Amram's exuberant wonder at the cultural marvels of the time comes as a fresh blast from an era when anything seemed possible creatively. In the book, his ability to dive into any possible artistic situation, no matter how daunting, serves as a prelude to the eclecticism that he's wholeheartedly pursued throughout his career. But no one can find a hole to put this pigeon in. But being a pioneer is not necessarily a good thing. Amram is quick to make a selfdeprecating remark, but he's more straightforward when addressing the musical projects he's immersed himself in, his dedication to teaching, and the current state of culture in Denver.
Artistic events seem to be more at home there.
He wrote so beautifully and contributed so much to our cul ture, and he saw Colorado in a fresh way. Anything any good artist does in a field helps us to see how beautiful things in everyday life are - that's becoming increasingly difficult to do in our society. Amram promises a new book chronicling his time with Kerouac, and will be reading from the project at three separate book signings in the Denver area. Initially, Amram made his name playing jazz on the French horn, which is still regarded as unusual. Amram found himself in the company of leaders like Lionel Hampton, Oscar Pettiford and Mingus before branching into classical music.