Vibrations: A Memoir [Paperback]

David Amram (Author), Douglas Brinkley (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001

The Boston Globe has described David Amram as "the Renaissance man of American music." Amram and Jack Kerouac collaborated on the first-ever Jazz poetry reading in New York City in 1957 as well as the subsequent legendary film "Pull My Daisy" in 1959, which combined Amram's jazz and chamber music and Kerouac's narration. Not only part of what came to be known as the Beat generation, Amram has also composed over 100 orchestral and chamber works, written two operas, and has collaborated with such notables as Leonard Bernstein, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Charles Mingus, Dustin Hoffman, Thelonius Monk, Willie Nelson, Betty Carter, Odetta, Elia Kazan, Arthur Miller, and Tito Puente. This edition includes a new introduction by the author and a new foreword by Douglas Brinkley

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is a sad book and uproarious, naive and knowledgeable, insane and finally as straight as the top of Amram's piano. It is one man's struggle for the kind of authenticity in life and in music which everything in our time seems designed to frustrate and destroy." -Arthur Miller "An utterly refreshing and rollicking ramble through the world of contemporary music, under the wing of a rambunctious tour guide who is guileless yet informative, funny yet perceptive, exhilarated yet earnest. Every profession should have its Amram!" -George Plimpton Vibrations was a revelation for me. I identified totally with Amram's joie de vivre style, which illuminates the pages of Vibrations....One thing is certain: Amram remains the most indefatigable musician of our time. -From the Foreword by Douglas Brinkley" --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press; First Edition edition (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560253088
• ISBN-13: 978-1560253082
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians > Jazz

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Amram = inspirational, April 19, 2011

By 

B. McEntire "Dribble Funk" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vibrations: A Memoir (Paperback)

First, this memoir is a great read. Amram is a wonderfully engaging writer. It also gives a great impression of a restless young man learning his craft. Amram's formative years found him on the fringes of the Beats, at the early days of bebop and Joe Papp's Public Theatre. He played and wrote and drank and jammed and dated and whipped up crazy recipes and let a drifting crowd of artists crash on his floor. The book traces his growth as an artist from youthful excess and aimlessness to mature musician and composer. Totally recommended for young artists in any field. Amram is constantly positive and enthusiastic and for all his adventures and wanderings, he always ALWAYS put the music first. Very inspiring book.

1 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Composer..., March 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Vibrations: A Memoir (Paperback)

This memoir is a great read. Anyone interested in classical music or The Beats, should check out Vibrations.

3 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read...., December 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Vibrations: A Memoir (Paperback)

He is a grate mann. I luved this book. It was the very goodest book I ever red.