Jacques Tardi's "West Coast blues" - one for Bluesnik

[Ian Thumwood]

"Upon switching on the radio he picked up several things he should have enjoyed: Gary Burton, Stan Getz, Bill Evans. He did not enjoy them and turned off the radio. In fact, he had a feeling it would be long time before he'd be able to enjoy the music again."

In fact there is ample other examples of West Coast jazz mentioned in Jacques Tardi and Jean-Patrick Manchette's West Coast Blues" - a nourish piece of crime fiction. I've read Tardi's "Adele Blanc -sec series (in French) as well as his "Goddam the war!" and "The Artic Marauder" in their English translations. Thought I would post a link to his "West Coast Blues" given the links to jazz including references to the likes of Brew moore, Lennie Tristano, Bob Brookmeyer, etc, etc. I quite like graphic novels but thought I would share this as it will certainly appeal to Bluesnik:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/West-Coast-Blues-Jacques-Tardi/dp/1606992953/ref=pd_sim_b_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=1FQ8411G44HF4CEQTES2

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

Thanks a lot Ian, a new name to me but his back story etc. looks very interesting. Off to France for my birthday in a two weeks so will stock up.

Calvados, Truffaut rarities, Le Bud Powell Bop beret, Barney Wilen wall posters....where's my shopping list?

BN

[Ian Thumwood]

Bluesnsik

The Tardi BD's will be extremely easy to pick up from the specialist comic shops, books shops and the likes of FNAC. I got in to these books from picking up some of the Adele Blanc-Sec graphic novels after seeing the film. They are essentially ridiculous but subvert the American idea of "superheroes" which has no appeal to something very anti-establishment and subversive. The French is ok but later volumes of the story have a character who has a nasal problem and the "Zthe Zspeach zbubbles are orlz distorteth " which makes it very difficult for me to read.

I the West Coast Blues" is a hard-hitting film noir in comic strip but the first world war editions such as "Putain le guerre" and "It was the war of the trenches" are extremely moving and as hard-hitting as anything by Sassoon or Owen or "All quiet on the Western Front." The former is a masterpiece. I bought a copy of this as a present for my Dad's birthday a few years back and he usually a sceptic of this kind of thing and anything French but he thought that it was incredible.