Featured Book: Lennie Tristano: His Life In Music

Author: Eunmi Shim

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Year Published: 2007

Type: Biography

Format / Pages: / 316 pages

Review:

For those who have an interest in the life and music of Lennie Tristano, this well-written biography will be a reading experience which is entertaining, educational, and an enlightening look at one of the most important jazz figures and until publication of this book, also one of the least known. Tristano holds a permanent, enduring position as one of the most experimental and imaginative pianist-composers in world jazz history. He can be accurately titled the founder of free jazz as a musical movement, and his many musical compositions exhibit his unique insights into harmony and motifs within a stated rhythm format. In 1949, Lennie Tristano made the first recordings of free jazz and gave birth to a jazz movement.

Due to his open independence, his innovative approaches to jazz often were overlooked by the commercial music industry. As a result, he was often overlooked and not given the exposure his work richly deserved.

Eunmi Shim is to be congratulated on her approach to one of jazz's most unusual people, and certainly one of jazz's most overlooked creators!  Shim writes with freshness, style, and an enjoyable approach to her subject. As biographies go, this is definitely one of the finest published in recent years and should be read by a wide audience.

The musical selections, notes, index, text, photographs, and related material make this a highly recommended book for jazz readers and the general reading public. The section of the book about Lennie Tristano as a teacher is something special, and will move the reader with its candor and sincerity. The Epilogue section of the book is very revealing. The Appendix of Musical Examples allows the reader to view and play some of Lennie Tristano's jazz compositions, such as "Out on a Limb" and "Turkist Mambo." His "C Minor Complex" is also included.

This book is a nice, reliable reference. This is the definitive book about jazz artist, Lennie Tristano.

Additional Information: Check it out @ Amazon.com

ISBN: 9780472113460

Reviewed by: Lee Prosser

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