blajay Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 so, I read about 1/3 of the book last night - excellent work, non-doctrinaire (surprisingly, considering some of the people he mentions in the acknowledgments), and a very insightful bio. I like it. And it's well-written, to boot. Highly recommended. Will be the standard for years to come. (hoping that last one ends up on the book jacket; I could use the publicity) - :tup :tup I got my copy yesterday, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyles Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 The book arrived on my desk this afternoon. Now all I have to decide is which of the several books I recently purchased to read first. Yesterday John Sved's Sun Ra bio arrived. Recently I also received Ted Gioia's, West Coast Jazz, and Steve Isoardi's The Dark Tree: Jazz and the Community Arts in Los Angeles , has been in a pile next to my bed for a while to get through. Oh man! Those have been out for years. This is a news item, and the news must get through! I don't understand your point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted October 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 I bought a copy at the Book Corner yesterday in Bloomington and started it last night. Haven't made quite as much progress as Allen yet, but so far it's excellent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 see Evelyn Woods - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 more and more impressed as I read through this book, and more and more I feel like I really misjudged Kelley - and - I just got an email back from him (I wrote to him this afternoon) - nice guy, I feel guilty again, probably the second guy I should apologize to today - he really manages to walk the line between astute social analysis, solid musical judgment, and shrewd personal assessment. I cannot say how important this book is - there is so little decent jazz biography and this fits a deep need. interestingly, in his email he remembered a conversation we had about Monk about 7-8 years ago at a conference. Surprised me - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 So we finally have a good Monk bio; about time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 7, 2009 Report Share Posted October 7, 2009 in the jazz world we can probably count the quality bios on the fingers of one hand - and I mean actual biographies, not critical works or subject pieces. This book is deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christiern Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 This evening, Robin had a book party to celebrate the publication. I took some photos... ...more here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 'Ouch - it was Crouch' - love it! Bertrand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmonahan Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I may try to pick this one up. I've always been fascinated by that line in "Straight No Chaser" where Monk is said to have intimated to Nellie fairly late in his active career (I think it's Nellie--might be someone else--been a while since I've seen it) "You know, I'm very ill" or words to that effect. And no, it's not about scandal mongering or some kind of weird nosyness about his mental state. I'm just fascinated by the way genius coexists with personality--and Monk had one very individual and eccentric personality, especially in his later years. Does the author delve into this late period very much? Or does he mostly stay with the more creative earlier period of the 40s and 50s? greg mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I haven't hit that part of the book, but looking through, there's tons of stuff on the late years - it's funny, but I was reading Janest Coleman's book (actually 1/2 book) on Mingus recently, and she re-counted a night that both Mingus and Monk turned up at Bradley's - well, strangely enough, I happened to be there that night, I was all of 20 years old or 21 (it was 1974-75, Jaki Byard was playing piano) and you could have, as the saying goes, knocked me over with a feather (and I don't mean Leonard). Monk was very communicative that night, lurching around the bar, and frequently whispering in Jaki's ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Kart Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 Ordered it last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 will be very interested to hear what you have to say - as I mentioned, Kelley is doing something in NYC on the 13th at Columbia, I think, so I'm gonna try to get over and see him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 will be very interested to hear what you have to say - as I mentioned, Kelley is doing something in NYC on the 13th at Columbia, I think, so I'm gonna try to get over and see him. Please don't hump his leg too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 (edited) you know, 7/4, for someone who got pissed off at me on another thread for making gratuitous remarks, you seem to be showing up regularly to make nasty comments whenever I post. if you are implying that I am someone who sucks up to the famous, you obviously are talking about the wrong person. Edited October 8, 2009 by AllenLowe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I didn't say that, but you have an excellent point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caravan Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I may try to pick this one up. I've always been fascinated by that line in "Straight No Chaser" where Monk is said to have intimated to Nellie fairly late in his active career (I think it's Nellie--might be someone else--been a while since I've seen it) "You know, I'm very ill" or words to that effect. And no, it's not about scandal mongering or some kind of weird nosyness about his mental state. I'm just fascinated by the way genius coexists with personality--and Monk had one very individual and eccentric personality, especially in his later years. He said it to Nica. Citing from memory: "We were driving home. It was the first year he lived here. He suddenly turned to me and said "I'm very seriously ill". Thelonious had never said anything about being ill. He never said it again". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umum_cypher Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I hear that a bit of a hoo-hah is developing between Lewis Porter and Kelley regarding the book. Anyone know any details? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllenLowe Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 just talked to Lewis on the phone - he says it's not true - he and Robin were in touch pretty regularly about musical matters while Kelley was writing the book, but there were no disagreements - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzbo Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 Just got my copy in. I'm going to put aside what I'm reading (The Neandertal Enigma) and I never do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 Geez - can't wait until my copy arrives, which will take at least another week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I'm just about ready give into the impulse to run over to B&N to see if they have a copy, I think I'd like to dig in and read it this weekend. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Brown Posted October 8, 2009 Report Share Posted October 8, 2009 I'm nearly finished Kelley's book and what a rare treat it has been to read such a well-researched biography. One is so used to coming across glaring errors in biographies of musicians and singers these days that it's a real pleasure to find so few here. The couple I noticed are so trivial that they're hardly worth mentioning - and it's possible that I'm the one who is wrong. Kelley puts New York's Taft Hotel at 7th Avenue and 50th Street. If I remember correctly it was at 7th Avenue and 49th Street. And when talking about Art Kane's famous Esquire Magazine photograph (A Great Day in Harlem) he says that Kane called every jazz musician he could think of the day before the shoot. I always thought it was Nat Hentoff who rounded up the musicians. But, as I say, pretty minor errors, if they are errors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertrand Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 Picked it up tonight at Borders' (that 40% coupon came in handy). Looking forward to reading it. Glad to see it came with an inventory of compositions, a no-brainer for any biography of a great composer. I will see Kelley Sunday at the Monk competition. Bertrand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umum_cypher Posted October 9, 2009 Report Share Posted October 9, 2009 just talked to Lewis on the phone - he says it's not true - he and Robin were in touch pretty regularly about musical matters while Kelley was writing the book, but there were no disagreements - Ah. Well, as internet rumours go that one was pretty unspectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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