One of our jazz book reviews podcasts about the Novel The Horn by John Clellon Holmes-born 12th March 1926
Studied at various places Columbia 1943 and post-draft at the New School 1949 where he met Jack Kerouac and remained a life long friend
First novel published as Go a fictional book based on real characters and considered the first beat novel
The Horn was his second novel and again contains many barely disguised real-life characters
The protagonist the fictional Tenor Colossus Edgar Pool is known as “ The Horn” a jazz legend who took jazz from Swing to Bebop with his skill and invention - making him a revered alpha-male.
The book takes place on the evening of The Horn’s final day as he stumbles through New York after being outplayed [allegedly for the first time] by a young sax player.
As his friends and lovers search for him they reminisce about his life
It is a classic paean to the talented jazz musician who slowly self destructs through drink, drugs and sex
It is structured in an attempt to mimic jazz performance practices of the 1940s
Chapters are called Choruses or Riffs
In the Chorus chapters Holmes defines his key characters who talk about "The Horn"
The Riff chapters advance the narrative of his final night
The prose itself is dense, rhythmic, and lyrical, with long, flowing sentences that evoke the complexity and intensity of jazz phrasing, as words are deployed like notes in an extended solo
Comments & Upvotes