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Jazz, Rhythm and the Blues
DB 60113 Murder at the Powderhorn Ranch by Donald Bain. Taking a break from flying lessons, Jessica Fletcher heads for a holiday in Colorado to visit old friends from Cabot Cove. Also staying at the ranch are the Morrison family and the Molloys, who Jessica realizes are at odds with one another. Then Paul Molloy is found murdered.
DB 66428 Coltrane by Ben Ratliff New York Times jazz critic analyzes the performance style of saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967), from his 1946 recordings as a navy bandsman and 1950s improvisational experimentation to his 1961 breakthrough song, “My Favorite Things.” Discusses Coltrane’s openness to other cultures and influence on other musicians. Some strong language.
DB 66574 Music is my Mistress by Edward Kennedy Ellington Autobiography of bandleader, composer, and jazz musician Duke Ellington (1899-1974). Describes Ellington’s childhood in Washington, D.C., his fellow artists, his 1923 arrival in New York City, subsequent worldwide tours, and his philosophy of life.
DB 67495 Moondog, the Viking of 6th Avenue by Robert Scotto Biography of musician Moondog, Louis Thomas Hardin Jr. (1916-1999), who was blinded at age sixteen. Discusses his rise from being a Viking-garbed, homeless street musician in New York City in the 1960s to becoming a Columbia Records pop-music sensation and master composer for European orchestras.
DB 67795 In War Times by Kathleen Ann Goonan 1941. Jazz-loving army soldier Sam Dance studies theoretical physics. A mysterious female instructor seduces Sam and gives him plans for a device that could change history. Sam goes on to fight a war and eventually builds the device to no apparent avail–until alternate realities converge.
DB 68067 The Blue Door by David Fulmer Philadelphia, 1962. PI Sal Giambroni hires former boxer Eddie Cero as an assistant. As Eddie launches his own investigation into the 1959 disappearance of African American rhythm-and-blues singer Johnny Pope, he falls in love with Johnny’s sister Valerie, who is also a musician. Violence and strong language.
DB 68628 Delta Blues by Ted Gioia Depicts the history of the African American musical form known as the blues, chronicling its birth in the Mississippi Delta and migration to Chicago. Highlights the influence of Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, and other contributors.
DB 68754 Six Tales of the Jazz Age, and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald Nine short stories by the author of The Great Gatsby (BR 11057). Includes “The Camel’s Back,” “Hot and Cold Blood,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a tale about a man who ages backwards that inspired a Hollywood movie. Includes
DB 69060 W.C. Handy: the life and times of the man who made the blues by David Robertson Biography of William Christopher Handy (1873-1958) traces his Alabama childhood during Reconstruction, his musical training, and his early career performing in ragtime and vaudeville venues. Highlights Handy’s ability to write scores and publish commercially, his relocation to Memphis and then Harlem, and the accident that blinded him.
DB Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford Jazz vocalist Billie Holiday (1915-1959) reflects on her early years in this fictional memoir written in verse. In “I Can’t Face the Music” Billie overcomes stage fright. In “Trav’lin’ Light,” her songs are her home. Some violence and some strong language. Coretta Scott King Honor.
DB 69101 Cloris by Cloris Leachman Award-winning actress describes her Des Moines childhood and her career, including her role as Phyllis on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She discusses her five children, marriage to producer George Englund, famous friends, and experience performing on Dancing with the Stars at age eighty-two. Some strong language.
DB 69779 That Devil’s No Friend of Mine by J. D. Mason The death of a popular mortician exposes his manipulative and controlling nature in life and frees the people closest to him to pursue dreams of intimacy and passion.Bishop’s married friend and business partner Lamar pursues Bishop’s grown daughter. Blues singer Rayne confronts addiction. Boxer Cole struggles with his wife. But a newcomer could change everything. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.
DB 70492 Moon River and me by Andy Williams Autobiography of singer Andy Williams, born in Iowa in 1927, who began his career performing with his brothers. Williams describes his rise to fame as a solo act on television shows and in Las Vegas. Discusses his early marriage to French dancer Claudine Longet and his friendship with the Kennedys.
DB 70556 Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi Sophomore football hopeful Miles Shaw has moved from Chicago to join his father, a jazz musician in New Orleans, when Hurricane Katrina hits. Holed up in the Superdome without electricity or food, they protect each other as gangs attack. Violence and strong language.
DB 70581 Watchlist by Jeffery Deaver Two interconnected novellas. In The Chopin Manuscript former military intelligence officer Harold Middleton possesses a handwritten score by musician Frederic Chopin that hides a secret. In The Copper Bracelet Middleton investigates a plot that might lead to nuclear war. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex.
DB 71039 Thelonious Monk by Robin D.G. Kelley Chronicles the life of jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Sphere Monk (1917-1982), from his poverty-stricken childhood in North Carolina to his reclusive final years in New York City. Discusses Monk’s musical influences, unique playing style, artistic collaborations, eccentric behavior, and influential oeuvre–much of which became jazz standards.
DB 71869 Princess Noire by Nadine Cohodas Biography of musician Nina Simone (1933-2003) chronicles her training as a classical pianist, foray into singing and jazz, and rise from Atlantic City clubs to the Newport Jazz Festival and European venues. Discusses Simone’s financial troubles, civil rights involvement, and mental illness that affected her career and personal life.