But Beautiful cover art

But Beautiful

A Book About Jazz

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But Beautiful

By: Geoff Dyer
Narrated by: Dion Graham
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Summary

Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonius Monk creating his own private language on the piano . . .

In eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skilfully evokes the embattled lives of the players who shaped modern jazz. He draws on photos and anecdotes, but music is the driving force of But Beautiful and Dyer brings it to life in luminescent and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician's style. Read by acclaimed narrator Dion Graham.

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Critic Reviews

"Remarkable . . . there can be few books on jazz written with such tenderness and care" (Adam Lively)
"But Beautiful is just that. A moving and highly original tribute to Black American Music" (Bryan Ferry)
"As intricate a mixture of biographical essay and make-believe as is likely to be written"
"The only book about jazz that I have recommended to my friends. It is a little gem" (Keith Jarrett)
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An absolutely terrific read. Beautifully, wonderfully, soulfully read by Dion Graham. Prose that flows like extraordinary poetry.

This is truly the best book I've ever read!

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