Bill Moody

[Dave James]

Was wondering if there's anyone else out there who enjoys the Bill Moody jazz themed mystery books as much as I do. I haven't read one since "Looking for Chet Baker", but I was reminded of him when I got the most recent issue of Jazz Times magazine. They did their monthly "up close and personal" feature with Ray Drummond and he mentioned that the last book he read was "The Sound of the Trumpet". That's the one about finding some unknown Clifford Brown recordings and it happens to be my favorite of the five books Moody has written, followed closely by "Death of a Tenor Man" about the murder of Wardell Gray and the aforementioned "Looking for Chet Baker" which fictionally examines the circumstance surrounding Baker's mysterious death

Anyone else a fan?

Up over and out.

[BeBop]

Have read several ("Death of a Tenor Man" and the Kenny G one). Can't say they captured my fancy, but it is interesting that an author would take on the subjects Moody does. So, more power to him for that.

[BeBop]

P.S. I think the Kenny-G one I refer to is called "Bird Lives" or some such.

There's a "Moulin Rouge" book I haven't read, but it could be interesting.

[paul secor]

I've read three or four of Bill Moody's books. I found them to be decent entertainments - nothing of any depth - but at times, entertainment is what I want.

[BeBop]

I've read three or four of Bill Moody's books. I found them to be decent entertainments - nothing of any depth - but at times, entertainment is what I want.

Exactly.

[robviti]

i've also enjoyed a few of the horne mysteries. while i agree they're not pulitzer material, where else can you find intelligent fiction that contains that much insight into the jazz world? great vacation books. i plan on reading all of them.

[ghost of miles]

Liked DEATH OF A TENOR MAN quite a lot, SOUND OF THE TRUMPET not quite as much, and stopped reading BIRD LIVES after the first couple of chapters. Something about the protagonist's attitude started to wear on me... interesting concept, though. I'm also intrigued by Moody's non-fiction book on jazz exiles in Europe, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet.

[garthsj]

As an admirer of the detective novels, I purchased a copy of the book on jazz exiles, and found it to be quite fascinating. Moody lets the exiles mostly tell their own story, and I had my eyes opened as to how much difficulty many of them had, and the reverse racism encountered by many of the white musicians. Essentially most of these people found that their "novelty" appeal wore thin after a while, and the jobs, and their pay packets began to get slimmer over time. The club owners and concert audiences were always looking for the latest "thing" ... This accounts for the fact that so many of them came home to the U.S. after encountering difficulties in Europe. Moody does not offer much in the way of historical or sociological interpretation, but the book does make a genuine contribution to the jazz literature.

Garth.

[mikeweil]

Yesterday I happened to find a German translation of Solo Hand, the first Evan Horne novel, and read through it in two sessions - that's an indication that it's good entertainment, and I find it more interesting than other crime novels as it is much deeper into the jazz life and music business than almost all other crime novels. I ordered three more as my reading fodder for the upcoming tour through the Netherlands and Paris - just the right thing for long bus rides or killing time waiting for the sound technician or the gig ...

I intend to get me the original versions, too - the translation is very good, but a bit beneath the true jazz feel, even though the translator lives in San Francisco and knows the author.

Edited October 17, 2008 by mikeweil