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Rating: 
Summary: A passion for music and art
Review: Lovers of the violin and modern art will enjoy this fascinating story of Louis Kaufman (1905-1994), known as "a violinist's violinist" during his career from the 1920s to the 1970s, and one of the first American violinists to be celebrated worldwide. Mr. Kaufman tells about making music here and in Europe with many of the top musicians of the 20th Century. Louis and Annette Kaufman were also great collectors of art, focusing on Milton Avery and other modern artists, and their passion for art is also in this book. Mr. Kaufman can be heard on many of the classic movies of the 1930s and 40s, when he worked in Hollywood as concertmaster and soloist in films such as "To Have and Have Not," "Top Hat," and "Key Largo." He was also a leader in the rediscovery of the violin concertos of Vivaldi, and an enthusiastic exponent of many works by contemporary composers. A CD of selections from Louis Kaufman's recordings ranging from Vivaldi to Copland comes with the book.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: The book doesn't do justice to its author. There's little to really sink your teeth into. Svejda's Foreward says: "If it weren't for Kaufman, the best-known cue in the history of film music - Tara's Theme from Gone with the Wind - would not have been heard so expressively, but that's another story and one far better told by the violinist himself."But "the violinist himself" hardly tells the story at all! "One Sunday morning, Max [Steiner] called unexpectedly. "Louis, are you free today?" "Yes, Max." "Come right over with your violin. I have some themes to submit to Selznick for Gone with the Wind. He wants to hear them. It's not very interesting with just piano." Annette and I drove to Max's home, where he had set up a small recording machine. Max and I tried out and played over the themes for Scarlett, Rhett, Melanie, Tara, etc. Selznick enthusiastically approved these samples." Jim Svejda couldn't tell that story? Disappointing.
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