The Baroness, By Hannah Rothschild

 

Boyd Tonkin
Friday 01 March 2013 20:00 GMT
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Almost incredible, yet true at every turn, this biography of the "jazz baroness" Nica Rothschild - Hannah's great-aunt - whirls us into a vortex of clashing, yet interconnected, worlds.

In the 1950s, inspired by the pianistic genius of Thelonious Monk, Nica fled the privilege of her family in Europe.

In bebop-era New York, she became not just the champion and patron of avant-garde jazz virtuosi but - in Monk's case - his devoted partner too.

Beyond the juicy scandal, this tale of a culture in transition rests, at root, on a love-story for the ages.

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