The Trouble with
Cinderella: An Outline of Identity
Originally published in
1952, Fithian Press Edition published in 1992, Reprinted April,
2001; $15.95
If you would like a copy, please fill out and print out an order form!
| Here is the story of one of the
most extraordinary figures in jazz history. A brilliant
musician and an exceptional man, Shaw writes with candor
and eloquence of his metamorphosis from "a shy,
introspective kid named Arthur Arshawsky into sort of a
weird, jazz-band-leading, clarinet-tooting,
jitterbug-surrounded Symbol of American Youth."
Along the way we meet such other jazz immortals as Willie
"The Lion" Smith, Louis Armstrong, Bix
Beiderbecke, and Billie Holiday. Shaw paints a profoundly
revealing picture of the music business and the singular
milieu of popular entertainment, explaining that
"the trouble with Cinderella" is "nobody
ever lives happily ever after," and gives the
reasons behind his decision to leave that world. This celebrated classic of one man's search for himself, taking us from New York to Hollywood and dozens of places in between, makes fascinating reading for anyone interested in jazz, the world of entertainment, or, indeed, people. Other books: |
|
"His story of the metamorphosis of Little Arthur Arshawsky, the son of poor Jewish immigrants, into Artie Shaw, the mercurial bandleader and idol of American youth, is... fascinating.... His dissection of the world of hot music-of what makes a fine jazz musician and a fine jazz band-is as good as anything in print...." The New Yorker "A book that deserves to be read." The New York Times "A completely honest record.... The life of a jazz musician in America, revealed here in gripping realism... is a fascinating narrative of a contemporary American, an absorbing account of a man's struggle with himself." Christian Science Monitor "An honest, moving, and lucid account of the odyssey of one man in search of himself. It radiates integrity. Perhaps its most striking quality is its freedom from pretension, its lack of self-consciousness, its willingness to face truth.... The Trouble with Cinderella constitutes a fascinating and important cultural document... of the struggle of one who has lived the myth of our time... the distorting effect of the realization of the American dream... his fight to become a real person. Implicit... are many lessons from which each of us can profit." Dr. Robert Lindner, author of Rebel Without A Cause, the Fifty Minute Hour, etc. "The
Trouble with Cinderella is an extraordinary,
absorbing, and thought-provoking contribution to
Americana. Mr. Shaw's perceptive and literate account...
point up certain problems of our contemporary values with
a sharpness of focus in the treatises of our professional
moralists. I found it warmly human and I hope it will be
widely read." Vernon Venable, Chairman, "This candid, entertaining autobiography... yields valuable insights on that fascinating period of American music known as the Big Band Era." Dan Morgenstern, Director, Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies. "It's all too seldom that someone writes from the inside out about the life of a big-band musician. Artie Shaw has done just that, and at the same time has revealed much about himself." George Simon. |