Reviews
"Testimony' is one of the most successful jazz poems ever written, both lush and poignant, like the best of Parker's solos."--Stephen Cramer, author of Tongue & Groove "Charlie Parker's life is well known to jazz fans, but Komunyakaa's setting of these details is surprising and engaging, combining facts and symbolism, and his descriptive language is colorful and evocative.""--Art Lange, coeditor of Moment's Notice: Jazz in Poetry and Prose "Testimony' is a compelling tribute. . . . It is remarkably free of kitsch and cliché and has some wonderful details. The interview with Feinstein, and Feinstein's other essay, help to explicate some of the details in the poem for readers less familiar with Bird lore.""--Jonathan Mayhew, author of Apocryphal Lorca: Translation, Parody, Kitsch "Testimony' is one of the most successful jazz poems ever written, both lush and poignant, like the best of Parker's solos."--Stephen Cramer, author of Tongue & Groove "Testimony' is one of the most successful jazz poems ever written, both lush and poignant, like the best of Parker's solos."--Stephen Cramer, author of Tongue & Groove, "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. ... This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein--poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa--provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above." --B. Wallenstein, Choice "Testimony... describes jazz as a country, a way of life, a sexuality, a spirituality." --Joseph Hoover, S.J., America Magazine, "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. ... This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein--poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa--provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above."--B. Wallenstein, Choice "Testimony' is one of the most successful jazz poems ever written, both lush and poignant, like the best of Parker's solos."--Stephen Cramer, author of Tongue & Groove "Testimony' is a compelling tribute. . . . It is remarkably free of kitsch and cliché and has some wonderful details. The interview with Feinstein, and Feinstein's other essay, help to explicate some of the details in the poem for readers less familiar with Bird lore."--Jonathan Mayhew, author of Apocryphal Lorca: Translation, Parody, Kitsch "Charlie Parker's life is well known to jazz fans, but Komunyakaa's setting of these details is surprising and engaging, combining facts and symbolism, and his descriptive language is colorful and evocative."--Art Lange, coeditor of Moment's Notice: Jazz in Poetry and Prose "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein--poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa--provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above."--B. Wallenstein, Choice "Testimony describes jazz as a country, a way of life, a sexuality, a spirituality."--Joseph Hoover, S.J., America Magazine, Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. ... This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein-poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa-provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above., "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. ... This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein--poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa--provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above."--B. Wallenstein, Choice "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein--poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa--provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above."--B. Wallenstein, Choice "Testimony describes jazz as a country, a way of life, a sexuality, a spirituality."--Joseph Hoover, S.J., America Magazine, "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. ... This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein-poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa-provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above." -B. Wallenstein, Choice, "Comprising of 14 sonnet-like stanzas, Komunyakaa's narrative poem Testimony celebrates the life and legacy of jazz legend Charlie Parker. … This present book reprints the title poem along with a healthy sampling of about 50 of this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet's other jazz poems. In a foreword, Sascha Feinstein-poet, editor, and close associate of Komunyakaa-provides a history of the Testimony project. Recommended (for) upper-division undergraduates and above." -B. Wallenstein, Choice, "Testimony... describes jazz as a country, a way of life, a sexuality, a spirituality."-Joseph Hoover, S.J., America Magazine, "Testimony… describes jazz as a country, a way of life, a sexuality, a spirituality."-Joseph Hoover, S.J., America Magazine
