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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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