But Beautiful: A Book About Jazz

Eight fictitious profiles of real pioneers of jazz music—Beautiful, an ingenious and brilliantly written book. Even readers not fascinated by jazz above other kinds of music are likely to find Mr. Dyer too good a literary craftsman to put the book down ( The New York Times ).

One of my favorite books. [Dyer] reveals insights into the men as well as their music. —Kareem Abdul Jabar

In eight poetically charged vignettes, Geoff Dyer skillfully evokes the music and the men who shaped modern jazz. Drawing on photos, anecdotes, and, most important, the way he hears the music, Dyer imaginatively reconstructs scenes from the embattled lives of some of the greats: Lester Young fading away in a hotel room; Charles Mingus storming down the streets of New York on a too-small bicycle; Thelonious Monk creating his own private language on the piano. However, music is the driving force of But Beautiful, and wildly metaphoric prose that mirrors the quirks, eccentricity, and brilliance of each musician's style.

We move through each scene in a type of bleary-eyed disorientation that might follow a late night of jazz, booze, and despair. Dyer evokes the rhythm and feeling of the music as his words echo the forlorn, aching sound of a midnight solo. — Library Journal