Description
Book SynopsisJazz in Nazi-era and postwar Germany, as lived by a Jewish prodigy who survived the horrors of Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.
Trade ReviewConsidered the first ever jazz electric guitarist in Germany, [Coco Schumann] played swing for years but was versatile enough to perform in much more commercial settings during the lean periods. He kept his memories of the prison camps mostly to himself for four decades.
The Ghetto Swinger has Coco Schumann telling his story honestly, colorfully and with occasional humor. It is a fascinating [book] that is well worth discovering.
– Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz SceneThe 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 NewsFrom 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.
– Ron Simpson, The Jazz Rag, ManchesterUnusually interesting amidst the plethora of self-serving musician autobiographies. Schumann has a better story to tell … survival under the hardest conditions, the value of well-placed friends and the vagaries of fortune as well as the impulse to create. The Ghetto Swinger is a rare glimpse into the persistence of nightlife in Berlin (once a wide-open city) under the Nazis. At Theresienstadt, the ostensibly model concentration camp, Schumann entertained the SS guards with his music like his life depended on it—and it did!
– David Luhrssen, Shepherd ExpressFor posterity, [Schumann] left behind a lifetime of music and memories, along with his remarkable autobiography,
The Ghetto Swinger. [...] Within its 192 pages – which includes 55 photos and illustrations – Schumann covers most of his life, from his birth in 1924 until about 1990, with wit, intelligence and deep feeling.
– JAZZIZ MagazineTable of ContentsAUTHOR’S PREFACE to the English Edition
HOW HIGH THE MOON
BERLIN AIR
YOU CAN’T STOP ME FROM DREAMING
AVANT DE MOURIR
LA PALOMA
SUMMERTIME
RIDERS IN THE SKY
ON THE SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
FOOLISH THINGS
RAZZLE DAZZLE
DOSVEDANYA
AUTUMN LEAVES
AFTERWORD by Michael H. Kater
DISCOGRAPHY
PUBLICATIONS, FILM & TELEVISION, AND AWARDS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INDEX
