story. The result has been a lifetime of friendship with some of the music worlds most engaging and rambunctious personalities. In I Remember Jazz; Rose draws on this unparallelled experience to recall; through brief but poignant vignettes; the greats and the near-greats of jazz. In a style that is always entertaining; unabashedly idiosyncratic; and frequently irreverent; he writes about Jelly Roll Morton and Bunny Berigan; Eubie Blake and Bobby Hackett; Earl Hines and Louis Armstrong; and more than fifty others.Rose was only twenty-two when he was first introduced to Jelly Roll Morton. He quickly discovered that they had more in common than a love of music. Something of a peacock at that age; Rose was dressed in a "polychromatic; green-striped suit; pink shirt with a detachable white collar; dubonnet tie; buttonhole; and handkerchief" -- and so was Jelly Roll. About Eubie Blake; Rose notes that he was not only a superb musician but also a notorious ladies man. Rose recalls asking the noted pianist when he was ninety-seven; "How old do you have to be before the sex drive goes?" Blakes reply: "Youll have to ask someone older than me." Once in 1947; Rose was asked to assemble a group of musicians to play at a reception to be hosted by President Truman at Blair House in Washington; D.C. The musicians included Muggsy Spanier; George Brunies; Pee Wee Russell; Pops Foster; and Baby DOdds. But the hit of the evening was President Truman himself; who joined the group on the piano to play "Kansas City Kitty" and the "Missouri Waltz."I Remember Jazz is replete with such amusing and affectionate anecdotes -- vignettes that will delight all fans of the music. Al Rose does indeed remember jazz. And for that we can all be grateful.
#26911 in eBooks 2004-09-17 2012-12-15File Name: B00B10GAU2
Review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. If you think you know everything about musicals; Ethan Mordden knows moreBy Bruce from Forest HillsReading Ethan Morddens books on Broadway musicals is like spending an evening sharing a conversation and a bottle of good wine with a brilliant; witty mind. The digressions are often more enlightening than the main story. Mordden will tell you things you never heard before and show you ways of thinking you never thought of before.The focus on Victor Herbert makes me look forward to exploring more of his music. The focus on the great early comedians makes you wish you had been there to see them. Mordden shows how their disappearance may have been necessary for the development of the musical as an art form. Yet; you can feel a palpable loss.Most interesting for me was Mordden`s focus on Allegro as a major piece in the development of the modern-day musical. I think I have read all of the "decade" books that Mordden has written. However; those books do not have the luxury of making the vast leaps between eras that this book makes.My only criticism is not about the book itself as much as it is about the marketing. It is one of the most comprehensive histories of the musical I ever read. It goes far from Broadway to discuss the importance of The Beggars Opera and The Tales of Hoffman. However for a book to be both this comprehensive and this short; I think the reader has to know quite a bit about Broadway musicals.But if you think you know your musicals; and you dont mind being enlightened by someone who knows more than you do; you should be reading this book.Unless; of course; you have tickets to a good musical.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Another brilliant item in the Mordden oeuvreBy Gary MaloneyThis is a one-volume summary of the entire history of musical comedy; of which Mordden has written the definitive multi-volume set (single-decade volumes for the 20s to the 70s; then one for the 80s-2004). The function here is to (a) allow Mordden to update his views on the subject through 2014; (b) do a one-volume; 30;000-ft-perspective version of his gigantic history; (c) integrate his "Ages of Musical Theatre" trope in a more coherent form; (d) elaborate on pre-1920s musical history in a way he hasnt done since the "Broadway Babies" book some three decades ago.Its prime stuff; and his prose remains biting and unponderous; dropping in the occasional research nugget for the obsessives (much as Cole Porters lyrics often included jokes designed exclusively for first-nighters).Welcome also is a recap of the 20s; as his decade volume "Make Believe" is out-of-print and often commands outrageous prices on half.com and . (Mine is a Xerox from a library copy.) Lets hope he keeps this going for years to come.The book he hasnt quite written; that Id love to see; would bridge his fascinations with theatre and film -- a definitive history of film adaptations of theatrical originals. Include plays AND musicals; and also TV adaptations (e.g. Hallmark Hall of Fame). Ethans done the "Hollywood Musicals" book; which touched a little on this. But the way most people today experience Broadway originals is NOT the stage; but through the medium of film or broadcast -- theres a wealth yet to be covered; and it deserves the Mordden treatment . . . issues such as fidelity to the original; compromises; censorship; improvements . . . and what about all those brilliant TV adaptations; like Judith Andersons "Medea" or Meredith Mostel in "Waiting for Godot;" Scott Dewhurst in "The Price" . . . Many of us grew up loving the theatre because we saw it first on television or the movies; this deserves a focused review all its own.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fasconatin WritinBy CalicokidThis is another one of the many books Ive read by the author. Because his books tend to covermuch of the same subject;; there is; of course; some overlap in information. He has strong opinionsbut nevertheless; the writing is always filled with humor and fascinating tidbits. For anyone who wantsto really get into the weeds of the subject.