Shades of Blue [Large Print] [Paperback]

Bill Moody (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 2008

After several months of successful work in London and Amsterdam with American expatriate Fletcher Paige, Evan Horne returns to the states and settles in the San Francisco Bay Area. There he reunites with his girlfriend, FBI agent, Andie Lawrence. And Evan quickly makes inroads into the Bay Area jazz scene. Life is good until a phone call from a Los Angeles attorney turns his life upside down. Evans old friend and former mentor, pianist Calvin Hughes, has died, and named Evan as his sole beneficiary. Evan is shocked to learn that Hughes has left him his small Hollywood house, money, and all his possessions. But when Evan begins to play through some hand-written sheet music, he recognizes one as a song from the landmark Miles Davis recording Birth of the Cool, and another from Kind of Blue, arguably one of the most important recordings in modern jazz. Was Calvin Hughes the uncredited composer of one or both of these tunes, or was it simply Hughess transcriptions from the recordings? In addition, Evans finds a cryptic note, and a photo taken almost 40 years earliera young Cal with his hand on a baby carriage. Both are taped to the bottom of a dresser drawer. A friend of Cals Lisa Gaines will continue to take care of Milton and rent from Evan. Evan is soon on a whirl-wind journey across the country to find answers from his family and to confront his mother. What was her relationship with Calvin Hughes? And just how did Jazz come into the equation?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Moody's tepid sixth Evan Horne mystery (after 2002's Looking for Chet Baker) finds the jazz pianist at peace, living in Northern California and reunited with his girlfriend, FBI agent Andie Lawrence. Then Horne learns of the death of his friend and mentor, pianist Calvin Hughes, whose will leaves everything to him. Sorting through Hughes's belongings in Los Angeles, Horne finds a note and a photo of Hughes next to a baby carriage, inexplicably taped to the bottom of a drawer. Why the cryptic secrecy? And who's the kid? More interestingly, Horne also finds some aging handwritten sheet music, which might be original compositions of two famous Miles Davis recordings. Tracking down the story of these pieces of ephemera provides the basic plot, but the narrative, padded by two unconnected subplots, never generates enough interest to involve the reader. Jazz fans may enjoy the knowing references to music and jazz history, but mystery buffs will find this novel tone-deaf. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Evan's sixth case offers an infectiously mellow first person narrative, a nostalgic undertone, and a nicely drawn combo of sidemen"  --Kirkus Reviews

"Looking for Chet Baker is thoughful entertainment and like Baker's music it is open to anyone"  --New York Times on Looking for Chet Baker

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 395 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press (February 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590584864
• ISBN-13: 978-1590584866
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,324,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The jazz world with mystery and adventure, December 23, 2008

By 

Robert Tucker - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shades of Blue (Hardcover)

Some gunplay, some mystery, some romance, some heartbreak, and some touching moments come together to form another and quite enjoyable Evan Horne jazz mystery. Horne's skills as a pianist are being recognized in the jazz world as he is asked to record with a well-known drummer in New York City. On the heels of this opportunity, his mentor and friend has recently passed away leaving Horne with a nice inheritance including some mysterious photos and a letter. As Horne pursues the many questions surrounding his mentor, Calvin Hughes, he discovers links to his own past, various jazz musicians, relationships, and old recordings. He once again becomes embroiled in a law enforcement situation where his connection to the FBI serves as both a hindrance and help to complete his journey.

Shades of Blue is a little heavy on the jazz side, making it a perfect read for those in the jazz world, but not so understandable for non-musicians or non-music lovers. The joys and sorrows of being a jazz musician are exploited, including side-line stories of fine musicians who were never recognized as such, and others who made it big. Especially enjoyable were the descriptions of the recording process, and the allusions to the complex world of copyright, ownership, performance, greed, and ambition. Moody's experience with jazz music serves him well in this genre, moving the reader realistically into landscape of what makes jazz so endearing.

Several odd plot situations were a little confusing and disappointing, however, including the events surrounding a new friend, the unanswered reason for the problems with a missing file, the question of why Hughes never sold his home, and the tendency to be suspicious of some while completely trusting others. While there were plenty of hints of serious corruption on several levels, the book never presented enough passion for or against anyone or anything, creating an emotional disconnect to the characters. I never was sure who to support and never sure who to be against. Also, the events of the story could have been inverted, giving the plot more direction and overall purpose.

Still aside from some of these quirks, it is a fun, jazzy read and made me want to dash over to a piano to try some of the charts mentioned throughout the book. I recommend this for jazz and mystery enthusiasts and look forward to many more books by Bill Moody.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jazz Pianist Detective, March 10, 2008

By 

Michael L. Slavin "HardBopper" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shades of Blue (Hardcover)

I have enjoyed all of the Evan Horne mysteries. It's been a few years since that last one. So I was looking forward to this book. Evan has returned from Europe and settled in California. He has unexpectedly been named beneficiary to the estate of his mentor Calvin Hughes. Some clues are left in the home of Hughes that start Horne on a search which takes him to New York City as he attempts to unravel things. Hughes had played during rehearsals with the Miles Davis Birth Of The Cool Band. One of the questions was did Hughes compose the song Boplicity which the band played? Several heretofore unknown tapes of the band surfaced. Horne met several obscure former associates of Hughes as he searched for answers. The major find was that Horne was shocked to find out his own family history. This was a solid read of particular interest to those who would enjoy the jazz tie in.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just the right note, April 9, 2008

By 

Gloria Feit (Long Beach, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Shades of Blue (Hardcover)

Bill Moody's fourth Evan Horne book is a welcome return of this series. Evan, a jazz pianist who has been living and working in London and Amsterdam, has returned to the US and settled down in San Francisco. When he receives a call from an attorney in LA telling him that his mentor of many years ago, a pianist named Calvin Hughes, has died and named Evan as his sole beneficiary, the world as he knows it is turned upside down.

Evan travels to LA and, among Hughes' things, discovers evidence that, incredibly, Hughes might be his father. [As far as he knew, Cal had never been married and, further, Evan's mother and father are alive and well and living in Boston.] Also unearthed are some sheets of music, in Hughes' writing, that Evan recognizes as famed old jazz pieces ostensibly written by the late and great Miles Davis, that were included in two legendary old jazz albums. Is it possible that Hughes was the actual composer? Either one of these mysteries would be daunting enough to solve; Evan must attempt to get to the bottom of both. He turns for assistance to his girlfriend, an FBI agent, though he vaguely fears she has some knowledge she is not sharing with him.

The sense of place is strong of both NYC and California, and I especially enjoyed the description of the small town on the Russian River in northern California where Evan lives. The author, himself a skilled jazz musician with an impressive background, brings to life the vibrancy of this music and its practitioners, and a knowledge of the history of the music and the musicians isn't at all necessary to thoroughly enjoy his writing, although it is certainly makes it that much more wonderful. As good as the story is, what makes it so special is the entrée it provides into the world of jazz music. The articulation of what a jazz musician, or indeed probably any musician, has in his head as he listens to, or creates, great music is absolutely elegant. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and it is recommended. I was delighted to see that Poisoned Pen Press has published this new Evan Horne book, and hope it portends more of the same in the future.