Black and Blue: Jazz Stories by Stanley Péan, translated by David Homel

Stanley Péan’s “Black and Blue: Jazz Stories,” translated by David Homel, achieves a seemingly impossible feat: it is a book for both the aficionado who can comment at length on the difference in the styles of Coltrane and Parker, and the neophyte who likes to listen to a ‘Jazz Essentials’ playlist from time to time. A captivating collection of non-fiction stories that highlight some of jazz history’s most iconic musicians, music, and moments, Péan’s stories form a veritable symphony in three movements that illuminate the personal, the interpersonal, and the political characteristics that define jazz history.

In the earliest days of Jazz, Péan reveals the individualistic and sometimes narcissistic nature of the music and the culture, of the live hard and fast, and die young set who played as though they’d made a deal with the devil. Rough living, drugs, and poor relationships with women characterized the experience, but from this violence came some of Jazz’s most iconic legends: Bix Biederbecke, Chet Baker, and Lee Morgan, among others.

Stories touching on the who, the what, and the where plot the points and connections in the Jazz scene. With so many pairings and groupings, the complexity of relationships, rivalries, and networks makes for a bold and vibrant composition. Péan’s survey of the dramatic debuts, the fallen stars, the backstage hearsay and the publicized fact make for an engaging read.

With Jazz music so situated in the Black experience, it was inevitable that it became a vehicle for political expression. Péan explores these themes and their impact on Jazz music before and during the Civil Rights movement, from Billie Holiday’s rendering of “Strange Fruit” to Gil Scott-Heron’s performance of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” and John Coltrane’s “Alabama,” a requiem for the four girls killed in the 1963 Alabama church bombing. The music’s emotionally charged and haunting melodic and lyrical lines left a lingering influence on the ensuing Rap music that emerged from the 1970s Jazz period which continues today.

Péan’s stories are peppered with references to songs, albums, and shows making for an easy playlist. Listening along while I read provided a certain ambiance of low-lit, smoky jazz clubs, punctuated by the sounds of trumpet and sax expertly wielded. His references to related movies, like Don Cheadle’s “Miles Ahead,” provide a deeper analysis and background of the mythology of jazz and how the players’ lives themselves are often reimagined.

As entertaining as it was informative, I highly recommend “Black and Blue: Jazz Stories” to anyone interested in the history of Jazz and its legendary musicians.

Stanley Péan is the author of eight novels for adult and young readers and seven short story collections. He has been piloting “Quand le jazz est là” every weeknight on ICI Musique, Radio-Canada’s all-music radio network for the last thirteen years, building up the knowledge behind this book.

David Homel is the author of nine novels and a memoir, as well as a series of books for younger readers co-written with Marie-Louise Gay. A prize-winning writer and translator, he has worked in documentary film, print and radio journalism. He lives in Montreal.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vehicule Press (Oct. 14 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1550656112
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1550656114

Christina Barber

Christina Barber is a writer and educator who lives in Vancouver. An avid reader, she shares her passion for Canadian history and literature through her reviews on Instagram @cb_reads_reviews. She has most recently been committed to writing and staging formally innovative single and multi-act plays.

Christina Barber

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