 Back
Beats and Rim Shots by Warren W. Vache, Mel Torme
Big Band music
instantly reminds us of America on the homefront during World
War II, lavish Hollywood musicals, and the jitterbug. Fans of
big band music will enjoy "Back Beats and Rim Shots",
which vividly describes the life of jazz musician Johnny Blowers
and the atmosphere of America during the time when the big band
sound reigned supreme. Blowers's career typifies the enchantment
of the big band era and illuminates the fierce competition between
the musicians as they struggled for success. VachD'e follows the
life of the drummer from his boyhood in a small southern town
to the mean streets of New York, where he gambled on his future
in music without friends or connections, until the almost unbelievable
lucky break that put him on the road to success. "Back Beats
and Rim Shots" chronicles the time Blowers spent recording
for Vocalion with Bobby Hackett's first band at "Nick's,"
the famous jazz spot in Greenwich Village, as well as later recordings
with industry titans such as Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Frank
Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holliday. VachD'e skillfully
intersperses Blowers's recollections of his life with his straightforward
narrative account. A must for the music aficionado, "Back
Beats and Rim Shots" includes photos and a discography.
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