Coming Through Slaughter

At first listen, Dion Graham's narration of this historical novel about jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden, originally published in 1996, sounds breathy and at times overly dramatic. But he's just warming up. As the colorful details of the cornet player's life unfold, Graham cranks up the story's intense moments to great effect, while dialing the mood down with hushed tones and slower pacing when necessary. Ondaatje's lyrical writing holds nothing back when describing the sexual dynamics prevalent in Bolden's subculture at the time. But this moving audio is more about Buddy Bolden the troubled man than Buddy Bolden the womanizing musician. Graham's sensitivity is particularly effective in expressing the tragedy of Bolden's mental health issues and the isolation that black culture endured in post-civil-war New Orleans. T.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine