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Face the music : a memoir / Peter Duchin with Patricia Beard.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Doubleday, [2021]Copyright date: ©2021Edition: First editionDescription: xx, 281 pages : illustrations ; 22 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780385545877
  • 0385545878
  • 9781984899774
  • 1984899775
Subject(s): Genre/Form: Summary: "The celebrated musician reflects on family, illness, and a bygone era of glamour in this poignant memoir. Peter Duchin is among the great American bandleaders. His six decades of performing have taken him to the world's most exclusive dance floors and concert halls. He has played for presidents, kings, and queens, as well as for civil rights and cultural organizations. But in 2013, Duchin suffered a stroke that left him with limited use of his left hand, severely impacting his career. Days of recuperating from his stroke--and later from a critical case of COVID-19--inspired Duchin to consider his complicated past. His father, the legendary bandleader Eddy Duchin, died when Peter was twelve; his mother, Marjorie Oelrichs Duchin, died when Peter was just six days old. In the succeeding decades, Duchin would follow his father as a bandleader, becoming the epitome of mid-20th century glamour. But it was only half a century later, in the aftermath of his sudden illnesses, that he began to see his mother and father not just as the parents he never had, but as the individuals he never got to know. More than a memoir, Face the Music offers a window into a bygone era of debutantes and white-tie balls, when such events made national headlines. Duchin explores what "glamour" and "society" once meant, and what they mean now. With sincerity and humor, Face the Music offers a moving portrait of an extraordinary life, its disruptions, and a revitalization"-- Provided by publisher.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Dr. James Carlson Library Biography DUCHIN, P. D831 Available 33111010623698
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library Biography DUCHIN, P. D831 Available 33111010765838
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this poignant memoir, the internationally celebrated bandleader reflects on family, illness, grief, and a bygone era of glamour, contemplating not just his career but the history of midcentury music and nightlife--and the enormously important role that the bandstand played in his life.


The internationally-famous bandleader Peter Duchin's six decades of performing have taken him to the most exclusive dance floors and concert halls in the world. He has played for presidents, kings, and queens, as well as for civil rights and cultural organizations. But in 2013, Duchin suffered a stroke that left him with limited use of his left hand, severely impacting his career.

Days of recuperating from his stroke--and later from a critical case of Covid-19--inspired Duchin to reconsider his complicated past. His father, the legendary bandleader Eddy Duchin, died when Peter was twelve; his mother, Marjorie Oelrichs Duchin, died when he was just six days old. In the succeeding decades, Duchin would follow his father to become the epitome of mid-20th Century glamour. But it was only half a century later, in the aftermath of his sudden illnesses, that he began to see his mother and father not just as the parents he never had, but as the people he never got to know; and at the same time, to reconsider the milieu in which he has been both a symbol and a participant.

More than a memoir, Face the Music offers a window into the era of debutantes and white-tie balls, when such events made national headlines. Duchin explores what "glamour" and "society" once meant, and what they mean now. With sincerity and humor, Face the Music offers a moving portrait of an extraordinary life, its disruptions, and revitalization.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The celebrated musician reflects on family, illness, and a bygone era of glamour in this poignant memoir. Peter Duchin is among the great American bandleaders. His six decades of performing have taken him to the world's most exclusive dance floors and concert halls. He has played for presidents, kings, and queens, as well as for civil rights and cultural organizations. But in 2013, Duchin suffered a stroke that left him with limited use of his left hand, severely impacting his career. Days of recuperating from his stroke--and later from a critical case of COVID-19--inspired Duchin to consider his complicated past. His father, the legendary bandleader Eddy Duchin, died when Peter was twelve; his mother, Marjorie Oelrichs Duchin, died when Peter was just six days old. In the succeeding decades, Duchin would follow his father as a bandleader, becoming the epitome of mid-20th century glamour. But it was only half a century later, in the aftermath of his sudden illnesses, that he began to see his mother and father not just as the parents he never had, but as the individuals he never got to know. More than a memoir, Face the Music offers a window into a bygone era of debutantes and white-tie balls, when such events made national headlines. Duchin explores what "glamour" and "society" once meant, and what they mean now. With sincerity and humor, Face the Music offers a moving portrait of an extraordinary life, its disruptions, and a revitalization"-- Provided by publisher.

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