Rhapsody

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan   352 pages

I was so excited to get my hands to read this novel. Set during the Jazz Age in New York, the story centred around George Gershwin and Kay Swift.  I admit that I had no idea who Kay Swift was in the annals of music history. But I am familiar with George, and especially his brother, Ira. The story, I thought, was supposed to be about George and Kay’s 10-year love affair. To me, that story seemed to live in the background most of the time.

Here’s a summery from Goodreads.com that made me want to read this novel:

“One evening in 1924, Katharine “Kay” Swift—the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition—attends a concert. The piece: Rhapsody in Blue. The composer: a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin.

Kay is transfixed, helpless to resist the magnetic pull of George’s talent, charm, and swagger. Their ten-year love affair, complicated by her conflicted loyalty to her husband and the twists and turns of her own musical career, ends only with George’s death from a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight.

Set in Jazz Age New York City, this stunning work of fiction, for fans of The Paris Wife and Loving Frank, explores the timeless bond between two brilliant, strong-willed artists. George Gershwin left behind not just a body of work unmatched in popular musical history, but a woman who loved him with all her heart, knowing all the while that he belonged not to her, but to the world.”

The novels opens with the focus on Kay. I admit that I had no idea who the author was talking about most of the time when “Jimmy” kept cropping up. Turns out, Jimmy is James Warburg, a wealthy banker and Kay’s husband.

I hate to feel lost and that is what I felt most of the time I was reading. I felt this way the same way I felt about “Loving Frank.”  I just couldn’t care about these people.  In my opinion, Rhapsody is a big ol’ flop and receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Dean Martin Cool Then, Cool Now

Dean Martin Cool Then, Cool Now a book and 2 CDs by Hip-O Records      Hardback Book:  62 pages     

What a fun read and nostalgic trip through the words of Kevin Spacey, Shirley Maclaine, Jerry Lewis, Robbie Williams,  Arnold Palmer and one of Dean’s daughters,  Gail Martin Downey.    Wonderful family photos included that is like a walk through Dean’s private home life, his professional work life and the joy he spent with his friends, the Rat Pack, his Brentwood poker playing buddies and at his charity events.   A lovely tribute to a man described in glowing terms by celebrities, fans and family.    It was like sharing memories while paging through a family album.    Dean Martin was one of those stars that you felt as though you knew because he had that mischievous fun down to earth way of coming across.   Singer, actor, sometimes dancer, husband, father, friend and Ratpacker.    Larger than life still.   What a great tribute and you get to see and hear him – 2 CDs included.    I thoroughly enjoyed this book and music.

Orchestra of Exiles: The Story of Bronislaw Huberman. The Israel Philharmonic, and the One Thousand Jews He Saved from Nazi Horrors

Orchestra of Exiles: The Story of Bronislaw Huberman. The Israel Philharmonic, and the One Thousand Jews He Saved from Nazi Horrors by Josh Aronson & Denise George  384 pages

I love the cover of this book---very dramatic with its string of barbed wire and Bronislaw Huberman playing his violin. I probably would have picked it up even if one of its authors, Josh Aronson, hadn’t had a book signing at the St. Louis Public Library. His presentation was wonderful.

I had never heard of Huberman until that night in January 2017. Aronson’s description of the great violinist birth reverberated in my soul. It seems that the elder Mr. Huberman had always dreamed of being a violinist. When his dream was thwarted, he decided that one of his sons would play. Immediately after Bronislaw’s death, his father looked at his hands and declared him a violinist.

Beginning when the lad was five or six years old, his childhood ended. His father demanded that he practice four to five hours a day. Luckily from him, Bronislaw was a prodigy. Be the time he was 14, he was playing concert stages around the world to great applause. He was making the money that his father demanded.

Bronislaw was a quirky, sickly little dude, but that didn’t stop his father from pushing him, and pushing him, and pushing him. Abuse takes many forms, and Bronislaw endured the verbal attacks of his father. But this is more than just a tale of child. It’s the story of how being that driven created its own dreams.

I think Bronislaw was a tad psychic. He felt that the Great War would happen and was sure that another one would occur. As he watched Adolph Hitler ascend in Germany, he keenly felt the upcoming horrors Hitler would impose on the Jews. Interestingly, Bronislaw considered himself first a violinists, second a Pole, and third a Jew.

As he watched Hitler deconstruct Germany’s culture. He vowed to create an orchestra in Palestine, a place where Jews were fleeing to at such an alarming rate that the world should have noticed that something evil was occurring in Germany.

