The House That George Built,
by Wilfrid Sheed
The charm of this definitive biography and assessment of the careers of the great American popular composers is the ability of the author to evoke the eras in which they worked. Berlin laid the foundation, Gershwin built on it, and we know the names of those who followed suit. Mr. Sheed defines his subject as jazz songs or songs that swing. He enjoys showing the history the American song shares with the growth of Hollywood and the tension as composers worked both there and in the more public New York. A most wonderful read.
-Nancy
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