Description
Book SynopsisBackstory in Blue is a behind-the-scenes look at this epic moment in American cultural history. It is the story of who and what made Ellington’s composition so compelling and how one piece of music reflected the feelings and shaped the sensibilities of the postwar generation.
Trade ReviewIf you want to understand why
Backstory in Blue was written in the first place, listen to George Avakian's original mono LP for the torrent and spectacle. The go to Schaap's CD for the musical detail. The read the book. . . . Morton ultimately delivers a gripping account of the riotous and dramatic night. * Downbeat *
Morton provides a detailed exploration of the remarkable July night in a not-very-jazzy community then known primarily for its upper-class society lifestyle. . . . his research and writing are outstanding. Jumping back and forth in time, Morton draws the reader into both factual content and the emotion of the performance. Recommended. * Choice *
What makes John Fass Morton's Backstory in Blue so impressive is the way he handles the tensions and releases of that blue containment tale while bringing human complexity to the fore. We feel the flesh-and-blood qualities of the characters who made the story intimate, secret, public, intricate, casual, and even slightly mysterious. Morton reveals many things that others have missed, and his book could inspire those in our firmly segregated literary world where almost all of our fiction fails to bring artistry and the sort of sweep expected in the best...novels. Page by page this book makes its way to great importance. -- Stanley Crouch * Harper's Magazine *
Table of ContentsForeword by Jonathan Yardley
Acknowledgments
How We Got There
Newport '56
Where It All Went
Notes
Bibliography
Index
