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JAM: A Novel
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Alan gives an overview of the book:

Everybody knows someone like James Justus. James is a wonderboy, that guy who can do anything he sets his mind to—all with seemingly little effort. Good looks, great personality, big heart, amazing artistic instincts, the works. You’d be hard pressed to find a chink in his armor. Everybody knows someone like Frank Craft. Frank is the eternal outsider, the resolute sort whose off-center goals compel him to howl against the prevailing winds. He’s not your prototypical "natural," but his determination more than compensates. He’ll work his hindquarters off to realize his dreams, whatever they might be. James is the definition of a prodigy. With little-to-no training, he’s mastered the entire woodwind family, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and piano. The quantity and quality of his talent is almost frightening. Conversely, Frank is, well, Frank — he’s a superb...
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Everybody knows someone like James Justus.

James is a wonderboy, that guy who can do anything he sets his mind to—all with seemingly little effort. Good looks, great personality, big heart, amazing artistic instincts, the works. You’d be hard pressed to find a chink in his armor.

Everybody knows someone like Frank Craft.

Frank is the eternal outsider, the resolute sort whose off-center goals compel him to howl against the prevailing winds. He’s not your prototypical "natural," but his determination more than compensates. He’ll work his hindquarters off to realize his dreams, whatever they might be.

James is the definition of a prodigy. With little-to-no training, he’s mastered the entire woodwind family, trumpet, trombone, guitar, and piano. The quantity and quality of his talent is almost frightening.

Conversely, Frank is, well, Frank — he’s a superb drummer, but has to constantly fight his own limbs to achieve the perfection he so desires. But driven by an obsessive love for jazz — and an abiding love for his high school dreamgirl Sara Rogers — Frank Craft molds himself into one helluva percussionist.

After a rocky start, James and Frank’s quartet HoverCraft develops a unique bebop-meets-rock style that enraptures their fellow Chicagoians, and attracts the attention of record industry maven Mitch Busey.

After the band signs their major label recording contract, Busey renames them Jam, then immediately throws them into the recording studio, where they wax an album highlighted by the stalwart single, "Guess What."

As "Guess What" begins its steady climb up the charts, Jam takes to the road, where their life becomes a blur of sold-out shows, lustful and worshipful listeners, interminable bus rides, power struggles, petty arguments…and head- spinningly brilliant music. James, the band’s frontman, is forced to deal with the fallout of sudden adulation, while Frank, the band’s heart and backbone, is forced to deal with James expanding ego' — an ego that threatens to tear apart both the band and their friendship.

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Note from the author coming soon...

About Alan

Writer/musician Alan Goldsher is the author of Modest Mouse: A Pretty Good Read (St. Martin's Press, 2006) and Hard Bop Academy: The Sidemen of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers (Hal Leonard, 2002), as well as the music-themed novels JamThe Record Haus (PublishAmerica 2003...

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