Aurel Emilian Mircea / M.D. Comrades 'n' Jazz

Russianizing the Great American Songbook
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-0-9858693-1-1
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 167 Seiten

Onstage at the annual Jazz Fest in New Orleans, Victor, the bandleader of the Hearts & Souls, gave the signal for the opening number. The dream about a celebratory concert he and his buddies had been waiting for more than forty years had become a reality. During the Cold War, all but one of the seven medical students and jazz musicians defected to the West. During their earlier showbiz career in Romania, foreign music had been marred by strict censorship, which they had successfully circumvented by 'Russianizing' the titles of the songs and the names of the American composers. Victor mixed showbiz and medicine lucratively back then, by making a pact with a musically ignorant party hack in charge of their artistic activities on campus. The zealot supervised the dance band rehearsals and public appearances without having a clue as to what kind of music they were performing. For years, he remained convinced that the Hearts & Souls paid tribute to the communist dogma. Alas, toward the end of their medical school, the conspiracy was exposed for what it really was: a tribute to the music of jazz. The party leaders cancelled all future shows on campus, and threatened with further retaliation. But the jazz-loving band members continued their stealth love for the Great American Songbook by joining similarly minded musicians in the professional world of showbiz, far away from the college censors. Local impresarios adopted the seven medical students with open arms, offering them the best venues in the country. Victor and his buddies held secret rallies in public parks or secluded beer gardens and continued to pay tribute to the music of jazz. Finally, one by one the Comrades 'n' Jazz defected to the West leaving behind just sad memories and families trapped behind the Iron Curtain. 'Let freedom ring!' was their motto all the way until their reunion during the Jazz Fest in New Orleans, forty years later.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Aurel Emilian Mircea, M. D.

M.D.,