Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats
De Koenigswarter (1913-1988), known as the "Jazz Baroness," was a fixture on the East Coast jazz scene of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. Born into the wealthy Rothschild family and married to a French aristocrat, de Koenigswarter emigrated to New York City in the early '50s and became an enthusiastic patron of artists large and small. She was also a canny amateur photographer, evidenced in this enthralling collection of candid snapshots. She also, over course of a decade, collected wishes from some 300 musicians; alongside vibrant, smoky Polaroids, these wishes--though plenty go to money, health and more wishes--provide a brief glimpse into each subjects' dreams: Julian "Cannonball" Adderley wishes for a jazz artists' subsidy organization; Dinah Washington wishes for triplet girls; and Charles Mingus wishes for "enough to pay my bills, but that's absolutely all." Not everyone wishes deep: Bill Hardman wishes for "a crazy old lady"; David "Fathead" Newman wishes "To get high... right now." Legends like Art Blakey Jr., Miles Davis, Horace Silver and John Coltrane are seen as often at work as at play--de Koenigswarter's New Jersey home, "The Cathouse," was known for housing cats both literal and jazz (Monk spent years there). Free of speculation or commentary, the work has an appropriately improvisational feel, perfect for engaged browsing--if only it came with a CD.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.