Heaven's All-Star Jazz Band

Publishers Weekly

In this ambitious and inviting ode to jazz, an African-American boy imagines what heaven is like when his music-loving grandfather joins idols such as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker. Visually, the book is a tour de force. Carter's (Wake Up House!) distinctive, 3-D concoctions of foam board, bright acrylic paint and plaster, successfully translate a lofty abstraction into a joyful feast for the senses. "Every night in heaven/ The jazz is hot/ in a club called Cotton," a paradisiacal honky-tonk that blissfully mixes the celestial (thick, cake frosting-like clouds, stars and feathery angel wings) and the earthly (Satchmo singing scat, couples dancing and Duke Ellington seated at a white baby grand). Round, bespectacled Grandpa quietly soaks up the tunes until he finally earns wings-and a spot in "Heaven's All-Star Jazz Band." Despite the visual extravaganza, the clunky rhymes and nostalgic theme may unfortunately leave children cold. Numerous, breezy references to long-gone (however legendary) musicians and recurring references to Gillespie's composition "Salt Peanuts," will likely appeal more to jazz-loving parents, who may well relish the opportunity to fill in the gaps and make converts of the next generation. Ages 5-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Envisioning a heaven full of jazz greats helps one little boy cope with death. Brief bios at the conclusion will help everyone learn more about jazz, and playing short selections of each composer's music will complete the lesson. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Grandpa Jack is a bit shy when he first arrives in Heaven, which, appropriately for a jazz fan like himself, takes the form of a Cotton Club peopled with jazz legends whose music Grandpa loved so much in life. As Grandpa makes his way inside, he begins to tap his feet and forget his shyness; when Count Basie strikes up the band, Grandpa joins in on the spoons, finally earning his wings among the jazz greats. Textured collage illustrations incorporating visible brush strokes have a sculptured look; notable jazz figures Mingus, Miles, Ellington, Monk, Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Count Basie, Art Blakey, and John Coltrane, all with angels’ wings, are portrayed playing and singing on cloud stages against a backdrop of a deep blue, starry sky. The snappy text gives a brief sense of each musician’s specialty and in some cases even evokes the musicians’ sound: "It don’t mean a thing, If it ain’t got that swing" are Duke’s own lyrics, verbatim, and the following line—"That’s what Duke says. And that’s what Duke plays"—recalls rhythms in his composition "Duke’s Place." The mention of musical terms essential to the understanding of jazz, like improvisation and syncopation, rounds out this outstandingly complete introduction to the jazz canon that will give young readers a genuine feel for the music and spirit of jazz. Short biographies of each of the musicians are included at the end. (Picture book. 5-8)