

Loading... The Ghetto Swinger: A Berlin Jazz-Legend Remembersby Coco Schumann
None. None No current Talk conversations about this book. The first half of this harrowing book covers life in Berlin and then the concentration camps. Up to the time Coco was taken to Theresienstadt, life in Berlin was carefree, from his younger years and later in his teens, playing in the clubs and bars. The pogroms etc., must have washed over him as though hecwas not involved. It must have been exciting, especially when playing "subversive" jazz. The description of the conditions in Theresienstadt is horrific even though the Nazis portrayed it as a model camp when the Red Cross organisation came for an inspection. The joy Coco experienced when finding a "cafe" with his kind of music emanating and joining the Ghetto Swingers, to the dumpling laying him low, was in stark contrastto seeing emaciated people and worst of all, two months later finding out that his grandparents who were there also were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Playing with the band made life in the camp easier to bear. In contrast descriptions of his journey to Auschwitz-Birkenau was hard to read. Even harder to read was the shock realisation of what was happening in the death camp. The exterminating of Roma Gypsies to make way for Coco's intake was especially difficult to take in. Until January 1945 they were on the move again, halting at various camps until they arrived in Wolfratshause in April 1945. Eventually the American army arrived. Coco was sent to a sickbay and finally found his way back to Berlin where he met up with his parents, who by some miracle had survived the horrors of the war. But best of all he was able to resume his playing career in the rubble of a broken city. The second half concentrates on Coco's life travelling, getting married, forming his own band, mixing with famous people especially my all time favourite Ella Fitzgerald! Back in Berlin Coco made his way slowly back entertaining and playing his music albeit morphing to more modern music. Even after all the horrors and hardship that was perpetrated during the war the saddest part of this account was the incident in Bad Bevenson when people who were with Coco doubted all that had happened, insinuated that the "foreigners" were to blame and worst of all the postcard that was sent to uim. I hope that these days this sort of behaviour has gone away. I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. no reviews | add a review
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I found Mr. Schumann's story so very interesting although there were parts that kind of drug for me just because I did not know any of the musicians that he mentions. The story of how he began playing at the age of 13 and how he survived the concentration camps was scary as well as amazing. He also tells of the lasting effects those years had on him. (