Jazz A-B-Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding; and: Jazz A•B••Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits Elizabeth Bush Look, Lenore Uncle Peter's Amazing Chinese Wedding; illus. by Yumi Heo. Schwartz/Atheneum, 2006 ISBN 0-689-84458-1$16.95 R* 5-9 yrs Marsalis, Wynton Jazz A•B••Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits; with biographical sketches by Phil Schaap; illus. by Paul Rogers. Candlewick, 200576p ISBN 0-7636-2135-8$24.99 R Gr. 8-12 This is no simple picture book but an ambitious and sophisticated project in which artist Rogers and jazz expert and practitioner-turned-wordsmith Marsalis attempt to capture the unique styles of jazz greats through different but complementary media. Rogers conceived the idea and, taking broad liberties with the traditional ABC format (here "U" is Eubie Blake and "X" is Bix Beiderbecke), contributes poster-style renderings rife with allusions to the musicians' work, venues, and era. Marsalis deploys various poetic forms to suit the performers, most of which are explained in concluding notes: "Lyric poems written today still give the feeling that they could be sung; they are intimate, personal, and can express the poet's own sense of mortality—just like a recording by Lady Day." Perhaps taking the alphabetical convention a little too much to heart, Marsalis sometimes overplays his hand in [End Page 239] his pursuit of alliteration ("Rollins's robust style radiates roundness./ On raucous rhythms or sweet romances/ Sonny resoundingly responds,/ Raging rhapsodic on regular songs/ Rendered swimmingly. And he rarely rests"). Nonetheless, Marsalis' energetic paeans and Rogers' silk-screen-styled acrylic and ink portraiture, coupled with biographical sketches and a discography of selected standards and capped off with clever bookmaking reminiscent of a 78-rpm record jacket, should lure jazz aficionados to browse, linger, and savor. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois