The Real Ambassadors

The Real Ambassadors
Author :
Publisher : Univ. Press of Mississippi
Total Pages : 221
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781496837783
ISBN-13 : 1496837789
Rating : 4/5 (789 Downloads)

Book Synopsis The Real Ambassadors by : Keith Hatschek

Download or read book The Real Ambassadors written by Keith Hatschek and published by Univ. Press of Mississippi. This book was released on 2022-02-04 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recipient of a 2023 Certificate of Merit for Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Keith Hatschek tells the story of three determined artists: Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Iola Brubeck and the stand they took against segregation by writing and performing a jazz musical titled The Real Ambassadors. First conceived by the Brubecks in 1956, the musical’s journey to the stage for its 1962 premiere tracks extraordinary twists and turns across the backdrop of the civil rights movement. A variety of colorful characters, from Broadway impresarios to gang-connected managers, surface in the compelling storyline. During the Cold War, the US State Department enlisted some of America’s greatest musicians to serve as jazz ambassadors, touring the world to trumpet a so-called “free society.” Honored as celebrities abroad, the jazz ambassadors, who were overwhelmingly African Americans, returned home to racial discrimination and deferred dreams. The Brubecks used this double standard as the central message for the musical, deploying humor and pathos to share perspectives on American values. On September 23, 1962, The Real Ambassadors’s stunning debut moved a packed arena at the Monterey Jazz Festival to laughter, joy, and tears. Although critics unanimously hailed the performance, it sadly became a footnote in cast members’ bios. The enormous cost of reassembling the star-studded cast made the creation impossible to stage and tour. However, The Real Ambassadors: Dave and Iola Brubeck and Louis Armstrong Challenge Segregation caps this jazz story by detailing how the show was triumphantly revived in 2013 by the Detroit Jazz Festival and in 2014 by Jazz at Lincoln Center. This reaffirmed the musical’s place as an integral part of America’s jazz history and served as an important reminder of how artists’ voices are a powerful force for social change.


The Real Ambassadors Related Books

The Real Ambassadors
Language: en
Pages: 221
Authors: Keith Hatschek
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-02-04 - Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Recipient of a 2023 Certificate of Merit for Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz from the Association for Recorded Sound Collections Keith Hatschek tells
Satchmo Blows Up the World
Language: en
Pages: 342
Authors: Penny VON ESCHEN
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-06-30 - Publisher: Harvard University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

At the height of the ideological antagonism of the Cold War, the U.S. State Department unleashed an unexpected tool in its battle against Communism: jazz. From
The Real Ambassadors
Language: en
Pages: 288
Authors: Keith Hatschek
Categories: Music
Type: BOOK - Published: 2022-02-04 - Publisher: Univ. Press of Mississippi

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Keith Hatschek tells the story of three determined artists: Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, and Iola Brubeck and the stand they took against segregation by writi
What a Wonderful World
Language: en
Pages: 417
Authors: Ricky Riccardi
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-06-21 - Publisher: Vintage

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this richly detailed and prodigiously researched book, jazz scholar and musician Ricky Riccardi reveals for the first time the genius and remarkable achievem
Uptown Conversation
Language: en
Pages: 455
Authors: Robert G. O'Meally
Categories: History
Type: BOOK - Published: 2004 - Publisher: Columbia University Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

'Uptown Conversation' asserts that jazz is not only a music to define, it is a culture. The essays illustrate how for more than a century jazz has initiated a c