Crazy Syncopation

In a podcast conversation on with Chris Lenois of WKVT’s Live & Local, we explore children’s picture books on Jazz and the Jazz Greats.  Listen to the conversation here.

There’s a crazy syncopation
And it’s tearing through the nation
And it’s bringing sweet elation
To every single tune
It’s jazz.

—Jazz by Walter Dean Meyers

In the podcast, Chris compliments Wynton Marsalis’ commitment to “pay it forward” and “honor his Jazz past.”  If you are a Jazz fan, consider sharing this “crazy syncopation” with donations of these books to schools and libraries.  Bring that “sweet elation” of Jazz to kids in your community!

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Jazz
By Walter Dean Myers
Illustrated by Christopher Myers
Published by Holiday House
ISBN-13: 9780823415458
Ages 6-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

From bebop to New Orleans, from ragtime to boogie, and every style in between, this collection of Walter Dean Myers’s energetic and engaging poems, accompanied by Christopher Myers’s bright and exhilarating paintings, celebrates different styles of the American art form, jazz. Jazz takes readers on a musical journey from jazz’s beginnings to the present day. Includes time line and jazz glossary.

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Duke Ellington
By Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Published by Hyperion
ISBN-13: 9780786814206
Ages 6-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

“A royal introduction to the piano prince. Told in a swingy conversational tone and highlighting the musician’s childhood, early ragtime days, and stellar rise to popularity, playing at the Cotton Club and, later, Carnegie Hall, this is a jazzy treat. It is rare to find text that describes music so well. Phrases such as “sassy ride on his cymbal,” “musical stream,” and “purple dash of brass” carry the auditory experiences of the Duke’s music right off the page. Young readers will find more than just a few facts here. They will learn what Duke Ellington did for the jazz world, how his music was played, and the legacy he left behind. Brian Pinkney’s distinctive scratchboard, gouache and oil paintings are a harmonious complement to Andrea Pinkney’s text. Bright, wild colors on soft neon backgrounds are beautifully balanced with black-and-white highlights. It is the blending of words, symbols, and pictures that bring this subject to life. A page of biographical information and impressive source notes conclude the presentation. This book swings. Don’t miss it.”  —School Library Journal

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Ellington Was Not a Street
By Ntozake Shange
Illustrated by Kadir Nelson
Published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780689828843
Ages 6-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

In a reflective tribute to the African-American community of old, noted poet Ntozake Shange recalls her childhood home and the close-knit group of

innovators that often gathered there. These men of vision, brought to life in the majestic paintings of artist Kadir Nelson, lived at a time when the color of their skin dictated where they could live, what schools they could attend, and even where they could sit on a bus or in a movie theater.
Yet in the face of this tremendous adversity, these dedicated souls and others like them not only demonstrated the importance of Black culture in America, but also helped issue in a movement that “changed the world.” Their lives and their works inspire us to this day, and serve as a guide to how we approach the challenges of tomorrow.

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Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa
By Andrea Davis Pinkney
Illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Published by Hyperion
ISBN-13: 9780786814169
Ages 6-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

Ella Fitzgerald began her life as a singer on the stage of the Apollo Theater when she was just seventeen years old. Her rich voice and vocal innovations brought her fame and a remarkable career than spanned half a century and won her generations of fans around the world. Acclaimed author Andrea Davis Pinkney has told Ella’s inspiring story in the voice of Scat Cat Monroe, a feline fan whose imagined narrative sings with the infectious rhythms of scat. Two-time Caldecott Honor winner Brian Pinkney’s dramatic perspectives and fantastical images offer a jazzy improvisation all their own.

