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SWEET SWING BLUES ON THE ROAD

A YEAR WITH WYNTON MARSALIS AND HIS SEPTET

Marsalis writes as elegantly as he plays the trumpet, so fans will doubtless enjoy his atmospheric musings on playing jazz across America, nicely complemented by photographer/filmmaker Stewart's glamorously black-and-white photos. Less indulgent readers may notice that there's not much new here: the usual tributes to band members (``one of the finest musicians in the world,'' ``a great jazz musician,'' etc.), remarks on the grinding travel routine (``the road is an endless series of `Are we here?' ''), and bouquets to the audience (``What I really love about meeting people we have played for is the range of personalities''). Also not new are Marsalis's bad-tempered putdowns of popular culture other than jazz—music videos are ``visual projections of the purest ignorance and worst intentions,'' and he decries ``young sensibilities slowly destroyed by the alpha-wave onslaught''—though he claims to like rap. Marsalis is a lot more appealing when he gets off his soapbox and concentrates on extolling (with considerable eloquence) the music he loves.

Pub Date: Dec. 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-393-03514-X

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1994

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THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE

50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...

Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.

Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").

Pub Date: May 15, 1972

ISBN: 0205632645

Page Count: 105

Publisher: Macmillan

Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972

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NUTCRACKER

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

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