Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker is the first installment in the long-awaited portrait of one of the most talented and influential musicians of the twentieth century; from Stanley Crouch; one of the foremost authorities on jazz and culture in America.Throughout his life; Charlie Parker personified the tortured American artist: a revolutionary performer who used his alto saxophone to create a new music known as bebop even as he wrestled with a drug addiction that would lead to his death at the age of thirty-four.Drawing on interviews with peers; collaborators; and family members; Kansas City Lightning recreates Parkerrsquo;s Depression-era childhood; his early days navigating the Kansas City nightlife; inspired by lions like Lester Young and Count Basie; and on to New York; where he began to transcend the music he had mastered. Crouch reveals an ambitious young man torn between music and drugs; between his domineering mother and his impressionable young wife; whose teenage romance with Charlie lies at the bittersweet heart of this story.With the wisdom of a jazz scholar; the cultural insights of an acclaimed social critic; and the narrative skill of a literary novelist; Stanley Crouch illuminates this American master as never before.
#4540231 in eBooks 1999-06-16 1999-06-16File Name: B00DG25CMA
Review
1 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Author seems to enjoy saying the same things over and overBy John C. MclaurinInteresting; but a little "over the top" in its explanation of NFL Films purpose. Way too scholarly for the average reader.Some sentences run on so long that you lose the idea author is trying to make. I didnt need to be told that they glorify the NFL and its players. Author seems to enjoy saying the same things over and over; but uses almost mind numbing routes getting there. I knew the purpose and techniques of NFL Films just by having a brain. What I really wanted to read was the technical aspects of how they do what they do and what brought these into being...When I finished the book; I felt as though the author had tried to destroy the image of NFL Films and its future while at the same time trying to cover his butt by saying how much he respected the Sabols and their product.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Well-Researched Examination of an Original SubjectBy LieboThink about the seminal moments in NFL history. The Catch. The Immaculate Reception. The David Tyree catch that for some reason still lacks a catchy nickname. Imagine these events in your head. Do you have any idea of what the live television footage of those plays were like? You might be able to conjure up some vague recollections of what Tyrees catch looked like; but in general Im guessing this was a pretty tough task. You are likely far more familiar to NFL Films footage of such events; and the company has been documenting and canonizing professional football games since tiny Blair Motion Pictures won the rights to the 1962 NFL championship game. Travis Vogans new book Keepers of the Flame documents the history of NFL Films and analyzes the evolution of sports media. Written by an academic and published by the University of Illinois Press; the book is appealing to football fans both inside and outside the ivory tower thanks to Vogans extensive research and original subject matter.The first aspect worth mentioning about Keepers of the Flame is that it takes a more scholarly tone than the average football book (for what thats worth). Vogan is an assistant professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Iowa and his book is clearly intended to contribute to the academic discourse of football; sports media; and the business of sport. It has the somewhat detached emotional tone common to scholarly books and cites some deep thoughts by sociologists and cultural critics about the documentary form and role of media. That being said; this isnt a treatise on monetary economics or something. I would have definitely tried to take a class with Vogan had I attended Iowa and by that same logic I decided to pick up Keepers: I think the fundamental subject matter is fascinating and I want to learn more about it. So dont let the nature of the book dissuade you from reading it if you share my interest in the subject matter.Vogan starts out with an exceptional and extensively-researched section on the history of the Sabols and NFL Films. Steve Sabol has been featured in the "A Football Life" series on NFL Network and the history of NFL Films has been covered in books such as Americas Game by Michael McCambridge but Vogans treatment is by far the most comprehensive and interesting. The Sabols were a pretty eccentric bunch; as Keepers outlines anecdotes such as Steve Sabols quixotic Heisman campaign has a backup fullback at Colorado College that included local newspaper ads; postcards; t-shirts; and buttons and managed to fool the (presumably incredibly inattentive) local sportswriters to name him to the All Rocky Mountain Conference Team. Outside of these factoids; Vogan also presents the best history of how humble Blair Pictures managed to eventually become the media behemoth that is NFL Films. The history chapter reads like an excellent longform magazine article and stands well by itself.The rest of the book examines topics such as the aesthetics of NFL Films productions and the companys role in elevating the league and its players to the greatest heights of importance. The Sabols were meticulous auteurs (with quite a bit of cultural literacy and included some highbrow references to works such as Akira Kurosawas Rashomon in their movies) and went great to great lengths to present works of artistic merit. Vogan outlines signature elements such as the "tight on the spiral" aerial footage of the prolate spheriod and microphoning of players and coaches; a first among sports media entities. One benefit of reading academic authors is that they generally leave no stones unturned in their research; and Vogan is no different. He had access to Steve Sabol and was even granted the opportunity to visit NFL Films as often as he wanted. He also was able to sit down with producers; archivists; and administrators at NFL Films and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This allows for some great original insights and trivia; such as how NFL Films reliance on 16mm color film has made them Eastman Kodaks largest current client and the intricacies of the complex SABER system used to classify game footage which includes subcategories such as "Sweat;" "Praying;" and "Torn Uniforms."Vogan spends a substantial share of the book writing on NFL Films role as acting as a historian and propaganda arm for the league. Their productions allow the game to achieve a higher level of significance compared to other sports and seem more consequential in general. He also analyzes major films such as "Big Game America" for their portrayal of the sport and its athletes and how they were influenced by the current culture. People definitely took NFL Films highlight films seriously; and in the 1970s the Pennsylvania State Legislature even passed a resolution censuring Monday Night Football because the NFL Films highlights that ran during halftime were apparently Steelers-deficient. Vogan concludes with a look at NFL Films today and how it is adapting to a shifting media market and trying to avoid obsolescence by aiming for a niche role and seeking out older audiences.In SumI am not an academic and I didnt read Keepers of the Flame to cite it in a college essay or thesis or something. I simply picked it up because to my knowledge NFL Films hadnt yet received a full book treatment and it seemed like it would be an interesting read. Travis Vogan ultimately delivers a very well-researched and often illuminating look at an NFL cultural institution. Understand that while this book is academic in tone and quotes people like Pierre Bourdieu; it is still a great read for anyone interested in NFL Films and the history of sports media.8/104 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Excellent institutional history of NFL FilmsBy Zack FurnessThis is an excellent institutional history of NFL Films that is based on extensive archival research and interviews. While Vogan focuses a great deal of attention on NFL Films as an organization and media producer; he also engages significantly with the content of the films and cultural contexts in which they are made and watched. Unlike many academic texts; the writing is clear and not heavily reliant on discipine-specific jargon - you dont have to be a professor or an expert on sports in order to enjoy it. With that being said; I highly recommended the book for scholars who do work on sport; film; television and/or popular culture.