Commentaire descriptif

Told chronologically, this story traces the early lives of jazz musicians Benny Goodman, who was white, and Teddy Wilson, black, from their childhoods in the 1920s until they formed their own groundbreaking interracial band. For despite their different backgrounds, they both learned to play instruments and became musicians, with a particular fondness for “Cool, mellow jazz.” By following the musical paths of these two men, the book provides a window into the history of jazz music, in particular the race relations of the time, which dictated that black and white musicians could only play separately, or secretly. And yet eventually, Benny and Teddy defied convention by playing publicly together – for they “were thinking with the same brain” when it came to jazz – thus helping to launch a new era in music. The text reads like a song, with short punchy sentences and minimal punctuation: “they blewthey tappedthey bangedthey strummedThe stage was hotThe dance floor was hotterThe music was the hottest.” There are multiple references to people such as Gene Krupa, “Fats” Waller and Duke Ellington, and places of jazz, all of which are explained in greater detail at the back. Watercolour paintings bring to life the vibrancy of the jazz age through action-filled scenes of people dancing in the streets, the fields and the concert halls. A timeline and short biographies of Goodman and Wilson round things off.