Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: swing era, little pony, momentum space, Village Voice, The Second Century, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 146 lively essays, articles and reviews, most of them written for his Weather Bird column in the Village Voice, critic Giddins surveys the jazz scene from 1990 to 2003. He covers concerts, recordings and jazz festivals, and considers new artists as well as older singers and instrumentalists (e.g., Doc Cheatham, Rosemary Clooney, Benny Carter) and those long gone but brought to life on reissued recordings (e.g., Billie Holiday, the Boswell sisters and especially Louis Armstrong, whose seminal place in jazz is underscored by the book’s title, which comes from the famous Louis Armstrong and Earl Hines duet). Designed to be a companion volume to Giddins’s landmark reference, Visions of Jazz, the volume offers an overview of jazz’s avant-garde and discussions of dozens of familiar contemporary artists and relative newcomers, such as pianists Bill Charlap and Jason Moran. Giddins pays tribute to two deceased critics, Martin Williams and Leonard Feather, and praises engineer Robert Parker for his pioneering work in recovering the best sound from remastered 78s. As a reviewer, Giddins is opinionated but generous, with the laudable ability to capture the essence of a performer’s style in vibrant language that makes the music described seem almost audible. In a final essay, he outlines the history of jazz and shows that, contrary to some opinions, the form is very much alive.
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

"Giddins has a voice. It's full of bold assertions and...balances emotion with intellect, as does jazz itself." -- San Jose Mercury News

"The breadth and depth of Giddins's knowledge is extremely impressive, his ear is astounding..." -- Library Journal --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195304497
• ISBN-13: 978-0195304497
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,177,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Perspective on the World of Jazz--Old and New, January 14, 2006

By	James Robert Parish (Studio City, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Weather Bird: Jazz at the Dawn of Its Second Century (Hardcover)

Giddins, the author of the wonderfully detailed and perceptive biography of Bing Crosby, presents, interprets, and contrasts a wide array of topics revolving about the world of jazz: ranging from Rosemary Clooney to Louie Armstrong to the harmonious sibling act, The Boswell Sisters, as well as many essays on the state of jazz.
Separately, or in the context of the entire book, Giddins's personal assessments make for provocative reading on a complex, pulsating musical genre.
A great read!

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars jazz fans delight, July 12, 2007

By	eddie mcbane "pablo the potentate" (st louis, mo USA) - See all my reviews

giddins does a marvelous job of identifying the key jazz figures of the ages and sketching their techniques, showmanship and mastery of jazz idioms. a rare blend of scholarship and fascinating repartee.