From Publishers Weekly
When Truman Capote was approached in 1953 with the suggestion that he consider adapting his play House of Flowers into a musical with a score by Harold Arlen, it is said that Capote responded: "Who's Harold Arlen?" This proved to be a recurrent question during Arlen's career and one that Jablonski answers in his second biography of this composer known for his musical comedies. Expanding on the author's 1961 biography Harold Arlen: Happy with the Blues, this latest account of the Buffalo-born cantor's son, Hyman Arluck, provides a musical history of the artist's heyday. Unfortunately, these details at times tend to overshadow Arlen himself, such as in the informative chapter on the Cotton Club. Perhaps this is reflective of Arlen's professional experiences, as it was not until after the cult success of House of Flowers that Arlen emerged from the shadows of his contemporaries to be easily recognized for accomplishments such as having scored the films The Wizard of Oz (1939) and A Star Is Born (1954) and 30 musicals including Bloomer Girl and St. Louis Woman. Arlen also worked with lyricists Ted Koehler, E.Y. Harburg and Johnny Mercer to compose the popular songs "Get Happy," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic," "Stormy Weather" and Arlen's favorite, "Last Night When We Were Young," to name a few. This is a nostalgic guide for fans of Arlen and Tin Pan Alley, as well as musicologists. Photos not seen by PW. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
The creator of such hit tunes as "Stormy Weather" and "Over the Rainbow," Harold Arlen is one of the underrated composers of American popular song. Journalist Jablonski (Gershwin, Northeastern Univ. Pr., 1990) is no stranger to the subject and presents a well-documented biography of the late songwriter. His life is chronicled from his upbringing in Buffalo to his stint at the Cotton Club to his Broadway and movie outings. On the positive side, there is plenty of information?including a good discography?and some insight into the songwriting process. On the negative side, the book runs a bit long, and the treatment of the subject is oddly detached. Still, with few books on Arlen available, this fills a void. Recommended for specialized music collections in public and academic libraries.?Ronald S. Russ, Brooklyn P.L.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Irving Berlin once said of his less-heralded colleague, "Harold Arlen wasn't as well known as some of us, but he was a better songwriter than most of us." Jablonski argues in his new biography that Berlin wasn't just being modest. Unlike other Broadway and Hollywood composers of his day, Arlen was also a jazz bandleader and musician, and Jablonski shows how the knowledge of improvisation he gained from this experience enabled him to compose structurally challenging works such as "Stormy Weather" and "Blues in the Night." Arlen went on to achieve immense mainstream success with his score for The Wizard of Oz. He profited from several impeccable collaborations that Jablonski details, such as with Truman Capote in the initially overlooked musical, House of Flowers. While Jablonski lucidly describes the creation and impact of Arlen's music, he also presents the composer's life story--Arlen's parents were devout Orthodox Jews, and his cantor father probably would have preferred Harold, who entered show business in his teens, to remain in synagogue choirs--thoroughly and sympathetically. Aaron Cohen


From Kirkus Reviews
An efficacious reconsideration of a songwriter whose career exemplified the cross-pollination of black and white popular music. Everybody knows Arlen's songs (``Get Happy,'' ``Stormy Weather,'' ``Over the Rainbow''), but heretofore his story has been clumped with those of other show-tune composers. Born Hyman Arluck in 1905 to an Orthodox Jewish couple in Buffalo, New York, his early musical experiences were in the world of his father, a respected cantor. But he was electrified by Tin Pan Alley rags, which led him back to more authentic blues sources like Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. (A.a nifty passage hints at the correspondences between cantorial music and the aching blue notes in jazz). Arlen's career writing for the Cotton Club revues started when he met lyricist Ted Koehler. Arlen wasn't patrician, and black musicians and dancers liked him. His music was played by the Ellington and Calloway bands, and his songs became street hits. By the mid-'30s, that era ended abruptly, and he turned to Broadway and Hollywood, but mostly the latter, in a Faustian bargain for better pay and concomitant obscurity. His collaborations with Yip Harburg and Johnny Mercer stood out, and by the rock-'n'-roll era, he had made it to grand-old-man status as a composer of unusually winding melodies rooted in the blues. He had also slid into depression with a thunk: His relationship with his wife, Anya, became nearly nonexistent, and she died in 1970 after long suffering from a barely treated neurological illness; Arlen's last two decades were often dark and solitary. Veteran author Jablonski (Alan Jay Lerner, 1996, etc.), who had family cooperation and access to many personal files, reestablishes himself in these tricky passages as a reliable chronicler of American songwriters. Though at times overconsiderate (the subject remains unnecessarily saintly through some questionably racist musicals, dalliances with other women, etc.), this definitive book draws Arlen with complexity and clarity. (illustrations, not seen) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


From Book News, Inc.
A biography of the composer of popular American show tunes and musical scores, whose credits include "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather." Draws on family documents and memorabilia to describe his relationships and troubles with alcoholism, and offers anecdotes about the music business and entertainment giants of the 1930s and 1940s. Includes b&w photos, a complete list of Arlen's works, and lists of selected recordings and films featuring his music. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Harold Arlen (1905-1986) composed some of America's most enduring popular songs, including "Over the Rainbow," "Stormy Weather," "Get Flappy, "The Man That Got Away," and "Come Rain or Come Shine." Rooted in the traditions of jazz and the blues, his innovative music is still widely performed today by artists as diverse as Tony Bennett, Willie Nelson, and Ray Charles. This engaging biography of Harold Arlen charts the course of his brilliant career, from band leader in his native Buffalo, New York, to songwriter and vocalist in vaudeville, to composer of Broadway musicals and revues at Harlem's Cotton Club, to writer of the everlasting music in The Wizard of Oz and other films. Drawing on a treasure trove of family documents and memorabilia, Edward Jablonski vividly describes Arlen's life, including his loving but troubled marriage to Anya, the strained relationship with his father and brother, his alcoholism and illnesses, and his friendship with Marlene Dietrich. Populated with such greats as Johnny Mercer, George and Ira Gershwin, E. Y. Harburg, Bert Lahr, and Judy Garland, the book also captures the spirit of Arlen's times and conveys a sense of the inner workings of the music business.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

