Mitchell & Ruff: An American Profile in Jazz
Jazz came to China for the first time on the afternoon of June 2, 1981, when the American bassist and French-horn player Willie Ruff introduced himself and his partner, the pianist Dwike Mitchell, to several hundred students and professors who were crowded into a large room at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Probably they were not surprised to find that the two musicians were black. . . .What they undoubtedly didn't expect was that Ruff would talk to them in Chinese. - from Chapter 1,...
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This portrait of jazz musicians Willie Ruff and Dwike Mitchell tells not just how these men became musicians but how they live their lives as musicians -- how they give the gift of jazz to communities that would otherwise not have access to this powerful music. Born into Southern homes long before the civil rights era began, Ruff and Mitchell became successful musicians with degrees from two of the country's most elite conservatories. Mitchell & Ruff follows the musicians to Shanghai, where they bring jazz to China; to the Midwest, where they demonstrate their talents to audiences usually ignored by musicians; to New York City, where Mitchell teaches a new generation of talented but untrained musicians; and to Venice, where Ruff travels back to the roots of Western music in order to understand jazz's legacy. Library Journal Dwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff comprise one of the most distinctive musical teams in popular music. Piano and bass (also French horn) players, respectively, these jazzmen have been playing together since 1955. Zinsser's easy, flowing prose is well suited to their story; he effortlessly alternates between presenting the two men as they are now--respected spokesmen and exemplars of jazz throughout the world--and as young men finding their way in mid-century America. The opening vignette, wherein the duo demonstrates some of the nuances of jazz to an eager music school audience in Shanghai, illustrates their complementary personalities: Mitchell, quiet and serious; Ruff, playful and outgoing. Zinsser, a seasoned writer and critic, allows the reader to view Mitchell and Ruff's lives as progressions from humble origins through hard work, determination, and skill toward success, fulfillment, and international respect. While certainly of interest to jazz aficionados, this book will also appeal to a wide audience. David Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Washington Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
\ Library JournalDwike Mitchell and Willie Ruff comprise one of the most distinctive musical teams in popular music. Piano and bass (also French horn) players, respectively, these jazzmen have been playing together since 1955. Zinsser's easy, flowing prose is well suited to their story; he effortlessly alternates between presenting the two men as they are now--respected spokesmen and exemplars of jazz throughout the world--and as young men finding their way in mid-century America. The opening vignette, wherein the duo demonstrates some of the nuances of jazz to an eager music school audience in Shanghai, illustrates their complementary personalities: Mitchell, quiet and serious; Ruff, playful and outgoing. Zinsser, a seasoned writer and critic, allows the reader to view Mitchell and Ruff's lives as progressions from humble origins through hard work, determination, and skill toward success, fulfillment, and international respect. While certainly of interest to jazz aficionados, this book will also appeal to a wide audience. David Valencia, King Cty. Lib. Syst., Washington Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.\ \
