The Last Balladeer: The Johnny Hartman Story (Volume 68) (Studies in Jazz, 68) - Hardcover

Akkerman, Gregg

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810882817 ISBN 13: 9780810882812

Publisher: Scarecrow Press, 2012

Synopsis

Just after recording with John Coltrane in 1963, baritone singer Johnny Hartman (1923-1983) told a family member that "something special" occurred in the studio that day. He was right - the album, containing definitive readings of "Lush Life" and "My One and Only Love," resides firmly in the realm of iconic; forever enveloping listeners in the sounds of romance. In The Last Balladeer, author Gregg Akkerman skillfully reveals not only the intimate details of that album but the life-long achievements and occasional missteps of Hartman as an African-American artist dedicated to his craft.

This book carefully follows the journey of the Grammy-nominated vocalist from his big band origins with Earl Hines and Dizzy Gillespie to featured soloist in prestigious supper clubs throughout the world. Through exclusive interviews with Hartman's family and fellow musicians (including Tony Bennett, Billy Taylor, Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, and others), accounts from friends and associates, newly discovered recordings and studio outtakes, and in-depth research on his career and personal life, Akkerman expertly recollects the Hartman character as a gentleman, romantic, family man, and constant contributor to the jazz scene. From his international concerts in Japan, Australia, and England, to his steady presence as an American nightclub singer that spanned five decades, Hartman personifies the "last balladeer" of his kind, singing with a sentiment that captured the attention of Clint Eastwood, who brought Hartman's songs to the masses in the film The Bridges of Madison County.

In the first full-length biography and discography to chronicle the rhapsodic life and music of Johnny Hartman, the author completes a previously missing dimension of vocal-jazz history by documenting Hartman as the balladeer who crooned his way into so many hearts. Backed by impeccable research but conveyed in a conversational style, this book will interest not only musicians and scholars but any fan of the Great American Songbook and the singers who brought it to life.

About this title

From the Author:

To me, Hartman has grown to represent the very voice of romance in our times. The unadorned, molasses-sweet, sanguine tone of his baritone voice transcends the years to share stories of love and hope in a century he never saw and yet perfectly understood. He knew love would still fill our dreams, and hope would still keep us searching for that very love we crave. Hartman died all too young at the age of sixty, but the secrets to life were already his, and we can hear about it anytime one of his ballad recordings reaches our ears. And now you can read about it too.

About the Author:

Dr. Gregg Akkerman is a relationship expert, writer, and entertainer born in the California desert. He performed many years as a musician throughout the Southwest before earning a Master's Degree from San Diego State University and a Doctorate Degree from the University of Northern Colorado. He has authored multiple#1 best-selling books and is the founding editor of The Listener's Companion series from Rowman and Littlefield. After a decade teaching at a university as a tenured Associate Professor, Akkerman returned to California to marry his childhood crush, write books, perform as a piano bar entertainer, and live an awesome life.

About this edition

• Publisher: Scarecrow Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0810882817
• ISBN 13: 9780810882812
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 392