PositiveThe Austin Chronicle... remarkable ... peeling back the layers reveals a book drenched in allegory that works on a multitude of different levels ... Part of the success of this book is Whitehead\'s ability to give the story a riveting sense of place ... It\'s as if the revelation of \'vertical transport\' is the only way to raise one\'s soul above these earthly and man-made portents.
Maxine Gordon
RaveThe Austin ChronicleHis long, prolific career may have been characterized by dramatic highs and lows, but the final 15 years of his life were marked by one success after another ... and we get a particularly intimate look at those career highs in this wonderful biography of the iconic jazzman ... Maxine has also done her homework ... She is quite thorough in covering Dexter’s 14-year expatriation to Copenhagen (1962-76), where he was openly embraced by appreciative jazz fans all over Europe ... Most striking for this reader was how, through her intimate, first-hand knowledge of her husband’s life, Maxine was able to convey how the art of jazz was far more than a career path for Dexter and his colleagues. The very spirit and essence of jazz was an attitude and a way of living one’s life as an artist. And certainly Dexter’s warm, soulful, big-toned sound enriched the lives of those who heard and embraced it.
