Edward Allan Faine

A TREAT FOR MUSIC LOVERS

This book was a perfect fit for me. I am of an age where I know almost all the music covered in this book (many of the early songs are among those enjoyed by my parents and grandparents). The short chapters on the creation of each piece made it convenient to pick up this book and read even just a chapter or two when I had a few minutes to spare.

Mr. Faine‘s discussion provides alternate information when there is more than one story about the origin of a song. His research is well documented and shared in an easy to read format. Best of all, he even adds links to some so that the reader can listen to them on the internet if he/she chooses.

This book is a real treat for those who love a variety of musical styles. Mr. Faine has covered everything from jazz to big band to show music and pop tunes in a time frame ranging from 1918 to 1989. It would also be a great gift for the “hard to buy for” music fan in your life.

I am looking forward to Book Two.

* I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed it.
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Following Edward Allan Faine’s “Ellington at the White House 1969,””The Best Gig in Town” details the biggest jazz events held at the White House during the Nixon administration. Nixon is not the first president that would come to mind for making jazz a regular feature there, but he hosted several significant events for this genre. Relatively moderate by today’s standards, Nixon presented artists with political affiliations from both sides, always seeking political gain. Because these events had to be planned as carefully as possible, they are well-documented, allowing the author to tell about the lead-ups, the unfolding, and the reaction that followed, sometimes lasting years, as in the Ellington case.

“The Best Gig in Town” is a notable improvement from the previous book (my review can be found in here); it maintains the same excellent level of research, with better storytelling. His interjections don’t take away from the chronicling of this history. Quoting newspaper reviews, he often adds parenthetical context; including transcriptions of what was said at the events, he adds references and visual cues of what happened.

The invited artists used the opportunity for protest only in very below-the-surface, hard-to-catch ways. The most surprising choice in this regard was 5th dimension, following New Orleans trumpeter Al Hirt’s set, including “Age of Aquarius.” The notable exception was the “Feraci incident,” with the “Oobie-Doobie girl” dropping a banner and calling out the President for perpetuating war. Often the events themselves were controversial, and Faine tells how the artists were chosen, as well as their careers leading up to their White House appearances.

Frank Sinatra is on the cover, perhaps because his way of getting to that stage was the most involved. His is a lengthier chapter, presenting the original recorded versions of the songs he is associated with, before the White House performance of each. Military bands or musicians frequently sat in with the headliners, but the longest-enduring jazz presences in Washington D.C. were Dr. Billy Taylor, and Pearl Bailey, a Republican, and an internationally touring ambassador of U.S. culture.

Faine’s time in the listening booth has paid off: he possesses an impressively wide knowledge of different instrumentalists and vocalists, making comparisons and describing the unique characteristics of the individuals at these performances. With a conversational and sometimes informal narration, this book flows well and is a fine history of some important moments in jazz.

For more reviews, follow my blog at http://matt-stats.blogspot.com/… (altro)

I love jazz, and am a big fan of Duke Ellington, so I was very lucky to win this book in the Goodreads First Reads giveaway. Nixon and Ellington seem an unlikely combination, but this book shows how diplomatic the latter was; he really was friends with everyone. Edward Allan Faine did his research for sure, and every detail you can think of is included at least once somewhere in the book. As a result, there are several appendices and notes, though of much more interest are the photographs from the big event. Perhaps the book could have been “Jazz at the White House,” since all events remotely jazz-related up to April 29, 1969 are covered to some extent, though this one seems to have been not only the biggest and best quality, but also the most important socially. The Medal of Freedom was not just a political move on Nixon’s part; many – and not just in the jazz community – knew it was long-overdue. The best parts, in my opinion, were the descriptions of the concert itself and the jam session, which read like extended liner notes. I would have loved to have been there, for the music alone, but Faine’s text gives a good sense not just of the performances but also some background of the compositions and the non-Ellington writers involved. Any kind of personal reaction from one of the attendants, whether during, before or after the main ceremony, was insightful and often amusing. Much detail is given on Willis Conover’s role in the event. The man with the famous voice determined and presented much of the musical program, and also widely promoted it on air for the following five years. There have been a lot of great jazz performances in Washington since then, even in the past few years alone, but this was a special one, in an important era in the United States. Thanks to Edward Allan Faine for the giveaway, and for illustrating a great day in jazz history.… (altro)