As Serious As Your Life: John Coltrane and Beyond (Five Star)

As Serious As Your Life: John Coltrane and Beyond (Five Star)

by ValerieWilmer (Author)

Synopsis

As essential now as when it was first published in 1977, As Serious As Your Life celebrates jazz with passion and conviction. Covering the dynamic period 1960-1976, Valerie Wilmer powerfully evokes a remarkable revolutionary musical era that continues to inspire generations of musicians. Valerie Wilmer evaluates the musical careers of both the famous names of the time - Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor - and those of less well-known artists. It is her unique approach - placing the 'new jazz' in its political and social context - that makes As Serious As Your Life a classic of jazz criticism.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 296
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Published: 09 Dec 1999

ISBN 10: 1852427302
ISBN 13: 9781852427306

Media Reviews
The best of those books that found evidence of a black revolution or resurgence in the musical achievements of Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Albert Ayler and others * Guardian *
Exceptionally illuminating... one of the relatively few indispensable books about America's classical music * Nat Hentoff ?A very powerful and proud Black book... it sings the praise-song of the procreators of the new music and their direct descendents? Coda *
An exceptionally illuminating book on jazz now - and on music to come. Indeed, it's one of the relatively few indispensable books about America's classical music -- Nat Hentoff
Author Bio
Valerie Wilmer is a music historian who has been documenting African-American music since 1959. She has written several books on the subject and documented her life in jazz in her autobiography - Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This. She is on the advisory panel of the prestigious New Grove Dictionary of Jazz and her photography features in the permanent collections of several museums. She lives in London.