Just after recording with John Coltrane in 1963; baritone singer Johnny Hartman (1923ndash;1983) told a family member that ldquo;something specialrdquo; occurred in the studio that day. He was right ndash; the album; containing definitive readings of ldquo;Lush Liferdquo; and ldquo;My One and Only Love;rdquo; resides firmly in the realm of iconic; forever enveloping listeners in the sounds of romance. In The Last Balladeer; author Gregg Akkerman skillfully reveals not only the intimate details of that album but the life-long achievements and occasional missteps of Hartman as an African-American artist dedicated to his craft.This book carefully follows the journey of the Grammy-nominated vocalist from his big band origins with Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie to featured soloist in prestigious supper clubs throughout the world. Through exclusive interviews with Hartmanrsquo;s family and fellow musicians (including Tony Bennett; Billy Taylor; Kurt Elling; Jon Hendricks; and others); accounts from friends and associates; newly discovered recordings and studio outtakes; and in-depth research on his career and personal life; Akkerman expertly recollects the Hartman character as a gentleman; romantic; family man; and constant contributor to the jazz scene. From his international concerts in Japan; Australia; and England to his steady presence as an American nightclub singer that spanned five decades; Hartman personifies the ldquo;last balladeerrdquo; of his kind; singing with a sentiment that captured the attention of Clint Eastwood; who brought Hartmanrsquo;s songs to the masses in the film The Bridges of Madison County.In the first full-length biography and discography to chronicle the rhapsodic life and music of Johnny Hartman; the author completes a previously missing dimension of vocal-jazz history by documenting Hartman as the balladeer who crooned his way into so many hearts. Backed by impeccable research but conveyed in a conversational style; this book will interest not only musicians and scholars but any fan of the Great American Songbook and the singers who brought it to life.
#877827 in eBooks 2012-12-19 2012-12-19File Name: B008TVLPKG
Review
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Superb works by an outstanding master artistBy C. CollinsThis book of 102 plates is a grand collection and shows the work of Blake in various stages of completion from rough sketches. to watercolor wash. to etching. to full multi-colored complete watercolors. and to full multi-colored. multi-plate prints. Thus you see impressions and ideas in early stages of execution all the way to fully realized expressive works. For the most part. the works are magnificent. Blake was a fine draftsman and the graphic illustrative qualities of his work are strong. He has somewhat of an academic style in regard to drawing or painting the human body with the male. often nude. drawn with flowing manneristic precision and revealing a hyper-muscular approach to the male body. In other words. his male figures are often nude muscular fellows with flowing expressive movement. Some of the less developed works are exquisite in their early stages. such as the illustration of Virgil. at the request of Beatrice. assisting Dante in his quest for divine wisdom. an image of two figures cradled. protected. by huge flowing trees. Blake loves monsters and he really gets the opportunity to let his imagination go with the many demons and monsters and mythological characters that Virgil and Dante encounter. Whereas Blake can create fragile. pastel. impressions he can also create dark contrasting areas of great dynamism. An image of the lustful dead being swept across the dark indigo night sky is a fantastic image. Any artist would be content to have 10 masterpieces in their artistic career. Blake had hundreds of successful master works. The unfinished works feel very contemporary. such as a watercolor in mauve and yellow ochre where Dante asks Virgil to explain the influence of Fortune on humans. Blake creates an alternate reality for his world of hell. purgatory. and heaven are truly other realities than the lived in reality of life on earth. Blakes drawn diagram of the nine circles of hell puts most contemporary drawings to shame with its subtlety and sketchy graphic qualities. In another watercolor. Dante and Virgil approach the Minotaur and the surface colors are exquisite and the Minotaur has all the power of a Picasso monster. Dante mixes the gods of antiquity into hell. His completed watercolor and ink drawing of Capaneus. unrepentant and defiant. who was struck down by the lightning bolts of Zeus. shows the power of the finished pieces. The finished work of Neptunes son Anteus is absolutely beautiful. Overall the collection is a grand achievement and the images are outstanding. Dante was very concerned about the politics of the Papacy and Tuscany but Blakes images rises above the local to the universal.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good. but a better quality edition would have been niceBy Vincent PoirierThe point to make is not that theres anything bad to say about this collection of William Blakes illustrations for Dantes Divine Comedy; rather its that the quality of this book is nowhere near what it should be.- Its softcover. it should be clothbound hardcover.- The quality of the paper and binding could be much better.- There should be contextual quotations as well as explanations of the plates.- The graphic design. beginning with the cover. is flat and unimaginative.The Folio Society Edition of Dantes work fetches hundreds of dollars. so that level would be too much to expect. But something of the same quality as what Houghton Mifflin Harcourt produced for Randall Munroes "Thing Explainer" would have been perfect.We have to remember its a Dover edition. they publish many books other publishers would forget to consider and there are good things about this edition.+ Blakes illustrations are fascinating and mesmerizing.+ I cant argue with the price.+ Im happy its available at all!Vincent Poirier. Queacute;bec City18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful and Imaginative art -- nice reproduction qualityBy KrazyshamanThis is a beautiful book that really lets you see Blakes creative process: the illustrations range from loose sketches and incomplete paintings. to articulately finished works of art. This book does NOT contain the text of the Divine Comedy. but each plate lists the line numbers it illustrates so one can easily use it while reading Dantes masterpiece. I dont know what the customer who wrote in Italians complaint is (since I dont understand Italian). but I give this book a top recommendation to all lovers of Blakes art.
