Chapter three of “But Beautiful,” by Geoff Dyer is one of those reads where the subway is sitting at the Coney Island station, empty, by the time you look up.
I don’t know if I can recommend it highly enough to fans of writing or fans of jazz.
Dyer’s breathless descriptions capture the moments when Powell’s schizophrenia seeps in; when his genius is in full display; and when the best he can do is hold on tight while being hurdled from one extreme to the other.
Wow. Just wow.
(I picked this clip for the close-ups of his hands and face.)
More video accompaniment to the jazz artists in Geoff Dyer’s “But Beautiful”: http://www.errico.com/tag/but-beautiful/
More So Good: http://www.errico.com/category/so-good/