MUSE-ECHO BLUES

Cartier, Xam, Inscribed

ISBN 10: 0517577933 / ISBN 13: 9780517577936

Published by Harmony, 1991

About this Item

INSCRIBED by Cartier on the title page dated '91. Harmony, c1991, stated First Edition, complete number line. Near Fine in Near Fine dust jacket, 211 pages, unarked. FICTION SECOND NOVEL; A1498 C Fic; Signed by Author(s).

Seller Inventory # 32056

Bibliographic Details

• Title: MUSE-ECHO BLUES
• Publisher: Harmony
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0517577933
• ISBN 13: 9780517577936
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Kat, a young pianist suffering from composer's block, finds inspiration in the jazz of the 1940s and in the life of Kitty, a woman whose problems parallel her own but who infuses Kat's life with spontaneity, stimulus, and revelation

Reviews

Like an explosive riff, this homage to jazz and the African-Americans who perform it is as innovative as Be-Bob, Re-Bob , the author's debut novel. Stricken with composer's block, Kat is a 1990s, San Francisco-based pianist who, in an "insistent vision," relives the memories of 1940s jazz hipsters. First, she's transported into the life of Kitty, whose love redeems a saxophone player named Chicago from his addiction to heroin. Then Kat takes up the story of Lena, Chicago's chanteuse (turned prostitute) mother, who exemplifies the price women in the industry pay to succeed. Both women help Kat discover the sources of her problem, namely her "space-cadet" lovers and an absentee landlord. These soul sisters teach Kat to let her feelings flow into her music and to search her roots for strength and inspiration. Cartier rises to the challenge of jazz poets in this fusion of classic American music--jazz--and literary imagination.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In this deeply emotional novel, Cartier presents an intricate account of the experiences of a young pianist named Kat, who has developed composer's block and is in need of revelation. Kat finds it in Kitty, a musician from the 1940s jazz period. Together they take us through the highs and lows of African American life--its music, culture, and blues--as they muse about the various problems in their lives. Cartier exhibits her trademark style: brisk sentences whose natural rhythm establishes a vibrant atmosphere that fittingly recalls the music that fills the book; a powerful mood sustained through each episode; and vivid descriptions of the characters, plot, and subplot of this excellent book. Readers will be appreciative of its originality and soul-stirring qualities.
- Gayle Leach, Graduate Lib. Sch., Wayne State Univ., Detroit
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.