Review Detail

That Swingin' Sound is a beautiful book that gives some of the backstory of two of the most iconic jazz performers of the mid-twentieth century.

This is tuneful biography written in a way that sounds like music! Rekha does such a lovely job of creating music with her words all the way through this text in so many ways, she includes things like rich similes and fun scat sections, and beautiful combos that sing and play their way through the book.
The love of jazz and swing shines through.
I would have loved additional facts about Armstrong and Fitzgerald in the backmatter to support this biography, instead of just additional source material.

Ken Daley’s captivating artwork weaves through highlighting the movement of tapping toes, floating notes, and dancing bodies. I loved how he showed music bringing vibrancy to an otherwise dull life.

Rekha Rajan and Ken Daley bring an appreciation of the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong to a new generation.