BruceH Posted February 12, 2006 Report Posted February 12, 2006 Is this any good? This is one to read. This book is the base of the movie "'Round midnight" of Betrand Tavernier with Dexter Gordon. 'Round Midnight is a brilliant movie ! And, if you haven't already seen it, read Paudras' Dance of the Infidels first. It makes the movie that much better. Francis Paudras makes the case that Bud was a co-inventor of what we call bebop. Paudras was close to Bud for several years and played a key part in his stay in France during the early 1960s, so this book is a kind of "work of love". I saw 'Round Midnight when it came out, but without having read any bio of Powell first. Dexter Gordon was very good in it, though it struck me at the time that there was quite a bit of Lester Young in his character. Quote
Kalo Posted February 12, 2006 Report Posted February 12, 2006 (edited) Just finished Edith Grossman's new translation of Don Quixote. Quite simply the most beautiful book I've ever read. Been re-reading bits of this lately (something in itself - I'm definitely not one for re-reading things in general) - and I stick by what I said earlier. It's amazing stuff Maybe I need to try this translation. I ploughed through the Putnam version last year for my reading group, but bogged down halfway through Volume II. Recent books read: Richard Stern's Other Men's Daughters(written in 1973). Set in Boston/Cambridge in the late 1960s early 1970s, it was sort of a time capsule for this Bostonian. Very well written and sensitively observed. One critic wrote that it was reminiscent of Lolita as re-imagined by Chekhov. Tom Perrotta's Little Children, is also very good, though is set in the here and now and more of a standard comic novel than the above. I've read all of his books and this one was very good. He's a funny, observent writer who is exactly my age, so that might be part of why I respond to him. His best book is Election (also made into an excellent movie, by far Alexander "Sideways" Payne's best), and my second favorite is his short story collection Bad Haircut, but this one runs a close third. Give Joe College a skip, though. I also just reread Janet Malcolm's The Silent Woman. It's about Sylvia Plath and Richard Hughes, but it's really more about the ethical and philosophical problems of biography in general. I'm a big fan of Malcolm's writing, whatever the subject. In the Freud Archives and The Journalist and the Murderer are her most amazing books, but they're all so provocatively good that you could start anywhere. Edited February 12, 2006 by Kalo Quote
BruceH Posted February 13, 2006 Report Posted February 13, 2006 I just re-read some Peanuts strips. Quote
ghost of miles Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Posted February 19, 2006 (edited) beware - bad book full of mistakes of both fact and emphasis - Yes, I'm treating it as a somewhat novelistic treatment of LB's life. I'll keep an eye out for THE ESSENTIAL LENNY BRUCE--I'm really eager to find something reasonably well-written about him. Been listening to that Shout! Factory compilation, though the set I picked up had no booklet--and also used an LB track for this week's Night Lights--hence my renewed interest in him right now. So, is Annie Ross supposed to be the LB love interest that Goldman refers to as "the member of a highly successful vocalese trio?" Currently reading J.G. Farrell's THE SINGAPORE GRIP. Edited February 19, 2006 by ghost of miles Quote
frank m Posted February 19, 2006 Report Posted February 19, 2006 Farrell------His best work was the "Siege of Krishnapur" IMHO. How he could make such humor out of all that blood is forever beyond me. Let us know how the newer Farrell is. Haven't yet read it. Do you know how Farrel died. Strange that! Quote
jazzbo Posted February 19, 2006 Report Posted February 19, 2006 Finished reading he bio of Abraham, which I really found interesting. Then reread Chandler's "THe Hight Window." Not one of his best, but I love to read Chandler. Quote
ghost of miles Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Posted February 19, 2006 Farrell------His best work was the "Siege of Krishnapur" IMHO. How he could make such humor out of all that blood is forever beyond me. Let us know how the newer Farrell is. Haven't yet read it. Do you know how Farrel died. Strange that! I'm hoping to eventually read SIEGE. He died fishing, didn't he? Pulled out to sea and drowned? Quote
ghost of miles Posted February 19, 2006 Author Report Posted February 19, 2006 Then reread Chandler's "THe Hight Window." Not one of his best, but I love to read Chandler. Me too. The ones I find myself returning to are FAREWELL, MY LOVELY and THE LADY IN THE LAKE. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted February 19, 2006 Report Posted February 19, 2006 Finally picked up The Hamlet when I was in the mood for Faulkner (which happens a lot lately, after my move!) rather than The Sound and the Fury for the umpteenth time... Quote
birdanddizzy Posted March 6, 2006 Report Posted March 6, 2006 Just finshed : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now reading : Quote
ghost of miles Posted March 6, 2006 Author Report Posted March 6, 2006 (edited) Currently reading Antony Beevor's PARIS AFTER THE LIBERATION. This is the same author who wrote THE FALL OF BERLIN 1945 and STALINGRAD... good, accessible historian. (Entertaining, too... he has a great quote from somebody saying, "There's no doubt that De Gaulle loves France... he just doesn't like Frenchmen.") I'd like to read his book on the Spanish Civil War as well. Edited March 6, 2006 by ghost of miles Quote
Ron S Posted March 6, 2006 Report Posted March 6, 2006 I was going to wait for the briefest history to come out, but figured this will have to do in the meantime. Quote
brownie Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 Currently re-reading 'Django, Mon Frère' (Editions Losfeld, 1968), Charles Delaunay's recollections of Django Reinhardt. The book was the basis for most biographies of the gypsy guitarist! Quote
rostasi Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 I was going to wait for the briefest history to come out, but figured this will have to do in the meantime. Is there a Cliff Notes version available? Quote
birdanddizzy Posted March 9, 2006 Report Posted March 9, 2006 Currently re-reading 'Django, Mon Frère' (Editions Losfeld, 1968), Charles Delaunay's recollections of Django Reinhardt. The book was the basis for most biographies of the gypsy guitarist! That's the one I prefer... Quote
Kalo Posted March 10, 2006 Report Posted March 10, 2006 What a great cover! How is it, Free For All? How many biographies of trombone players have you read? How many have been written? Quote
BruceH Posted March 12, 2006 Report Posted March 12, 2006 I was going to wait for the briefest history to come out, but figured this will have to do in the meantime. I actually didn't much care for this. By trying to make the material more accessible he took a lot of the meat out of it, I thought. And the new illustration were strangely annoying. But hey, maybe it's just me... Quote
rostasi Posted March 12, 2006 Report Posted March 12, 2006 No, Bruce...I agree too. ...or maybe it's just us Rod Quote
jazzbo Posted March 12, 2006 Report Posted March 12, 2006 After finishing rereading "The Judgment of Eve" by Edgar Pangborn, I'm reading "The Spartans" by Paul Cartledge. Quote
BruceH Posted March 15, 2006 Report Posted March 15, 2006 After finishing rereading "The Judgment of Eve" by Edgar Pangborn, I'm reading "The Spartans" by Paul Cartledge. Good ol' Edgar Pangborn! I trust you've read "Davy"? Quote
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.