Funky Butt Blues

Rating:
Summary: Funky, but Cool
Review: Not too very long ago, I read a satisfying mystery novel about a fellow hunting for the second set of recordings laid down by bluesman Robert Johnson. I, at the time, was a novice mystery reader, unaware of the tricks that writers sometimes play on us, imagining such things as missing (but plausibly real) manuscripts and recordings by historical figures. I have since become aware that this is common mysterious grounds and have read books about a found holistic manuscript by Mark Twain (which, ironically, was actually discovered about a year later), "lost" paintings by old masters and recording sessions by great musicians.

"Funky Butt Blues" is just such a mystery, in which author F. G. Fox imagines a recording that may or may not have been set down by Father of Jazz, Buddy Bolden. Bolden has long been acknowledged as one of the first men to actually play a primitive form of the music we now know as jazz and such luminaries as Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton claim to have heard him play. Trouble is, no one knows for sure how he sounded, as no recordings exist.

Enter Max, independent librarian, freelance cataloguer, and guy with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hired to catalog an eccentric rich guy's rare books and records prior to selling them, Max discovers what may be the only known recording of Bolden's music, a song that may or may not be called "Funky Butt Blues". He also, regrettably, discovers why the last librarian is no longer working there; being murdered makes it hard to report for duty.

The result is a quirky, intelligent and occasionally hilarious run through New Orleans as seen by an insider. This is especially refreshing given the spate of mysteries that claim to be set in the Big Easy but which take no greater advantage of the locale than having the characters swing by the Cafe du Monde for sugary beignets.

Fox's insider status, the quality that makes this book fascinating and compelling, may also be what hinders it most as a mystery. He writes Max from the first person and makes him opinionated and curmudgeonly. We are offered rants on topics as varied as library science and the financial quagmire that is the Louisiana SuperDome. While a pleasure to read, they do tend to take the reader out of the story an into the rant, only to be plunked unceremoniously back into the action at odd times. The effect is unsettling.

Don't get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have, in fact, read it twice. I'd recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates jaunty, quirky mysteries and has the ability to overlook the home-made, self-published feel of many of the non-mainstream books being published through alternate means. "Funky Butt Blues" is a joy and well-worth the extra effort it may take. If you've had it up to here with slick mysteries with no heart, or with New Orleans mysteries that read like they were set in Ontario and the author just used his "Find & Replace" feature, "Funky Butt Blues" will delight.

Rating:
Summary: Funky, but Cool
Review: Not too very long ago, I read a satisfying mystery novel about a fellow hunting for the second set of recordings laid down by bluesman Robert Johnson. I, at the time, was a novice mystery reader, unaware of the tricks that writers sometimes play on us, imagining such things as missing (but plausibly real) manuscripts and recordings by historical figures. I have since become aware that this is common mysterious grounds and have read books about a found holistic manuscript by Mark Twain (which, ironically, was actually discovered about a year later), "lost" paintings by old masters and recording sessions by great musicians.

"Funky Butt Blues" is just such a mystery, in which author F. G. Fox imagines a recording that may or may not have been set down by Father of Jazz, Buddy Bolden. Bolden has long been acknowledged as one of the first men to actually play a primitive form of the music we now know as jazz and such luminaries as Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton claim to have heard him play. Trouble is, no one knows for sure how he sounded, as no recordings exist.

Enter Max, independent librarian, freelance cataloguer, and guy with a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hired to catalog an eccentric rich guy's rare books and records prior to selling them, Max discovers what may be the only known recording of Bolden's music, a song that may or may not be called "Funky Butt Blues". He also, regrettably, discovers why the last librarian is no longer working there; being murdered makes it hard to report for duty.

The result is a quirky, intelligent and occasionally hilarious run through New Orleans as seen by an insider. This is especially refreshing given the spate of mysteries that claim to be set in the Big Easy but which take no greater advantage of the locale than having the characters swing by the Cafe du Monde for sugary beignets.

Fox's insider status, the quality that makes this book fascinating and compelling, may also be what hinders it most as a mystery. He writes Max from the first person and makes him opinionated and curmudgeonly. We are offered rants on topics as varied as library science and the financial quagmire that is the Louisiana SuperDome. While a pleasure to read, they do tend to take the reader out of the story an into the rant, only to be plunked unceremoniously back into the action at odd times. The effect is unsettling.

Don't get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have, in fact, read it twice. I'd recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates jaunty, quirky mysteries and has the ability to overlook the home-made, self-published feel of many of the non-mainstream books being published through alternate means. "Funky Butt Blues" is a joy and well-worth the extra effort it may take. If you've had it up to here with slick mysteries with no heart, or with New Orleans mysteries that read like they were set in Ontario and the author just used his "Find & Replace" feature, "Funky Butt Blues" will delight.