Research Catalog

Title

Upbeat : nine lives of a musical cat / David Amram.

Author

Amram, David

Publication

Boulder : Paradigm Publishers, c2008.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xii, 322 p., [8] p. of plates : ill.; 24 cm.

Summary

"David Amram-composer, jazz artist, conductor, and world music pioneer-has been described by the Boston Globe as "the Renaissance man of American music." From early collaborations with Kerouac and Sinatra, chosen by Leonard Bernstein as the New York Philharmonic's first composer in residence, Amram's artistry has taken him from concerts with Willie Nelson to jamming with the Massai tribes of Kenya. In Upbeat: Nine Lives of a Musical Cat, Amram recounts his extraordinary adventures in the many worlds of music he calls home, all told in a rollicking anecdotal style that makes you feel that you are at home around the world. He writes, "Everywhere I have been in the world, music transcends politics. As musicians, we were able to go beyond all that and just be fellow human beings." Threading through Amram's tale of music, hard work, respect, and friendship are unforgettable stories of fellow great artists-Dizzie Gillespie, Hunter S. Thompson, Janet Gaynor, George Plimpton, Lyle Lovett, Zoe Caldwell, Willie Nelson, and many more."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject

• Amram, David
• Composers > United States > Biography

Genre/Form

Biographies

Note

• Includes index.

Contents

Introduction : at home around the world -- Merrymaking and mayhem in the mountains : Hunter S. Thompson's final blastoff -- Kenya, Africa : the mother of us all -- Natural ambassadors -- Kokopelli : walking the Native American trail of beauty -- Bouquets and bombs on Broadway : agony and ecstasy on the Great White Way -- The Dutch treat : the genesis of Offbeat : collaborating with Kerouac -- Words and music : scat and make-up songs, the art of one-time-only rap reporting -- Postcards from the road, 2002-2007 -- Fond farewells : honoring six old friends.

ISBN

• 9781594514241 (hardcover : alk. paper)
• 1594514240 (hardcover : alk. paper)

LCCN

^^2007032936

OCLC

• 163625364
• SCSB-10359319

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library