Statesman of the Piano

Rezensionen / Stimmen

"Statesman of the Piano provides a fascinating lens, one that corroborates current research and adds new detail and insights. Hooper's story shows how a Canadian-born Black man was able to thrive in Jim Crow America. Moreover, the breakdown of black nightclubs/venues in the forties and fifties in southwest Montreal brings a new punctuation to the city's jazz history." Dorothy W. Williams, author of Blacks in Montreal, 1628-1986: An Urban Demography "Primary sources for the history of jazz, particularly in Canada, are few and far between and Statesman of the Piano is a welcome and meaningful contribution. Hooper's autobiography contains much to savour, and the editors are to be commended for presenting his work to a wider audience. Their introduction - thoughtful, illuminating, and comprehensive - provides an inviting basis from which to follow Hooper's story." Rob van der Bliek, editor of The Thelonious Monk Reader "This book pushes Hooper into the annals of Canadian jazz history [and] is a vital contribution to Black Canadian history as it gives voice to a legend while hailing the reader to be curious, seek out the archive, learn about our hidden figures, and build community." Canadian Historical Review "Statesman of the Piano is a terrific scholarly experiment in archival recovery and interpretation. [The essays] are a fine and suggestive collection that should drive more conversations about Hooper in a variety of cultural contexts. A remarkably creative project that opens up fresh conversations about jazz autobiography, Black Canadian storytelling, and revolutionary cultural production in exciting ways." American Review of Canadian Studies