Module 5: Jazz by Walter Dean Myers

"There's a steady beat walking,
and the melody's talking, too
If you ain't moving,
there must be something wrong with you"

www.goodreads.com

Citation

Myers, W.D.  (2006).  Jazz.  New York:  Holiday House, Inc.  

Summary

This picture book is a collection of fifteen lively poems and vibrant, expressive paintings to tell the story of jazz in America.  The book begins with a two-page introduction to the history and essence of jazz by the poet.  There is also a glossary and timeline at the back of the book to place the poems in their proper context.  The poems highlight the roots of jazz music, as well as its influence on American music.  The most popular instruments are given personalities and moods, including the piano, slide trombone, drums, horn, clarinet, and bass.   Select words are strategically emphasized in a colorful, dancing script, while the majority of each poem follows free verse in a old-fashioned, yet clean, typewriter font on bright backgrounds.

My Impressions    

This book practically hums with the "thum, thum, thumming" of the bass in a jazz song.  It begs to be read aloud, as each poem has its own rhythm, pulse, and cadence.  The poems truly capture the feel and mood of jazz, everything from loud and proud, to low and mournful.  Each painting brings the poem to life, with colors suited to the mood of the song, and curving, flowing portraits of jazz musicians, singers, and dancers.  The book makes for a valuable educational tool, as well, as the introduction, timeline, and glossary provide background for the poems.  Jazz is a work of art in words and images, both of which combine to create a book that exemplifies a culture that is generally very difficult to capture on paper.  

Review    
Kirkus Reviews

It takes a poet to reveal the complexities of jazz within the confines of a picture book, and with Jazz, Walter Dean Myers certainly fits the bill. "Jazz, for me, is people finding ways of sharing their passions and their stories through rhythm, melody and improvisation," he says. The author improvises with great dexterity here, deploying the syncopated rhythms and expressive freedom of early jazz, unfurling the brilliant harmonic complexities of bebop and releasing the intuitive shifts of swing. Myers gives each historical jazz moment due time, and his son, Christopher Myers, gives them exquisite artistic interpretation. "When painting the images for Jazz, I was thinking primarily of the community of artists that this music has brought together," says Christopher. "I sought to portray the way in which the nuanced and powerful language of jazz creates a community in much the same way a book does." Myers the father provides that language, while Myers the son links the various jazz styles with his emphatic, color-blasted brushwork. "Jazz has redefined the artistic landscape of not only music, but also literature, dance and the visual arts," says Christopher.


Jazz.  (2006).  Review of the book Jazz by W.D. Myers.  Kirkus Reviews, 74(15), 15.  Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com/

Suggested Library Uses

• Host a jazz night for families.  Play jazz music (or invite a local jazz group), read Jazz to the audience, invite dancers to demonstrate or teach.  The timeline in the back of the book, in addition to the glossary, can be enlarged for patrons to peruse.  Other books, such as biographies of famous musicians, can also be read or highlighted.

Find it @ Your Library - Albany County LibraryE M9922J


Notes
Illustrator, Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Book Award, 2007
Notable Children's Book, 2007