Louis Armstrong & Paul Whiteman
Two Kings of Jazz
Berrett, Joshua
Hardcover
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BOOK SUMMARY
In Louis Armstrong and Paul Whiteman the jazz scholar Joshua Berrett offers a provocative revision of the history of early jazz by focusing on two of its most notable practitionersWhiteman, legendary in his day, and Armstrong, a legend ever since.
Paul Wh
BOOK SYNOPSIS
In Louis Armstrong and Paul Whiteman the jazz scholar Joshua Berrett offers a provocative revision of the history of early jazz by focusing on two of its most notable practitioners--Whiteman, legendary in his day, and Armstrong, a legend ever since.
Paul Whiteman's fame was unmatched throughout the twenties. Bix Beiderbecke, Bing Crosby, and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey honed their craft on his bandstand. Celebrated as the "King of Jazz" in 1930 in a Universal Studios feature film, Whiteman's imperium has declined considerably since. The legend of Louis Armstrong, in contrast, grows ever more lustrous: for decades it has been Armstrong, not Whiteman, who has worn the king's crown.
This dual biography explores these diverging legacies in the context of race, commerce, and the history of early jazz. Early jazz, Berrett argues, was not a story of black innovators and white usurpers. In this book, a much richer, more complicated story emerges--a story of cross-influences, sidemen, sundry movers and shakers who were all part of a collective experience that transcended the category of race. In the world of early jazz, Berrett contends, kingdoms had no borders.
BOOK EXCERPTS
22 b/w illus.
BOOK REVIEWS
"Two Kings of Jazz sheds invaluable light on the life and work of both Armstrong and Whiteman by the deceptively simple device of discussing the two men together. The result is a major contribution to jazz scholarship--the best thing I've ever read about Whiteman, and one of the best about Armstrong."--Terry Teachout, author of The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken
"This happy confluence of critical intelligence and formidable scholarship is especially welcome for its convincing assertion of the importance of the much-maligned and misunderstood Paul Whiteman."--Alfred Appel, Jr. author of Jazz Modernism: From Ellington and Armstrong to Matisse and Joyce
Submit a book reviewFOR RELATED BOOKS
Biography & Autobiography Books :: Entertainment & Performing Arts Books
Music Books :: Genres & Styles Books :: Jazz Books
MORE BOOK INFO
ISBN: 0300103840
Copyright: 2004
Dewey Decimal: 781.65/092/2
Library of Congress: 2004004217
Book Publisher: Yale Univ Pr
Language: ENG
No. of Pages: 242
Paper Weight (lb): 1.10 lb
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