Stanley Crouch was a commanding American voice whose writing cut to the core of American culture, particularly in the realms of jazz and race relations. As a vibrant poet, music journalist, and critic, he explored the intricacies of American identity and artistry with unwavering intellect and passionate prose. His work, shaped by his experiences as an activist and musician, offers penetrating insights into historical and contemporary sociopolitical landscapes. Readers will find a compelling blend of sharp analysis and vivid commentary in his collected writings.
This collection of essays showcases Stanley Crouch's sharp and insightful commentary on race and culture in America. Known for his eloquence and unpredictability, Crouch tackles complex societal issues with a unique perspective. His work has garnered recognition as a New York Times Notable Book, reflecting his influence and prominence in national media. Through his essays, readers can expect a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary cultural dynamics.
Mr. Artur Sammler, Holocaust survivor, intellectual and occasional lecturer at Columbia University in 1960s New York, is a 'registrar of madness', a refined and civilized being caught among people crazy with the promises of the future (moon landings, endless possibilities). His Cyclopean gaze reflects on the degradations of city life while looking deep into the sufferings of the human soul. 'Sorry for all and sore at heart', he observes how greater luxury & leisure have only led to more suffering. To Sammler--who by the end of this ferociously unsentimental novel has found the compassionate consciousness necessary to bridge the gap between himself and his fellow beings--a good life is one in which a person does what is 'required of him'. To know and to meet the 'terms of the contract" was as true a life as one could live. At its heart, this novel is quintessential Bellow: moral, urbane, sublimely humane.
Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker is the first installment in the long-awaited portrait of one of the most talented and influential musicians of the twentieth century, from Stanley Crouch, one of the foremost authorities on jazz and culture in America. Throughout his life, Charlie Parker personified the tortured American artist: a revolutionary performer who used his alto saxophone to create a new music known as bebop even as he wrestled with a drug addiction that would lead to his death at the age of thirty-four. Drawing on interviews with peers, collaborators, and family members, Kansas City Lightning recreates Parker’s Depression-era childhood; his early days navigating the Kansas City nightlife, inspired by lions like Lester Young and Count Basie; and on to New York, where he began to transcend the music he had mastered. Crouch reveals an ambitious young man torn between music and drugs, between his domineering mother and his impressionable young wife, whose teenage romance with Charlie lies at the bittersweet heart of this story. With the wisdom of a jazz scholar, the cultural insights of an acclaimed social critic, and the narrative skill of a literary novelist, Stanley Crouch illuminates this American master as never before.
