I’ve been lucky enough to get another good review of my memoir, “Adventures of an American Composer.” This one appeared in the June issue of a monthly magazine produced by WASBE (the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles):
And here are excerpts from a few more reviews:
“The 89 anecdotes that make up this 222-page volume are compelling reading. This is no mere laundry list of dates, places, names and events. Once he establishes his Irish and Italian heritage – his father’s surname was Colagrossi – the author turns storyteller, using a keen narrative instinct that applies equally to music and prose. Colgrass goes into fascinating detail about nurturing creativity – personally and in the workshops he continues to offer for both adults and children. Along the way, we gradually get to know a smart, headstrong and fearless man possessed with a wicked sense of humour.”
—John Terauds, Toronto Star (full review)
“Colgrass’s exploits are bizarre, emotional, humorous, heartbreaking, ironic: a stripper indirectly lands Colgrass a gig in Broadway’s West Side Story orchestra; he composes a score overnight for the Joffery Ballet; he catches a NYC bank robber. His wondrous stories seem quasi-mythical: Colgrass seduces a Rumanian spy; his father is courted by friends in Al Capone’s gang; hidden back-stage, he witnesses Miles Davis play a private tribute over the dead body of drummer Sid Catlett. This tone of ‘magical realism’ is set right from
the beginning with his ‘magical conception’ predicted by a psychic.”
—Crystal Chan, La Scena Musicale (full review)
“Colgrass has written a collection of 89 anecdotes that collectively give the reader insight into just what a fascinating mind and creative spirit Colgrass has. Few of those little stories will leave the reader unmoved. Some border on the incredible: recording The Rite of Spring for Columbia Records with an inebriated Igor Stravinsky conducting; saving Leonard Bernstein from assault by an angered percussionist; and being accused of spying in East Germany. Right from the first sentence one is hooked: ‘I was conceived on the kitchen floor of a brown brick bungalow in Brookfield, Illinois.’”
—Robert Markow, Fanfare (full review)
Those who are interested can find my book on Amazon, B&N, Chapters and other online retailers.