David Amram composer, jazz artist, conductor, and world music pioneer has been described by the Boston Globe as the Renaissance man of American music. From early collaborations with Kerouac and Sinatra, chosen by Leonard Bernstein as the New York Philharmonic's first composer in residence, Amram's artistry has taken him from concerts with Willie Nelson to jamming with the Massai tribe of Kenya. In Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat, Amram recounts his extraordinary adventures in the many worlds of music he calls home, all told in a rollicking anecdotal style that makes you feel that you are at home around the world. He writes, "Everywhere I have been in the world, music transcends politics. As musicians, we were able to go beyond all that and just be fellow human beings." Threading through Amram s tale of music, hard work, respect, and friendship are unforgettable stories of fellow great artists Dizzie Gillespie, Hunter S. Thompson, Janet Gaynor, George Plimpton, Lyle Lovett, Zoe Caldwell, Willie Nelson, and many more.
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"David Amram is all joy. You can dip into this book at any page and find yourself breathless with wonder, music, laughter. That is his magic."
About the Author
David Amram is an American composer, musician, conductor, and writer. As a classical composer and virtuoso performer, his integration of jazz (including being one of the first noted as an improvising jazz French hornist), ethnic and folk music has led him to work with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Willie Nelson, Charles Mingus, Leonard Bernstein, Sir James Galway, Arthur Miller and Jack Kerouac throughout the course of his career.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Upbeat" is upbeat...,
This review is from: Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat (Hardcover)
"Upbeat: Nine Live of a Musical Cat" is a wonderful experience. Reading Amram's words is just like getting the chance to sit down and talk with him one on one. It's a treat to learn about all of David's didactic philosophies, which stream through to the reader in the narrative about his travels. His emphasis on the correlation of all arts, this idea of writing and music going hand in hand, is an important one.David's cool approach to dealing with unsavory pretentiousness is one we should all take a lesson from. In an age of overspecialization, Amram tells us of a lesson his history teacher taught him, about how we should not have to "...be defined solely by what we all have to do in our daily lives to pay our rent." It would be nice if the world could take on half of Amram's ideologies, of inclusion, how we are all educators/students and to think about what we give up in the name of "progress." Amram takes us on a journey to meet the people he has met and worked with, from Ron Whitehead to Leonard Bernstein. Amram takes us overseas to Africa and down south to Cuba. A true renisance man that has something to offer everyone and "Upbeat: Nine Live of a Musical Cat" is your ticket. ~John J. Petrolino III: October 27, 2008 Author of Galleria: A collection of poetry and the short story "Three Lonesome Travelers"
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
David Amram has done it again! ... Read it and learn!,
By The Aeolian Kid "YOWZA!" (WAMESIT) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat (Hardcover)
David Amram has done it again! ... Read it and learn! ...Man, if Mr. Amram is anything, he is surely prolific in every sense of the word. He must be one of the the hardest working men in the world of music. It's anyone's guess where he finds the time to sleep and rest and recharge his beautiful brain because he's like the Eveready Rabbit Energizer Bunny: he just keeps on going, and going, and going... It must be aesthetic inertia, scorpionic noetic internal serenity, or the grace of The Muse herself because this man is a human dynamo! I always says that, "The Muse knows who loves her!" - and she certainly loves this humble and exceptionally talented man who has devoted his life to the pursuit of the expression of musical excellence and eclectic cross-pollination of cultural soundscapes. How else could he do it if he were not somehow graced by some higher power? Once you get past Chapter Seven, this book is not an easy read - and it was not meant to be! It is for the truly devoted, dedicated, and hard-core fans of the artistic and musical output of David Amram himself as well as all of the people he has befriended along the way who share his passion for performance, composition, and free-form improvisation that is inspired by a love of the experimental and trans-cultural musical avant-garde that some might call "jazz" but musicians themselves just call "getting into the groove!" He shared this mindset with other talented artists, writers, and musicians along the way, and the stories and reflections he has to share with us about all of his travels and adventures forth from his idyllic hobbit home in upstate New York are a real treasure to anyone researching what really transpired among and between many of the greatest minds of Mr. Amram's generation. You need to read it all if you want to find those rare gems of beauty embedded in the body of this very revealing and historical book. It is a biographer's treasure trove of historical jewels and human wisdom that Mr. Amram is never stingy about sharing with us. We in Lowell, Massachusetts honor him - not just because of his love of and respect for Jack Kerouac (one of his dearest friends and artistic collaborators) - but because of who he is as a human being: a real humble cat who is always there to give an inspired suggestion, share a special story, draw an important analogy, charm us with his humor, entertain us with his improvised scat-rap-singing, jam with anyone who cares to share the stage with him, or just practice (as he says) the fine art and ancient peripatetic tradition of "hang-out-ology!" ... No slackers need apply! ... But if you want to dive in to the heart of the discussion and / or musical jam and add something of value to the gestalt, then you will surely reap way more than you sow when you share the limelight with Mr. Amram - because he's the real thing! He's like the sun that comes out on a cloudy day. I have seen him put a smile on the faces of people who just a few moments earlier were either depressed, upset, or stressed out of their minds. The man is like a musical healer - a veritable Moses of the Musical Muse come down from the mountain of Apollonian enlightenment to share his bright light of musical passion with any Dionysiac reveler who cares to listen! ... David Amram ROCKS ! : ) I really liked this one passage (of countless others!) from page 97. When I read it, I thought to myself: "My God - THANK YOU for sending me someone who understands! I wish I had read those words when I was thirteen, as they would have been a comfort and a guidepost to me at a time when I felt like a real lonely weirdo and an outcast in a town that did not really value the arts and music at that time!" ... Here is what Mr. Amram wrote: "In the arts, or whatever you want to devote your life to, when people tell you that you can't do that, you are not qualified, you are not the type of person for that and that you should grow up and give up trying, respect their opinion and understand that while they may have already been hurt by their own disappointments in life, and that they may be brilliant people and even love you or be related to you, have respect for what they are saying to you, but ... hang out with somebody else!" ... AMEN! ... God bless David Amram for this! ... By the time I turned eighteen, I actually, indeed, began on my own to do EXACTLY what he recommends once I figured out that if I did not follow my own path of heart, nobody else was going to help walk me down it - and I reveled in it and could care less what other people thought because I was happy doing what I loved. ... I just wish I did not have to go through those five years of confusion and frustration. Nevertheless, "better late than never," as they say! If you want to learn more about life, music, human wisdom, Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Johnny Depp, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Charlie Mingus, Charlie "Bird" Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Guthrie, and countless other artists, poets, and musicians that Mr. Amram has had the pleasure of knowing and working with in his blessed life, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this wonderful book. ... It's all from the heart - every word of it! ... YOWZA! - George Koumantzelis / The Aeolian Kid
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly multi-talented,
This review is from: Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat (Hardcover)
I heard David Amram do an on the spot rap for one of our public radio jazz stations, but was not aware of how multi-talented this man was in all musicgenres. His stories of making music with Native American, symphonic, jazz, world, rap and other musical groups was fascinating reading. Five Stars!!!!
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