Like Young: Jazz, Pop, Youth, And Middle Age [Hardcover]

Francis Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

Francis Davis is one of this nation's savviest and most admired music and cultural critics. In this collection of essays he observes the modern jazz and pop that have reached middle age at the same moment as many of their listeners, including the author. Moving through the scales from Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday to Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra, he comments on music both old and new, on stage and screen. In addition to taking the pulse of jazz at the millennium, he offers fresh insights on pop icons like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Burt Bacharach, and Brian Wilson. He also goes beyond character sketch and critical script to weave in fragments of his own life, making this the most personal of his collections. Like Young will resonate both with those who have spent two decades reading Davis and those who are discovering him today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"He's a very impressive critic.... You feel you're reading an honest man." -- -Pauline Kael

About the Author

Francis Davis is the author of several books, including The History of the Blues and a forthcoming biography of John Coltrane. A contributing editor of The Atlantic Monthly, he also writes regularly about music for the New York Times, among others. He lives in Philadelphia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; First Edition edition (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306810565
• ISBN-13: 978-0306810565
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,712,106 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful Book - Highly Entertaining, August 10, 2011

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L. Columbus "lou1492" (Panama City, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Like Young: Jazz, Pop, Youth, and Middle Age (Paperback)

This is my second book by Francis Davis. My first was Jazz And Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader, another fun read. I'm sure I'll now be seeking out most of his other work. In this book, Mr. Davis ponders the question of how the music we grew up with colors our lives. While he is considered a jazz critic, in this particular book he also covers pop, country and even Broadway music. Each of the pieces was previously published, but according to the author, were modified in different ways to fit the book. There are sections on Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday, Brian Wilson, Bob Dylan, Burt Bacharach, a fascinatingly strange interview segment with Sun Ra, plus many others. Most of these are not profile pieces, but rather studies of how their lives influenced their art and in turn, how we are effected by listening. What makes this all such a pleasure to read, is the style in which it's written. Many authors writing becomes almost scientifically cold and detached, when analyzing such topics; whereas Mr. Davis keeps it warm and human. If music has always been an important part of your life and especially if you are middle aged, you will find much to relate to in many of these articles.