Blue Bossa

by Bart Schneider

As this evocative novel opens, former jazz great Ronnie Reboulet hasn't picked up his horn in more than five years. Ronnie, a charming but emotionally distant man, struggles to make a life free of drugs and outside the music business. With the support of his soulful companion, Betty, and his once-estranged daughter, Rae, an aspiring singer, Ronnie attempts a comeback that will have readers rooting for him every step of the way.Set against the backdrop of Patty Hearst's kidnapping in 1970s San Francisco and composed in short, sensual scenes that segue into one another like a song-man's medley, Blue Bossa sparkles with a swinging, lyrical prose that reflects the protagonist's lush playing style. In the tradition of jazz literature such as Michael Ondaatje's Coming Through Slaughter and John Clellon Holmes's The Horn, Schneider's debut is also a family story that explores how parents, children, and lovers support each other in the ceaseless struggle to rebuild broken lives.

Genres: Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Rowland Pasaribu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delightful book. A perfect beach read The narrative is so crisp and unburdened with prosaic deadweight. Story about a jazz trumpeter who falls out of the jazz world primarily because of his drug abuse. It is the story of his eventual redemption and renewed flirtation with the demons that fire his genius and his self-destructiveness at once. Main character’s redeeming virtue is his musical and golfing genius leaving a somewhat sympathetic supporting cast buffeted about without much gain. The constant thread of jazz throughout the book gives it a timing and a measured efficiency beginning to end. Fun, quick read.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this completely blew me out of the water. Very lyrical and uniquely written. Bart Schneider has a way with words.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read Schneider's first novel after his second. This one is strong, but not nearly as lyrical as Secret Love. The main characters are less sympathetic, at least to me. The partner of the jazz musician who starts a comeback is something of a stereotype of the "woman who stands by her man" for much of the novel, only toward the end developing more of a backbone and some kind of independence. Actually, all the female characters in this book aren't as well-rounded as they could be--he did better with women in Secret Love, although it's clear he has an issue with mother figures! But Schneider's love of jazz comes through clearly and compellingly, and he draws the reader into the jazz world of the 1970s quite effectively.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read re local area

[Nancy]

I did not finish this book because I had too many books to read and it kept getting 'replaced' in the stack. The writing was very beautiful, tho. Ronnie Reboulet is a bit sad to read about.