Description
Book Synopsis
Jazz in Nazi-era and postwar Germany, as lived by a Jewish prodigy who survived the horrors of Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.
Coco, it''s not important what you play. It''s important how you play it, said Louis Armstrong to jazz and swing guitarist Coco Schumann during a break between sessions. Recalling this episode Schumann reminds readers that even in the midst of real-world nightmares, music is alive and musicians experience this essential freedom and hope, which they can, in turn, give to their audiences. Throughout his remarkable life, Coco Schumann (b. 1924) would accumulate accolades, including the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany in 1989 and the prestigious Ehrenpreise Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, and play with jazz greats Toots Thielemans, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and others. But few knew he relied on composing music and performing for live audiences to ease the burden of his wartime memories.
After forty years of silence Schumann''s memoir opened a rare window into the previously unknown life of one of Germany''s most renowned musicians, who was a member of the vibrant and illegal Berlin club scene, a part of the cultural revival of postwar Berlin, and a survivor of Theresienstadt (Terezin) and the horrors of Auschwitz.
Shortlisted for the 2017 A.R.S.C. Awards for Excellence in Historical Research in Jazz.
Includes over 50 historical documents and rare photographs.
Trade Review"From his early enthusiasm for American jazz in Berlin cabarets to his membership of Terezin's celebrated Ghetto Swingers and surviving Auschwitz through his music, to post-war appearances with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, jazz remains a constant in a remarkable life story. [...] Illustrated by a fascinating range of photographs." -- The Jazz Rag (UK) "It is rare and beautiful that someone can play with such sadness--and with such musical humor." -- Abendzeitung Munchen (Germany) "The recently published, never-before translated book by "Coco" Schumann traces his journey from Berlin's pre-war nightlife to a band in Auschwitz and back to Berlin -- and doesn't miss a beat. [...] Look for this unusual book." -- Israel National News "An interesting and enlightening read. The passion and the clarity with which Schumann recalls his past experiences, playing with some of the greats, surviving World War II, his internment, are all very evident. I felt like I was listening to the gregarious great-uncle with stories almost too good to be true, other than the fact that they really are. This book very much feels like a conversation carried on between Schumann and anyone passionate about music." -- Reading for Sanity (USA) "A spirited and colorful story about the art of humor, as well as the power of hope in circumstances where there is no hope. Even in the Auschwitz death camp music gave Schumann hope, and he gave it to others in the message of his music." -- Satakunnan Kansa (Finland) "Why should you read this book? Coco Schumann takes you on a trip through his life and the history that surrounded it. This book not only gives a new perspective on World War Two, but provides a closer look at the jazz scene of the twentieth century as well. Schumann grabs your interest and lets you witness his beautiful, humorous and shocking experiences from up close." -- BLVD (The Netherlands)
