12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Jazz Dream Team--a Top 20 Book of the Year!, April 18, 2008
This review is from: Jazz On A Saturday Night (Coretta Scott King Honor Book) (Hardcover)
The renowned team of Leo and Diane Dillon sparkle in this fond evocation of jazz greats, as entertaining as it is educational. They contrive a "dream team" of six jazz legends, John Coltrane, Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, and Max Roach, and one relative newcomer to the pantheon, bassist Stanley Clarke. We're there with the all-Black audience in a small theater setting, delighted and inspired as the fantasy begins with Miles soloing on trumpet, and--one of my personal favorites, sometimes overlooked--Max Roach on the drums:
Repeat on the beat
When Max Roach keeps the heat
On his drums, rhythm thrums,
Makes you jump in your seat.
The Dillons know their stuff, whether it's the period (1950's) clothing, the audience reaction (Feel the beat in your feet, what a treat), the roots of jazz, or the nicknames and styles of the musicians: Charlie Parker's alto sax riffs "fly through the sky, on the wings of a bird."
They capture of essence of Monk in two sentences--in a book for kids!
Thelonious Monk invents on the keys,
Does his own thing, not aiming to please.
Discordant chords now blend ta be
Pure genius, joined in harmony.
The richly saturated illustrations are as captivating as the text, While they could be computer-generated, they're warm and have a graphics/poster quality. An "African" style pattern often backs the foregrounded musicians, providing visual interest and unity. I have a few very minor qualms, trivial really--but perhaps expected from one who is a major fan of jazz as well as kids' books: While the musicians' portraits are generally excellent, they don't quite get Ella Fitzgerald right. (In fact, a lighting technician backstage resembles Billie Holiday more than Ella's picture resemble Ella.) Miles Davis could blow both hot and cool jazz, but it is for the latter that he is most famous. Puzzling then, that Miles' trumpet's "sparks heat up the skies." Finally, Charles Mingus is the definitive bass player, and belongs here for both historical and stylistic reasons. Perhaps the Dillons wanted to included a somewhat more contemporary player.
I assumed the included CD would be a brief, watered-down composition, but I was wrong. After an interesting 12-13 minute sampling of the various instruments (contrasting different saxes, drums, volumes, and tempos), the uncredited band plays an
exciting number that shows off the instruments' individual and collective expression. As with the text, the CD strikes just the right balance of easy-going instruction and sheer finger-snapping, toe-tapping fun. Better get this one into yo'soul, and onto your bookcase!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
PERFECT Jazz on a Saturday Night, December 26, 2007
This review is from: Jazz On A Saturday Night (Coretta Scott King Honor Book) (Hardcover)
This children's book is a wonderful celebration of our nation's rich history of Jazz Music. The beautiful illustrations themselves are enough to make this book worth buying, however the text is great too and is set to a jazzy beat. The book alludes to several famous jazz artists and has a brief glossary in the back giving more detail about the artists' lives. The book also includes a cd in the back. This book is great for classrooms or homes, a delightful read that children will love. This book is also a great investment for anyone who loves jazz music.
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