Moment's Notice: Jazz in Poetry and Prose [Paperback]

Art Lange (Editor), Nathaniel Mackey (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1992

exceptional anthology of jazz stories & poems

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Coffee House Press (July 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566890012
• ISBN-13: 978-1566890014
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #377,466 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than a Moment with this book, July 20, 2000

By 

Justin Evans (West Wendover, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Moment's Notice: Jazz in Poetry and Prose (Paperback)

Moment's Notice performs a necessary service for the world of poetry and music. By providing an anthology that shows the influence of jazz on poetry and fiction, readers can look to other things that influence writing. But not for a while, because the reader will want to spend some quality time reading this particular book. For the jazz fan, this book is a must read. For the poetry fan, this book is also a must read.

Every writer you would hope for or expect is represented here. James Baldwin with Sonny's Blues, Jack Kerouac with a selection from The Subterraneans, Larry Neal's "Don't Say Goodbye to the Porkpie Hat," and so many more. Langston Hughes' "Be-Bop Boys" is a stunning and masterful revelation for those people who only know him from "The Weary Blues" or "Dream Deferred." Look for David Meltzer's description of a conversation with Thelonius Monk and David Hilton's poem about Chet Baker. Both are wonderful highlights of this collection of prose and poetry.

The only time where this book falls short is that like so many other American literary anthologies, only a few women are represented. However, I am certain this is a product of the subject at hand rather than the editors choices, for the writings of Jayne Cortez, Wanda Coleman, and Jessica Hadgedorn are included. I see the small showing of female voices to be a very minor detail and one that does not hinder the wonderful work which is included in the anthology.