Africké květiny - Swingující samomluvy – Kouřil Vladimír (2016)

African Flowers brings a broader reflection on jazz music as a phenomenon upon which the existence of all popular music stands. The author also recalls the circumstances of the emergence and development of jazz, rock’n’roll, and deals with musical globalization. The book shows what can occupy the mind of a person who has lived with music for decades, who is a passionate listener, a promoter, knows a lot about it, and has 'something' to say about it. Vladimír Kouřil is among the most serious music journalists and critics who have been engaged with jazz for many years. This is not a 'watered-down' impressionism, but judgments based on solidly grounded facts, extraordinary listening experiences, and, last but not least, considerable interdisciplinary knowledge. We often delve into literature or visual arts here. The title of the book, African Flowers, refers to the fact that the path of development not only of jazz but of the entire civilization originated from the womb of the African continent. The direct inspiration was one of Duke Ellington's most beautiful compositions, Flaurette Africaine, written under the impression of his work stay in Paris.