Literary talent alert for the Hudson Valley and Beacon in particular! Our own Beaconite Nate Chinen, an American jazz critic, New York Times music critic, and Director of Editorial Content at WBGO Jazz, has released his book, Playing Changes, published by Knopf Doubleday Books. I'm placing my order at our local bookstore, Binnacle Books! It's so easy to pop into Binnacle to order whatever I'm looking to read, with assistance from the helpful person behind the counter.

Here’s what it’s about, according to Google Books: “One of jazz’s leading critics gives us an invigorating, richly detailed portrait of the artists and events that have shaped the music of our time. Grounded in authority and brimming with style, Playing Changes is the first book to take the measure of this exhilarating moment: it is a compelling argument for the resiliency of the art form and a rejoinder to any claims about its calcification or demise.” It earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly - this book is kind of a big deal!

Looking forward to reading the hardcover edition!