When Truman Capote was approached in 1953 with the suggestion that he consider adapting his play House of Flowers into a musical with a score by Harold Arlen, it is said that Capote responded: "Who's Harold Arlen?" This proved to be a recurrent question during Arlen's career and one that Jablonski answers in his second biography of this composer known for his musical comedies. Expanding on the author's 1961 biography Harold Arlen: Happy with the Blues, this latest account of the Buffalo-born cantor's son, Hyman Arluck, provides a musical history of the artist's heyday. Unfortunately, these details at times tend to overshadow Arlen himself, such as in the informative chapter on the Cotton Club. Perhaps this is reflective of Arlen's professional experiences, as it was not until after the cult success of House of Flowers that Arlen emerged from the shadows of his contemporaries to be easily recognized for accomplishments such as having scored the films The Wizard of Oz (1939) and A Star Is Born (1954) and 30 musicals including Bloomer Girl and St. Louis Woman. Arlen also worked with lyricists Ted Koehler, E.Y. Harburg and Johnny Mercer to compose the popular songs "Get Happy," "Blues in the Night," "That Old Black Magic," "Stormy Weather" and Arlen's favorite, "Last Night When We Were Young," to name a few. This is a nostalgic guide for fans of Arlen and Tin Pan Alley, as well as musicologists. Photos not seen by PW. (June)

Library Journal

The creator of such hit tunes as "Stormy Weather" and "Over the Rainbow," Harold Arlen is one of the underrated composers of American popular song. Journalist Jablonski (Gershwin, Northeastern Univ. Pr., 1990) is no stranger to the subject and presents a well-documented biography of the late songwriter. His life is chronicled from his upbringing in Buffalo to his stint at the Cotton Club to his Broadway and movie outings. On the positive side, there is plenty of informationincluding a good discographyand some insight into the songwriting process. On the negative side, the book runs a bit long, and the treatment of the subject is oddly detached. Still, with few books on Arlen available, this fills a void. Recommended for specialized music collections in public and academic libraries.Ronald S. Russ, Brooklyn P.L.

BookList - Aaron Cohen

Irving Berlin once said of his less-heralded colleague, "Harold Arlen wasn't as well known as some of us, but he was a better songwriter than most of us." Jablonski argues in his new biography that Berlin wasn't just being modest. Unlike other Broadway and Hollywood composers of his day, Arlen was also a jazz bandleader and musician, and Jablonski shows how the knowledge of improvisation he gained from this experience enabled him to compose structurally challenging works such as "Stormy Weather" and "Blues in the Night." Arlen went on to achieve immense mainstream success with his score for "The Wizard of Oz". He profited from several impeccable collaborations that Jablonski details, such as with Truman Capote in the initially overlooked musical, "House of Flowers". While Jablonski lucidly describes the creation and impact of Arlen's music, he also presents the composer's life story--Arlen's parents were devout Orthodox Jews, and his cantor father probably would have preferred Harold, who entered show business in his teens, to remain in synagogue choirs--thoroughly and sympathetically.

Booknews

A biography of the composer of popular American show tunes and musical scores, whose credits include "Over the Rainbow" and "Stormy Weather." Draws on family documents and memorabilia to describe his relationships and troubles with alcoholism, and offers anecdotes about the music business and entertainment giants of the 1930s and 1940s. Includes b&w photos, a complete list of Arlen's works, and lists of selected recordings and films featuring his music. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Kirkus Reviews

An efficacious reconsideration of a songwriter whose career exemplified the cross-pollination of black and white popular music.

Everybody knows Arlen's songs ("Get Happy," "Stormy Weather," "Over the Rainbow"), but heretofore his story has been clumped with those of other show-tune composers. Born Hyman Arluck in 1905 to an Orthodox Jewish couple in Buffalo, New York, his early musical experiences were in the world of his father, a respected cantor. But he was electrified by Tin Pan Alley rags, which led him back to more authentic blues sources like Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. (A.a nifty passage hints at the correspondences between cantorial music and the aching blue notes in jazz). Arlen's career writing for the Cotton Club revues started when he met lyricist Ted Koehler. Arlen wasn't patrician, and black musicians and dancers liked him. His music was played by the Ellington and Calloway bands, and his songs became street hits. By the mid-'30s, that era ended abruptly, and he turned to Broadway and Hollywood, but mostly the latter, in a Faustian bargain for better pay and concomitant obscurity. His collaborations with Yip Harburg and Johnny Mercer stood out, and by the rock-'n'-roll era, he had made it to grand-old-man status as a composer of unusually winding melodies rooted in the blues. He had also slid into depression with a thunk: His relationship with his wife, Anya, became nearly nonexistent, and she died in 1970 after long suffering from a barely treated neurological illness; Arlen's last two decades were often dark and solitary. Veteran author Jablonski (Alan Jay Lerner, 1996, etc.), who had family cooperation and access to many personal files, reestablishes himself in these tricky passages as a reliable chronicler of American songwriters.

Though at times overconsiderate (the subject remains unnecessarily saintly through some questionably racist musicals, dalliances with other women, etc.), this definitive book draws Arlen with complexity and clarity.