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Rifftides

Doug Ramsey on Jazz and other matters...

Book: Derrick Bang/Vince Guaraldi

Derrick Bang, Vince Guaraldi at the Piano (McFarland)

There was much more to Vince Guaraldi (1928-1976) than “Cast Your Fate to the Wind” and his “Peanuts” television sound tracks. Bang’s substantial biography covers the pianist and composer’s life from his pre-Cal Tjader days through success with the vibraphonist’s jazz and Latin groups, his own trio, his collaborations with Bola Sete and the Charlie Brown connection that made him famous. He captures the balance between Guaraldi’s serious and humorous sides. Thorough research and interviews with dozens of persons who knew and worked with Guaraldi make this an engaging read. The book includes an extensive and detailed discography.

Book: Riccardi On Armstrong

Ricky Riccardi, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years (Pantheon).

In the eulogy at Armstrong’s funeral in 1971, Fred Robbins said, “He was truly the only one of his kind, a titanic figure in his and our time, a veritable Picasso. A Stravinsky. A Casals. A Louis Armstrong.” Many of Armstrong’s critics charged that his artistic stature diminished after 1931, 1940, 1956…(pick a year). Riccardi’s meticulous research and engaging narrative put that notion to rest. Armstrong’s professionalism, toughness, humor and, most of all, the spirit of his music, emanate from the book’s pages. This is an invaluable addition to the Armstrong bibliography—and a great read.

Book: Telegraph Style Guide

Simon Heffer, Philip Reynolds, The Telegraph Style Guide (Aurum). Whenever Rifftides has posted an Other Matters entry about language, our readers, a literate lot, have responded. This book, designed to keep the staff of the UK’s Telegraph newspapers on their toes, will appeal to those interested in correct usage—and in having a good chuckle. “Slammed is acceptable for a door,” it says, “but not as a metaphor for criticism.” “Very, Usually redundant.” Among the Telegraph’s banned words and phrases: huge, iconic, mission creep, scam. A caution: “Highly adjectival writing is a mainstay of tabloid journalism.” Yes, and it’s showing signs of mission creep.

Doug Ramsey

Doug is a recipient of the lifetime achievement award of the Jazz Journalists Association. He lives in the Pacific Northwest, where he settled following a career in print and broadcast journalism in cities including New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Antonio, … [MORE]

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