{"product_id":"let-freedom-swing-collected-writings-on-jazz-blues-and-gospel-9780810127050","title":"Let Freedom Swing: Collected Writings on Jazz, Blues, and Gospel","description":"A swing note is, to the listener of the rhythm, an unexpected note, and it is the spark of life in jazz and its relatives. Whether playing the standards or the most experimental piece, it is how a musician handles these notes--fearlessly or safely--that determines the fate of the performance. Howard Reich's critical writing is similarly unexpected and fearless, and \u003ci\u003eLet Freedom Swing \u003c\/i\u003eis a collection of the articles from the past three decades that best capture this spirit. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Each section of \u003ci\u003eLet Freedom Swing \u003c\/i\u003ecomposes a suite, focusing on either a person, place, or scene. Reich gives new life to the standards with his profiles and elegies for such giants as Gershwin, Ellington, and Sinatra. A profile of Louis Armstrong brings out the often angry side of Satchmo but also reveals a more remarkable musician and human being. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e His open-mindedness makes Reich a particularly astute observer of the experimental and new, from Ornette Coleman to Chicago experimentalist Ken Vandermark. And his observations about street music open our ears to the songs of everyday life. Reich's fearlessness is evident in his writing about daunting subjects, such as the New Orleans music scene after Katrina, the lost legacy of jazz in Panama, and the complicated legacy of \"race music\" in America. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Howard Reich combines a deep enthusiasm for music, a breadth of knowledge, and an ability to share his world with his readers, and \u003ci\u003eLet Freedom Swing \u003c\/i\u003eis essential reading for anyone interested in the continuing vitality of jazz, gospel, blues, and American music in general.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Northwestern University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/30\/2010\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780810127050\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 416\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.40lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.93h x 6.07w x 1.18d","brand":"Howard Reich","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53023161221301,"sku":"9780810127050","price":21.21,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/9780810127050.jpg?v=1787665971","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/let-freedom-swing-collected-writings-on-jazz-blues-and-gospel-9780810127050","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}