Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane (review)
2008; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 61; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2008.0251
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Music History and Culture
ResumoReviewed by: The Seer of Shadows Elizabeth Bush Avi The Seer of Shadows. HarperCollins, 2008 [208p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-06-000016-5$17.89 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-06-000015-8$16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-7 The ambient sounds of everyday life may roll past most of us as so much white noise, but young John Coltrane sat up and took notice. In Weatherford's litany of the boy's experiences, "hambones knocking in Grandma's pots," "Bojangles tap-dancing in the picture show," "the sobs of kinfolk at family funerals," and "blue notes crooning his name" would later emerge from his saxophone as "a bold new song." This is as much a subtle invitation for children to listen to their own worlds as it is a Coltrane biography; indeed, details about the musician's life are relegated to a lengthy concluding note that helps explain bits of the preceding text and offers information about his adult career. Although there may be some temptation to compare Weatherford's title with Chris Raschka's picture-book opus John Coltrane's Giant Steps (BCCB 9/02), it's clear that the two authors bring very different intents: Raschka explores the sound of the music, and Weatherford examines childhood influences on Coltrane's musical development. A more telling comparison might be made between Qualls' illustrations and his previous artwork for Winter's Dizzy (BCCB 11/06); this soulful-eyed child surrounded by bubbles and ribbons of music could nearly be mistaken for Gillespie, and the plaster-like brushwork in the mixed-media pictures is, if not a recycled approach, at least a stylistic reprise. Suggestions for further reading and a brief discography are included. Copyright © 2008 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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