Дундук
02.05.2010, 10:37
Печальная новость для любителей джаза - несколько дней назад скончался джазовый критик и поэт Джин Лиз, хорошо известный по лирике ко многим композициям Билла Эванса и Антонио Карлоса Жобима.
Gene Lees (1928-2010), a prolific jazz book author, http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d3e38970c-350wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d3e38970c-popup) biographer, critic, magazine writer, newsletter publisher, composer and lyricist whose emotional writing style set him apart from many of his peers, died April 22nd at his home in Ojai, CA. He was 82.
Though trained as a newspaperman, Gene wasn't a jazz journalist in the traditional sense and never really considered himself one. Instead, Gene was http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6955970b-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6955970b-popup) more accurately a poet-storyteller whose close personal relationships with jazz musicians and his incisive understanding of the creative mind gave him an enormous edge. Like many jazz writers of his generation, Gene was a literary impressionist and a generous raconteur who sought to provide jazz fans with a finer understanding of a world they thought they knew.
Gene was a passionate romantic, but he never romanticized his subjects. He loved jazz but deftly http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6b1f970b-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6b1f970b-popup) avoided glamorizing or selling the music or musicians to readers. Instead, Gene’s books (such as Meet Me at Jim and Andy’s, Cats of Any Color, or Waiting for Dizzy) and his newsletter (Jazzletter) were deeply moving personal works that were packed with authoritative detail and insights. Gene's passion was infectious, often sending readers to record stores to learn more.
If Gene's contribution to jazz had been merely authoring more than 10 books, his legacy would be intact. But Gene also was a http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6d96970b-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6d96970b-popup) solid composer and celebrated lyricist. He wrote the words to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s [pictured] Corcovado, Song of the Jet and The Dreamer as well as Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby. Gene was close with Evans, rooming with him in New York on West End Avenue in the early 1960s. Gene’s liner notes to Bill Evans: The Solo Sessions (Vol. 2), written after the pianist's death, remain among the most harrowing about the troubled musician.
I spoke with Gene by telephone from time to time since the late 1990s and as recently as a few months ago. At http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d4477970c-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d4477970c-popup) the end of each conversation, I would ask him the same nagging question: "When are you going to write your Bill Evans memoir?" A pause and sigh on Gene's end would follow. "I should, but it's just too painful a period," Gene would say about the years he spent with Evans trying to get him to kick his drug habit.
Gene will be missed by all jazz writers who struggle to strike the right balance between adoration and reportage. And hopefully somewhere in Gene’s home is that Bill Evans manuscript.
Gene Lees (1928-2010), a prolific jazz book author, http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d3e38970c-350wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d3e38970c-popup) biographer, critic, magazine writer, newsletter publisher, composer and lyricist whose emotional writing style set him apart from many of his peers, died April 22nd at his home in Ojai, CA. He was 82.
Though trained as a newspaperman, Gene wasn't a jazz journalist in the traditional sense and never really considered himself one. Instead, Gene was http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6955970b-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6955970b-popup) more accurately a poet-storyteller whose close personal relationships with jazz musicians and his incisive understanding of the creative mind gave him an enormous edge. Like many jazz writers of his generation, Gene was a literary impressionist and a generous raconteur who sought to provide jazz fans with a finer understanding of a world they thought they knew.
Gene was a passionate romantic, but he never romanticized his subjects. He loved jazz but deftly http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6b1f970b-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6b1f970b-popup) avoided glamorizing or selling the music or musicians to readers. Instead, Gene’s books (such as Meet Me at Jim and Andy’s, Cats of Any Color, or Waiting for Dizzy) and his newsletter (Jazzletter) were deeply moving personal works that were packed with authoritative detail and insights. Gene's passion was infectious, often sending readers to record stores to learn more.
If Gene's contribution to jazz had been merely authoring more than 10 books, his legacy would be intact. But Gene also was a http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6d96970b-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340133eced6d96970b-popup) solid composer and celebrated lyricist. He wrote the words to Antonio Carlos Jobim’s [pictured] Corcovado, Song of the Jet and The Dreamer as well as Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby. Gene was close with Evans, rooming with him in New York on West End Avenue in the early 1960s. Gene’s liner notes to Bill Evans: The Solo Sessions (Vol. 2), written after the pianist's death, remain among the most harrowing about the troubled musician.
I spoke with Gene by telephone from time to time since the late 1990s and as recently as a few months ago. At http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d4477970c-250wi (http://marcmyers.typepad.com/.a/6a00e008dca1f088340134801d4477970c-popup) the end of each conversation, I would ask him the same nagging question: "When are you going to write your Bill Evans memoir?" A pause and sigh on Gene's end would follow. "I should, but it's just too painful a period," Gene would say about the years he spent with Evans trying to get him to kick his drug habit.
Gene will be missed by all jazz writers who struggle to strike the right balance between adoration and reportage. And hopefully somewhere in Gene’s home is that Bill Evans manuscript.