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Charlie Parker Played the be bop
By Chris Raschka
Published by Orchard Books
ISBN-13: 9780531070956
Ages 3-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

“Regardless of whether they’ve heard of jazz or Charlie Parker, young readers will bop to the pulsating beat of this sassy picture book. In a daring attempt to capture the raw energy of Parker’s music (and in language recalling the verbal theatrics of Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault), Raschka combines a text that’s as lean as a poem and as mean as a blues refrain (“Charlie Parker played be bop. / Charlie Parker played no trombone. / The music sounded like be bop. / Barbecue that last leg bone”) with vigorously skewed illustrations gleaming with sly wit. Even the typeface joins in the fun, as italics and boldface strut and swing across the pages. Those in the know will enjoy the inside jokes (the pages, for example, are decorated with birds, after Parker’s nickname); young and old alike will find this a read-aloud that’s hard to resist. And that’s no jive.”  —Publishers Weekly

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John Coltrane’s Giant Steps
By Chris Raschka
Published by Simon & Schuster
ISBN-13: 9780689845987
Ages 3-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore

“This innovative visual deconstruction of one of jazz saxophonist Coltrane’s most beloved compositions may be Raschka’s (Mysterious Thelonious) most ambitious picture book yet. After a playful introduction (“Good evening. And thank you for coming to our book”), the unseen narratorconductor introduces the performers a box, a snowflake, some raindrops and a kitten a tongue-in-cheek nod to Coltrane’s version of “My Favorite Things”). The book does not require previous awareness of the jazz great’s work, however. Each performer (representing percussion, bass, piano and sax) appears in a different color and shape (Raschka riffs on primary red, yellow and blue, and the basic square, triangle and circle). The performance begins, only to be interrupted when the kitten (“the melody on top of everything”) takes steps a little too large (“People, people! What happened?”). Some coaching finally produces what Coltrane called “sheets of sound.” Raschka’s transparent watercolors layer colors and shapes the way a musician would notes and harmonies. Stunningly simple, the concept provides a compelling introduction to Coltrane’s genius. Those who possess a little musical knowledge will delight in such arch references as “remixed by Chris Raschka” on the title page and the conductor’s hilarious critique (“First of all, raindrops, you were rushing on page 19″). Even the jacket repeats the book’s central conceit: a clear plastic wrap featuring the kitten, painted in thick black outline, overlays the other elements. A must for jazz enthusiasts and, for first-timers, a clever introduction to this wildly creative musical genre.” —Publishers Weekly

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Mysterious Thelonious
By Chris Raschka
Published by Simon & Schuster
ISBN-13: 9780531300572
Ages 5-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

In his second tribute to a jazz giant, Caldecott Honor Medalist Chris Raschka matches the 12 musical tones of the diatonic scale to the 12 color values of the color wheel, then sets paint strokes for notes and color washes for harmonies, creating an astonishing tribute to musical genius Thelonious Monk. Full color. Matches the tones of the diatonic scale to the values of the color wheel in presenting a portrait of the work of the Afro-American jazz musician and composer of “Mysterioso.”

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Jazz ABZ: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits
By Wynton Marsalis
Illustrated by Paul Rogers
Contribution by Phil Schaap
Published by Candlewick Press
ISBN-13: 9780763621353
Ages 5-Adult

Locate a copy at Local Bookstore.

In a swinging improvisation with poster artist Paul Rogers, Wynton Marsalis celebrates the spirit of twenty-six stellar jazz performers, from Armstrong to Dizzy — and showcases the same number of poetic forms.

A is for “almighty” Louis Armstrong, whose amazing artistry unfolds in an accumulative poem shaped like the letter he stands for. As for sax master Sonny Rollins, whose “robust style radiates roundness,” could there be a better tribute than a poetic rondeau? In an extraordinary feat, Pulitzer Prize-winning jazz composer Wynton Marsalis harmonizes his love and knowledge of jazz’s most celebrated artists with an astounding diversity of poetic forms — from simple blues (Count Basie) to a complex pantoum (Charlie Parker), from a tender sonnet (Sarah Vaughan) to a performance poem snapping the rhythms of Art Blakey to life.

Matching Wynton Marsalis’s musical cadences note for note is the bold, poster-style art of Paul Rogers, highlighted in two phenomenal foldout spreads. The art’s vibrant nostalgic feel is echoed in an exquisite design, with its size simulating an old 78 LP and its endpapers die-cut to mimic a vintage record sleeve. Complete with a discography and brief biographies of the featured musicians as well as notes on the various poetic forms, this is truly an incomparable gift book — for older children learning about jazz, longtime jazz aficionados, lovers of poetry, and readers of all ages who appreciate the finest in book design.