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Book Synopsis

May be the best book ever written about jazz.David Thomson, Los Angeles Times

In eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skillfully evokes the music and the men who shaped modern jazz. Drawing on photos, anecdotes, and, most important, the way he hears the music, Dyer imaginatively reconstructs scenes from the embattled lives of some of the greats: Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonious Monk creating his own private language on the piano. However, music is the driving force of But Beautiful, and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician''s style.

But Beautiful

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    A Paperback / softback by Geoff Dyer

    £15.30

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    RRP £18.00 – you save £2.70 (15%)

    Order before 4pm tomorrow for delivery by Wed 2 Sep 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher St Martin's Press
      Published 10 November 2009
      ISBN-13 9780312429478
      978-0312429478
      ISBN-10 0312429479
      Also in:
      Autobiography: arts and entertainment Entertainment Composers and songwriters Musicians, singers, bands and groups

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      May be the best book ever written about jazz.David Thomson, Los Angeles Times

      In eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skillfully evokes the music and the men who shaped modern jazz. Drawing on photos, anecdotes, and, most important, the way he hears the music, Dyer imaginatively reconstructs scenes from the embattled lives of some of the greats: Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonious Monk creating his own private language on the piano. However, music is the driving force of But Beautiful, and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician''s style.

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