EKE BBB Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 One O'Clock Jump : The Unforgettable History of the Oklahoma City Blue Devils by Douglas Henry Daniels Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Beacon Press (due out on January 2, 2005) ISBN: 0807071366 Editorial Reviews (from amazon.com) The only book on the legendary band that included Lester Young, Count Basie, and Ralph Ellison The Blue Devils have received very little attention from jazz historians, though the band members and the writer Ralph Ellison (who sometimes sat in with them) spoke with conviction about their sterling musicianship and their legendary ability to defeat all competitors in battles of the bands. In a literal sense, the band survived for ten years, from its founding in 1923 to its demise in 1933. In a figurative sense, the band continued for more than half a century because, as members Jimmy Rushing, Lester "Prez" Young, Oran "Hot Lips" Page, and Count Basie became jazz legends, their "apprenticeship" in the Blue Devils authenticated them as genuine jazzmen, real troupers ready to play for any and all occasions. Even as their fame grew, they always remained true to the group, believing, "Once a Blue Devil, always a Blue Devil." Chronicling the ten years the band was officially together, with a peek at what the Devils became after they disbanded, Douglas H. Daniels provides a corrective to most accounts of musical groups. He delves into the potent social and cultural history of the Depression to show its influence on the group"s founding as well as on the players" careers. This meticulously researched history of an iconic jazz band rescues them from undeserved obscurity and clears away the fog of neglect. Praise for Douglas H. Daniels´s Lester Leaps In: "A groundbreaking account of one of the great figures of twentieth-century music and the rich cultural heritage that made a Lester Young and this wonderful art possible." —Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams and Yo" Mama"s Disfunktional! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 (edited) Nice proposal for reading, Agustín. A somewhat compicated idea (with no sound evidence) for a book... Edited December 20, 2004 by mmilovan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKE BBB Posted December 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 A somewhat compicated idea (with no sound evidence) for a book... No, not with Prez, Milan but... did you hear about this one? Guess so! http://www.rainerjazz.com/CD/Frog/DGF31.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmilovan Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 (edited) A somewhat compicated idea (with no sound evidence) for a book... No, not with Prez, Milan but... did you hear about this one? Guess so! http://www.rainerjazz.com/CD/Frog/DGF31.htm Gee... yep, I know that one How dumb am I Edited December 20, 2004 by mmilovan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 "A somewhat complicated idea (with no sound evidence) for a book... " Not sure what this means - can you explain? My only other comment would be that if Robin DG Kelley liked his other book, than I'm already wary... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John L Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 "A somewhat complicated idea (with no sound evidence) for a book... " Daniels apparently did a lot of interviews of former Blue Devils over the years. There should therefore be at least some information from primary sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 "A somewhat complicated idea (with no sound evidence) for a book... " Not sure what this means - can you explain? My only other comment would be that if Robin DG Kelley liked his other book, than I'm already wary... Allen, I am looking forward to Robin's Monk biography. Curious to hear why you are wary of his review, BTW if the "other book" is Daniels' Lester Young bio, I have to saythat I have very mixed feelings about it. Sure, it is full of interesting data, but I found instances where Daniels accepted stories far too readily, and obviously did not check them--this makes [i[me wary of that book, in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted December 20, 2004 Report Share Posted December 20, 2004 I'm not a big fan of Kelley's work - he really doesn't, from what I've seen, know or understand very much about jazz (anyone ever read his article about Miles as sartorial model for pimps?) He's a guy who has latched onto jazz as an aspect of "cultural studies," and made a career of it, who loves to talk about a lot of sociology, but who really has next to no knowledge of the actual music. Just my opinion - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spontooneous Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 Up, because the book is finally out. The actual publication date is Jan. 23, 2006. Not recommended -- dry as dust -- but what do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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