Dreams in Double Time: On Race, Freedom, and Bebop

In Dreams in Double Time, Jonathan Leal explores how the musical revolution of bebop opened up new futures for racialized and minoritized communities, focusing on the stories and experiences of three musicians and writers of color: James Araki, Raúl Salinas, and Harold Wing.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 19 September 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

In his book "Dreams in Double Time," Jonathan Leal delves into the profound impact of the musical revolution known as bebop on marginalized and racialized communities. By seamlessly blending lyrical nonfiction with transdisciplinary critique and transcending conventional Black/white binary narratives of jazz history, Leal centers his attention on the captivating stories and experiences of three remarkable musicians and writers of color: James Araki, a Nisei multi-instrumentalist, soldier-translator, and literature and folklore scholar; Raúl Salinas, a Chicano poet, jazz critic, and lifelong activist who endured the US carceral system for over a decade; and Harold Wing, an Afro-Chinese American drummer, pianist, and songwriter who performed with bebop pioneers before embarking on a career in public service.

Leal emphasizes that for these individuals and their collaborators, bebop emerged as an emotionally and intellectually empowering force, enabling them to forge strong communities and envision new social possibilities. The intricacy and radicality of bebop, according to Leal, provided a platform for individuals like Araki, Salinas, and Wing, who faced state-sanctioned violence on a daily basis, to challenge a racially supremacist, imperial nation while also creating and hearing the world in fresh and transformative ways.

Through their profound contributions to the world of music and beyond, these three individuals serve as a testament to the enduring power of bebop to inspire, uplift, and propel communities toward a more inclusive and equitable future.

Weight: 363g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478020752