And They All Sang
by Studs Terkel
2020-12-29 17:54:55
The Pulitzer Prizeâwinning historian talks with some of twentieth centuryâs most iconic musiciansââRiveting . . . Just about every interview has a revelationâ (San Francisco Chronicle). Through the second half of the twentiet...
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The Pulitzer Prizeâwinning historian talks with some of twentieth centuryâs most iconic musiciansââRiveting . . . Just about every interview has a revelationâ (San Francisco Chronicle). Through the second half of the twentieth century, Studs Terkel hosted the legendary radio show âThe Wax Museum,â presenting Chicagoâs music fans with his inimitable take on music of all kinds, from classical, opera, and jazz to gospel, blues, folk, and rock. Featuring more than forty of Terkelâs conversations with some of the greatest musicians of the past century, And They All Sang is âa tribute to musicâs universality and powerâ (Philadelphia Inquirer). Included here are fascinating conversations with Louis Armstrong, Leonard Bernstein, Big Bill Broonzy, Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Mahalia Jackson, Janis Joplin, Rosa Raisa, Pete Seeger, and many others. As the esteemed music critic Anthony DeCurtis wrote in the Chicago Tribune, âthe terms âinterviewâ or âoral historyâ donât begin to do justice to what Terkel achieves in these conversations, which are at once wildly ambitious and as casual as can be.â Whether discussing Enrico Carusoâs nervousness on stage with opera diva Edith Mason or the Beatlesâ 1966 encounter in London with revered Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar, âTerkelâs singular gift for bringing his subjects to life in their own words should strike a chord with any music fan old enough to have replaced a worn-out record needleâ (The New York Times). âWhether diva or dustbowl balladeer, Studs treats them all alike, with deep knowledge and an intimate, conversational approach . . . as this often remarkable book shows, Studs Terkel has remained mesmerized by great music throughout his life.â âThe Guardian â[Terkelâs] expertise is evident on every page, whether debating the harmonic structure of the spirituals or discerning the subtleties of Keith Jarrettâs piano technique . . . As ever, he is the most skillful of interviewers.â âThe Independent âWhat makes And They All Sang a rousing success isnât just Terkelâs phenomenal range and broad knowledge, itâs his passionate love of the music and his deep humanity.â âSan Francisco Chronicle
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