Bronislaw worked tirelessly to get money, certificates, a rehearsal hall, and the musicians Hitler had fired get out of Germany. He pushed himself on world tours, speeches; he would do whatever it took to get someone to listen. He pushed himself to the brink of a breakdown several times before December 26, 1936, when the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra played its first concert in Tel Aviv, conducted by Maestro Arturo Toscanini.

One thing I didn't understand was how the number 1,000 wsa chosen. On opening night of the IPO, there were 71 musicians who had abandoned Nazi Germany. Not sure how the authors arrived at that figure, but Orchestra of Exiles: The Story of Bronislaw Huberman. The Israel Philharmonic, and the One Thousand Jews He Saved from Nazi Horrors is fascinating look at a story that had been largely forgotten, but shouldn’t be. This work receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

1971 - Never a Dull Moment

1971: Never a Dull Moment -- the Year that Rock Exploded by David Hepworth. 320 pages.

David Hepworth gives us a tour of major moments in music in 1971.  Friday, New Year's Day, 1971, the Beatles had officially broken up.  Within the next year, people would see the rise of bands like Led Zeppelin and The Who, among others.  Hepworth shows how musicians came together that year, sometimes working with each other, to start a musical era that lasted well beyond what anyone would have expected.

This was an interesting book, although I wouldn't say it was a riveting read.  Some parts were interesting, especially if I knew the musician the author was writing about.  And, the author does have a flair for a bit of snark here and there.  He's definitely got opinions about the music and the musicians, and that made the book entertaining.

Example, p. 219 "These patchouli plutocrats seemed a new type of human being.  They were immensely wealthy but required by their profession to conduct themselves like vagabonds... The heightened sensitivity everyone applauded in their songs was often achieved at the expense of their own personal relationships, where they moved decisively to dispense with any romantic relationship that was in danger of subtracting more than it was adding."

It's an interesting book, even if I felt like the author veered off topic a few times.  If nothing else, he calls attention to some of the more important songs and music to come out of that year (and inspire me to look through the library's catalog for some of the albums he lists in the book).

What Happened, Miss Simone?

What Happened, Miss Simone? by Alan Light.  260 pages (not including discography and notes)

This is a biography of artist Nina Simone, who wasn't just a singer, but a classically trained pianist and civil rights activist.  Alan Light is a former music journalist, and brings that writing style to this book.  Using rare archival footage, audio recordings, interviews and personal diaries, Light puts together a nuanced portrait of a complex and compelling woman.

I had been familiar with Simone's work for a while, but I didn't really know that much about her before reading this book.  It was interesting to read about her personally, but admittedly, I found some of the writing about her musicianship to be fascinating.   A classically trained pianist, Simone brought that deep understanding of classical music into her performances.  At the time she was first performing, this was very unusual, and unexpected.   Unfortunately, Ms. Simone's personal life often overshadowed her artistic life.   However, reading about her personal struggles and how they influenced her music made me want to pull up more recordings and listen to them.   Very interesting reading.

Play for Me

Play for Me by Celine Keating   217 pages

Lily’s story opens with Lily and her husband, Stephen, dropping their only son, Colby, off at college. Lily isn’t ready for an empty nest; Stephen is. Stephen has his work as a planner for the city of Manhattan. Lily creates educational and business videos for a small Manhattan firm. She struggles with her newly empty life.

Colby invites his mother to a James Taylor concert. Lily jumps at the chance to be with her son. However, it’s the opening band that changes Lily’s life forever. The guitarist is able to reach down to the bottom of her soul and reawaken her passions and her desires for more creative outlets. I can’t remember the name of the duo, but lead singer Blaise and guitarist JJ, especially the way JJ plays, opens her heart and soul as they haven’t been opened in years.

Lily finds herself seduced by JJ’s playing; she begins to follow the band and catch their shows wherever they are appearing. She feels stupid for her desire to hear JJ play as much as she possible can. Then she gets the idea of creating a documentary about the pair. One she gets Blaise to agree, Lily goes on the road with them. Although it’s only for a week, Lily knows this is the most important thing she has ever done.

As they travel through New England and into Canada, Lily realizes she is endangering her marriage. At first, Stephen thinks it’s a fantastic opportunity, but as the phone calls home become less and the conversations strained, he begins to wonder what is really happening.

Keating does a wonderful job in exploring what many women go through: the re-identification of herself after the kids are grown and gone. The story built both slowly and quickly. Blaise’s initial outburst when she discovered Lily taping one of their concerts seems over-the-top, but as the story progresses, readers understand her action. A fast read, the story grabbed hold of me from Page 1 and never let up until I reached the conclusion. Keating left enough wiggle room at the end for a sequel, and I hope she is writing it.

I give Play for Me 5 out of 5 stars.