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Rating: 
Summary: Sorry, but it's just ...
Review: This reads like poorly researched graduate-school blathering (which I expect it is). Mr Lock appears to have approached his sources with his thesis already formed and to have avoided all contact with anything that might force him to reconsider. Check out his footnote admitting that his use of Ellington's song title is totally inappropriate to what he's trying to make it mean, yet he decided to use it anyway! His comparison of Sun Ra's mythological musings and autobiographical confessions with slave narratives is ridiculous in that it reveals a thorough lack of knowledge of comparative religion. The author acts as though the experience of death and rebirth or of choosing a new name to reflect a new station in life were phenomena unique to (and invented by) African-Americans. He clearly didn't research this topic thoroughly. This is a really shoddy work and not worth your time, much less your money.
Rating: 
Summary: A Groundbreaking Study that Any Fan of Jazz Must Read
Review: Graham Lock's "Blutopia" stands as one of the great explorations into three of the most enigmatic performers in the history of creative music: Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and Anthony Braxton. When I first heard that this book going to be published, I worried that Lock's approach might not be able to draw a strong connection between these amazing performers, or that it might be too journalistic and not critical enough, like some of his previous work. After reading just a few pages, it became obvious that this is a first-rate work of scholarship that should be required reading for anyone who is interested in creative music. This will undoubtedly stand among the classic texts written about creative music, along with the brilliant studies by Valerie Wilmer, John Szwed, and Mike Heffley. Lock examines the common musical heritage of his subjects, showing how their visionary thoughts become manifest in their music, often amidst the crippling misconceptions perpetuated by the press. He delves deeply into the actual interviews and writings of Ra, Ellington, and Braxton, establishing connections between their work and a larger spectrum of academic, religious, and political thought. Particularly interesting is the section on Anthony Braxton, which is a welcome addition to the author's previous work "Forces in Motion." Lock examines Braxton's operas, including even those that have not yet been made available to the public. His discussion of Braxton's use of "text" is an illuminating contribution, and one that is much needed in contemporary scholarship on Braxton. In short, Lock shows how the art and thought of Braxton, Ellington, and Ra provide those who experience their work with not only the opportunity to view the world with an alternative paradigm, but how in many ways we, as collective humanity, should forget about "history" (which has failed) and start believing in "mystery." The mystery is real--and it is true--and I can think of no better preface to read before embarking on Sun Ra's trips to space--or Braxton's forays into affinity dynamics and meta-reality--than Lock's "Blutopia." It is a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: Sorry, but it's just ...
Review: Graham Lock's "Blutopia" stands as one of the great explorations into three of the most enigmatic performers in the history of creative music: Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, and Anthony Braxton. When I first heard that this book going to be published, I worried that Lock's approach might not be able to draw a strong connection between these amazing performers, or that it might be too journalistic and not critical enough, like some of his previous work. After reading just a few pages, it became obvious that this is a first-rate work of scholarship that should be required reading for anyone who is interested in creative music. This will undoubtedly stand among the classic texts written about creative music, along with the brilliant studies by Valerie Wilmer, John Szwed, and Mike Heffley. Lock examines the common musical heritage of his subjects, showing how their visionary thoughts become manifest in their music, often amidst the crippling misconceptions perpetuated by the press. He delves deeply into the actual interviews and writings of Ra, Ellington, and Braxton, establishing connections between their work and a larger spectrum of academic, religious, and political thought. Particularly interesting is the section on Anthony Braxton, which is a welcome addition to the author's previous work "Forces in Motion." Lock examines Braxton's operas, including even those that have not yet been made available to the public. His discussion of Braxton's use of "text" is an illuminating contribution, and one that is much needed in contemporary scholarship on Braxton. In short, Lock shows how the art and thought of Braxton, Ellington, and Ra provide those who experience their work with not only the opportunity to view the world with an alternative paradigm, but how in many ways we, as collective humanity, should forget about "history" (which has failed) and start believing in "mystery." The mystery is real--and it is true--and I can think of no better preface to read before embarking on Sun Ra's trips to space--or Braxton's forays into affinity dynamics and meta-reality--than Lock's "Blutopia." It is a masterpiece.
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